Religious discourses are nothing new, more so during Ramzan. But an English one is something very rare in Hyderabad mosques and that too on a subject seldom touched upon.
Worshipers who had congregated for the ‘zohar’ prayers the other day at Masjide Teenposh, Nampaly, were in for a surprise when it was announced that a young man, Shaikh Zeeshan Kasimuddin, Islamic scholar from Toronto (Canada), will give the spiritual talk in English.
Focusing on the first revelation of the Quran, he drove home the importance given to education – both religious and worldly –in Islam.
“Iqra”, meaning read, was the first word of the chapter Al Alaq revealed to Prophet Mohammed.
The next five verses that followed also related to the same thing – knowledge, reading and pen.
Ummah“How can the Muslim ummah which is commanded by Allah to read and write lag behind in education,” Mr. Zeeshan wondered.
Quoting the Quran, he explained how intellect and the ability to learn distinguished man from other creations.
He listed out examples from the lives of the companions of the Prophet to show the thirst they had for knowledge.
The mosque Khateeb, Maulana Obaidur Rahman, fervently appealed to students to learn Telugu too.
“It is necessary for your career advancement and also to build bridges with the Hindu brethren,” he remarked.
