Experts offer guidance on living life according to tenets of Holy Quran

DUBAI–Death is inevitable for all of us. Therefore, it is very vital to invest our skills and knowledge in Islam for the development of the message of peace and goodness, according to Sheikh Ahmed Hamed, who is considered one of the most prominent speakers on Islam and comparative religion in the region.

Sheikh Hamed added: “No one knows when their time will come, but we all know that death is inevitable. This is a crucial period for us as we have to utilize our time on this earth wisely as it is our chance to prove ourselves for the life after. We also have to work hand in hand to deliver the message of Islam and invest in charitable work and spreading peace. Spreading Islam will make this world become a better and peaceful place.”

His comments came during the third session on day two of the third Dubai World Peace Convention 2014 that is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The “Religious Adviser” of Huda Satellite TV, Muhammad Salah stressed during his lecture titled ‘Message of Peace’ that God is the source of peace as peace is one of the names of Allah. He said: “The word peace is mentioned in the Holy Quran 140 times, which also contains the six meanings of peace, most notably forgiveness, goodness, justice and security.”

Muhammad Salah noted that Surat Al Qadr has the most significant meaning of peace because the night of Qadr is better than a thousand months, and it is the night of peace until dawn.

Underlining the importance of the Dubai World Peace Convention, which is held in Dubai, the city that is home to more than 200 different nationalities, he said: “The number of attendees exceeded 50,000 who are the ambassadors of their respective countries. Furthermore, the conference has received wide media coverage, which contributes to spreading the message of peace worldwide.”

Muhammad Salah also pointed out that Islam promotes peace and permits only self-defense while terrorism is out of bounds according to the Holy Quran.

Speaking again during the fourth session on day three of the event, Muhammad Salah explained women’s roles as mothers and messengers of peace saying: “The mother plays the most important role in forming a family. The women’s role to catalyze world peace is extremely essential to society.She holds 90% of the family structure together and can instill good manners within her children by being the ideal instructor and educator.”

In the fourth session on day two titled ‘The Status of Women in Islam’, Said Rageah, Director of Texas Dawah Convention, and advisor to numerous Islamic organizations in the US, emphasized that while Islam accords equality to men and women, it cannot be mistaken for sameness. He said: “Women and men are different and accordingly Allah has granted different rights and duties to both.”

Said Rageah added: “It is important to clear the misconception about the status of women in Islam, which offers women freedom. This is clearly conveyed through history. Islam gives women liberation and stresses on giving women their freedom of choice along the provision of Islam. Islam gives women respect, dignity, a high status and freedom and the perception stating otherwise must be corrected.”

He added: “Women are the source of strength and peace. If women understand the true source of Islam they will be able to spread the message of peace and harmony.”

Headlining the fifth session titled ‘The Ideal Muslim’, Sheikh/DrTawfique Chowdhury, said: “Goodness will prevail in this world if Muslims are ideal. However, there is so much evil that is spreading in this world at this point in time simply because there are not enough good Muslims at the moment. If Muslims practiced Islam in its true essence, it will help solve so many of the issues that we are facing today, resulting in better life and peace in this region in particular, and around the world.”

He added: “The ideal Muslim has four characteristics: a person who has a very strong connection with Allah, confidence on his mission and purpose in this life, self-sufficiency in terms of honor and respect to others and selflessness. These characteristics in a person’s mere existence will result in harmony and helping humanity achieve world peace.”

In the sixth session, Nouman Ali Khan, CEO of Bayyinah TV that seeks to help individuals learn Arabic and airs Islamic content, shared his views on ‘The Quran – The Linguistic Miracle’. Urging individuals to learn Arabic, which is a basis to understanding the Quran, he said: “The power of the Quran is not being utilized properly because we assume that literature has a set standard. When you get involved in literature, you start understanding that the best authors in the world have to break the standard and do their own thing.The Holy Quran has its own standard and we need to understand it from that perspective.”

He added: “Understanding the concept and the essence of the Quran encourages people to be more aware and educated towards the importance of the Holy Quran. Practicing the great religion of Islam properly will result in inner peace that will further spread around the world.”

Abdul Bari Yahya elaborated on the importance to avoid spreading mischief on earth during the fourth session on day three saying: “As Muslims, we need to understand the importance of not spreading harm through our hands and tongues. We should also be supportive towards others. Those who spread mischief on earth will be destroyed in this life and the afterlife by Allah.”

He added: “The happiness of an individual, family, community and a nation is based upon not harming others.People contribute to peace in general by solely being at peace with themselves, others and most importantly to God Almighty. Practicing Islam properly will create inner peace and in return peace towards others and around the world.”

He also added: “A Muslim is productive and not destructive by being helpful to others and should always reach out and help other people who are in need.”

The second day of the Dubai World Peace Convention concluded with an exclusive open session titled ‘Ask Dr.Zakir’, which saw Sheikh Zakir Naik, who is an advocate and orator on Islam and comparative religion, answered questions posed by members of the audience.

The Dubai World Peace Convention saw an approximate of 20,000 participants in addition to the thousands that stood in queue till the second day of the event concluded without being able to gain access.

The three-day event invites the participation of the public in activities such as the Intelligent Peace Dome, a Science Fair, Friday prayers, the Peace Pledge Campaign, Children’s Corner and the 2014 Peace Football Tournament for schools.