Ramadhan, the Month of God (23)

Welcome to the 23rd episode of “Ramadhan, the Month of God” after having spent the night that went by prayers, supplications and other acts of worship, to avail the blessings of Layl-at-al-Qadr or Grand Night when the fate of mankind for the whole year is decreed and when God enlightened with entirety of the holy Qur’an the heart of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

As usual, let us start our daily programme with the special supplication of the day:

“O Allah, wash me clean this day from sins; purify me therein from all defects; test therein my heart for Godwariness; O Pardoner of the lapses of sinners!”

The Prophet’s First Divinely-Designated Successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), says: “The Qur'an is the spring of hearts and fountain of knowledge; and there is no polish for the heart and thought except the Qur'an.”

Every year in the blessed month of Ramadhan, Tehran hosts the International Qur’an Exhibition The 27^th such exhibition opened on May 11 and ended on May 25 at the grand Imam Khomeini Musalla in Tehran. It was open from 17 hours to 24 hours, and attracted large crowds, especially youngsters.  The theme of this year’s exhibition was "Qur'an, the Meaning of Life".

Among the participants were 18 governmental institutions, 24 NGOs, 18 academic centers, 8 seminary institutes and 12 provincial organs. In addition, more than 10 countries and 7 Qur'anic institutions with global activities took part in the event. Turkey, Yemen, India, Iraq, Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Palestine, Afghanistan and Russia were the participants in the international section, while Pakistan was the special guest in the exhibition. Tunisia was represented by its Qur’anic research centre “Markaz ad-Dirasaat li-Jamia az-Zitouna” and the Ez-Zitouna University, which is based in the ancient Islamic city of Kairouan.

Malaysia was represented by Rastu – a major foundation for publication of the holy Qur’an. Rastu displayed at the exhibit copies of the Holy Book bearing beautiful margins and designs. The Sultanate of Oman was represented by its ministry of Endowment.

The Iran-based Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly participated in the exhibit in both section of publishers and the section of international activities. It displayed in several world languages its publications. In addition, several of the Ahl al-Bayt’s foreign institutes and cultural centres participated. These centres are active in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and India. The official section of the Republic of Azerbaijan displayed religious books and magazines in Azeri language, with some of these publications being exclusively for children.

Another section at the 27^th International Qur'an Exhibition in Tehran represented new adherents to Islam. Every night it hosted a different person who has embraced the truth of Islam. These new brothers and sisters-in-faith enlightened the audiences with their experiences, both before and after becoming Muslim. This section attracted many people.

Ahmad Jones from the Republic of Ireland was one of the guests. He said: "I was born in a Christian family. At the age of 10, I went to a recreational trip to Tunisia. My trip coincided with the month of Ramadhan. During my two weeks’ stay in Tunisia, I was impressed by the spiritual atmosphere of the month of Ramadhan in that North African Muslim country. The kindness and spirit of brotherhood displayed by the local people amongst themselves, as well as with visitor, greatly impressed me. At the time of Iftar or breaking of the day’s fast, it was really exhilarating. A few years later, I got familiar with an Iraqi classmate and we became close friends. Little by little I became keen about his behavior and this made me familiar with Islam. Although I had studied Christian theology at the university, reading the holy Qur'an was a very pleasant surprise for me. This brought changes in me and I felt my life was transformed. I found rational and logical answers to the basic questions of life: what is the goal of life and what is the correct form of social relation and the duties of human being? What I found in the holy Qur'an in response to these questions was simple and convincing. With the passage of time, my faith has become stronger and have found more reasons to corroborate my choice. I thank God who granted me the bliss of becoming Muslim."

The special section for children and teenagers was more attractive and active than previous years. There were various programmes for familiarization of youths and teenagers with the lofty concepts of the holy Qur'an.

The Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works was active in this section, catering to the needs of the youths and teenagers. This section also had story-tellers recounting to children the accounts of Prophets mentioned in the holy Qur’an. There were entertainment programmes as well, but in accordance with the teachings of the holy Qur'an. Children were given the opportunity to display their talents through drawing and answering of quiz.

Many of the cultural centers of mosques also had special sessions for proper recitation of the holy Qur’an for the youths and teenagers who enthusiastically thronged these sections.

This year, besides Tehran, the holy city of Mashhad also held an international Qur'an exhibition. This exhibition consisted 700 stands including international, publishers, visual arts, Hijab, and the sections for recitation and interpretation of the holy Qur’an.

Every night, 9 international reciters from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Tanzania would read ayahs of the Qur'an at the event along 14 Iranian reciters to enliven the spiritual atmosphere of the exhibition. The Qur'anic event in Mashhad was also rich in activities and many programmes.     

AS/ME