Report: Twelfth annual competitions completed

The twelfth annual session of different competitions containing: delivering speech in four languages (Persian, Baluchi, Arabic and English), poetry and Islamic songs got completed on Thursday night at Darululoom Zahedan.

The ceremony began on Tuesday morning, 25th May among the Sunni schools’ students of Baluchistan, Iran.
It should be noted that the religious school for sisters “Sayyeda A’yisha” (Allah bless her) which is the branch of “DarulUloom Zahedan” also held such competitive activities to build up the natural abilities of pupils by different ways: delivering speech and writing essays on the level of Zahedan.
Before to start competitions Mufti Mohammad Qasim Qasimi, the head of Dar-ul-Iftaa at Darululoom Zahedan, senior professor of the University and the editor of famous magazine “Nidaye Islam” delivered an important lecture (SunniOnline offers summary of his lecture).
Grand Mufti said, “Unfortunately we [Muslims] do not have power and influence in the world. A map of the world in future has been spread out recently on Internet widely; I thought there is no Muslims role to draw such maps even they couldn’t draw maps of their countries. Nowadays, although most of the Islamic countries liberated from imperialists and colonists apparently, but still they are colonies of the West and her scientists intellectually. The Islamic nation has been facing a lot of difficulties for a long time it requires us to get unity and make solid planning to save the Muslim ummah from this calamity. And I request scholars, preachers as well as heads of the Islamic states must begin this great task.
The scholars, faithful preachers and ascetics in the past performed their task in this regard nicely and faced the Mongols and the Tatars attackers; in the Tatar raid, contrary to what we see in the general rule that always the loser is affected by clicks of dominators; the attacker was affected by Muslim scholars.
Sincerity was the key to success and the greatest weapon of scholars at that time to defeat the enemy.
Dear Brothers! The main purpose of all these efforts and activities, (repeating our lessons and holding competitions) is to get wisdom and to enhance our knowledge and to spread out Islam religion among the various members of the society.
At the end of his speech, he advised the audience the contest participants as well as other students by the same words what the great Imam Ahmad Sirhindi said (Almighty God’s mercy on him): The real revolution does not come by rhetoric speeches and wide information; rather behind of such capabilities there must be four qualities:
1- Self-reformation, 2- Sincere heart, 3- Having feelings about the Muslim Ummah’s conditions, 4- Having Feeling the Muslim ummah’s pain. Mufti Qasimi (may Allah preserve him) added: that Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi submitted to get these four qualities three ways: 1- To remember almighty Allah (Zikr) all the time by his level best and to worship Him a lot, 2- To adopt good companies of great people, 3- To follow the methods of the righteous antecedes.

Sermon of Sheikh Abdul Hameed on this occasion:
The last meeting of the session started after Maghrib prayer on Thursday, one of the students recited some verses of the holy Quran. After that the group of “fans of the Prophet” (class song of Darululoom Zahedan University) sang a beautiful song in praise of the Messenger Muhammad (P.B.U.H) in Baluchi language.
Then Shaikh Abdul Hameed, chairman of the Union of Sunni schools in Sistan & Balochistan province delivered an useful guidance, he continued his useful words after reciting the words of Allah: { فلولا نفر من كل فرقة منهم طائفة ليتفقهوا في الدين ولينذروا قومهم إذا رجعوا إليهم لعلهم يحذرون} ” A party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islâmic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil) “; We are living in the conditions which have characteristics and their particular advantages. Islamic preachers and activism should be in accordance with the conditions prevailing in each century.
“Nowadays machinery and sophisticated technology have dominated the world; conditions are quite different from the past. We can transfer our call and ideas through the Internet from any place to remotest areas of the world. The Jews, Christians and other religions and sects in the world benefit from these machines and tools. We are Muslims, if we want to defend Islam, and kill doubts of people about Islam, we must use these means and resources. If some body wants to utilize these new facilities, he should learn different important languages and skills.”
The head of Darululoom Zahedan declared objectivity, methodological and avoidance of extremes and intolerance main factors affecting rhetoric and said, “Who wants to be an orator, brilliant, and has useful and powerful rhetoric, in addition to his skill in the language of his speech, he must submit his consideration and opinion inferring objectively, also speaker should respect the beliefs and opinions of others.”
Grand Sheikh indicated towards the role of poets in Islamic history, saying, that Muslim poets such as Saadi, Mawlawi and Mohammad Iqbal presented great services to Islam, because the poems were written in the correct direction. But those poets who were incorrect and their poetry was obscene and about sexual instincts so regarding holy Qur’an they are condemned, Qur’an says that hearts of such people are full of dirts and impurities.
Sheikh told the sisters who were listening his rhetoric that it has been in the history of mothers that brought up heroes and geniuses. And Muslim women were in history pro-front of men. Today also we see in some countries that women have assumed government positions, so Muslim women should initiate activity in the various fields and exert their efforts to provide services to human society through every possible way.
Mulana Abdul Hameed went on saying, “The era of confrontation of capitalist and communist regimes in the world had finished, all systems and blocs in the world have come together to fight against Islam and to misguide the youngsters of Muslim Ummah from their original and right path. The attack on Iraq and other Muslim countries, are prominent of these objectives and plans, they have been trying to deviate Muslims, to anagram the concepts of Jihad and other Islamic teachings. Many of the Shias and Sunnis have been affected because of such ideas and conspiracies. All of these countries were under one banner and one leadership, but colonialists divided Muslim people in many states.”
At the end Sheikh asked scholars and students to get awareness of deteriorating conditions of Muslim ummah, and to be active in the field of education as well as to kill the suspicions raised by Jews and Christianity against Islam.
Criticizing the traditional system of religious schools in particular Kala’m subject Sheikh said, “You should not be imitators of the past’s conditions, we are not reverting to the laws and tapes made at the special situations in the past. We should move forward in accordance with the tapes and new situation. I believe that our research should be higher than doctrinal issues (Fiqh) and we must focus to respond to suspicions of the enemy. We must be ready to bear any kind of misfortunes and problems.”
After the completion of important and useful lecture of sheikh sahib, tips were given to three awards of excellence in this competition. The twelfth session of the competitions in speech, poetry and essay writing and songs ended with Du’a of Sheikh-ul-Islam (may Allah protect him).
A book fair under the auspices of “Al-Siddiqi publisher” also held in the margin of this session as it was well comed by the participants in the concert.