Annual Qur’an Conferences in United States and India
By Aslam Abdullah
Every year, the Qur’an Center, New Delhi, organizes a public forum focusing on the Last Divine Testament in December. In 2020, the Qur’anCenter will hold two conferences through the Web. The first one is in Urdu and is to be broadcast from Delhi on December 13, at 2 PM Indian Standard Time and the second is in English scheduled to be broadcast in the USA at 9 AM, Pacific Standard Time.
The USA broadcast conference has Islamicity, USA and the Qur’anCenters as its joint sponsors. Hopefully, like the conference in Delhi, the USA conference will also become a permanent event.
The conference does not accept funding from governments, religious organizations, theological seminaries, or political parties. It is non-denominational. The organizers and volunteers bear all the expenses.
The conference intends to bring serious Qur’an students in direct contact with people, especially youth and women. The India conferences were a huge success in India as 90 percent of the audience came from men and women in 18-40. The forum is now a major annual event in New Delhi as one can see giant banners and posters in different languages in India's capital. The day-long conference is in the Urdu language and managed by volunteers efficiently.
Qur’an is for all people and all times. Every individual has a right to connect with the guidance of their Creator. Language is not a barrier in this interaction between the Creator and the created. Every creation interacts with the Divine and follows the guidance without any resistance. Only human beings can choose between their views and divine advice. But the choice is available to those who can comprehend the message, reflect on it, and synthesize it with their life.
For years, Muslim masses have remained disconnected from the Qur’an directly under the belief that the guidance's comprehension is the duty of a selected few. While they have memorized and read it, they comprehend and act on it based on the borrowed ideas of others. The conference intends to replace the believers' dependency on sources other than God in evolving cognitive phases with personal responsibility and a sense of belonging.
The conference envisages a society where an individual is in direct contact with the Qur’anic Message and acts based on a collective understanding through forums held around its guidance. It also intends to create an environment where believers focus on connecting with the message instead of words in a language they do not understand.
The Qur’an is a divine call to continually improve human conditions in every aspect of life for humanity's benefit. Its message is not for its believers within the four walls of worship but for people to lead a life rooted in reality and their society's progress. God is not only the God of life hereafter but a living God whose guidance is crucial for success in this world.
The message is to enable people to interact with each other for a healthy society free from violence and hatred. This is possible when its believers own it and live it based on their understanding. The Qur’anic literacy does not merely mean that people read it in Arabic, but they understand its message in any language of the world.
The Qur’anConference realizes that every language that defines divine guidance is holy, and God is free from linguistic boundaries. The human intellect can relate to this message if it attempts. This confidence in one's ability and the power of God is what the conference intends to empower its participants. The organizers hope that such gatherings will become a norm in Muslim communities at all levels.
The links for the two conferences are:
For December 20 conference,in English jointly sponsored by Islamicity.org and the Qur’an Center, New Delhi. https://www.islamicity.org/68500/webinar-Qur’an-for-humanity/
and for the Urdu conference on December 13 organized by the Qur’an Center. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=Qur’an%20center%20delhi
(Dr Aslam Abdullah is resident scholar at islamicity.org. He is editor in chief of Muslim Observer and a trustee of American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin. He gives Friday sermons at Islamic centers in California and other states)
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