BRADFORD GRAND MAWLID PROCESSION 2018

THE GRAND MAWLID PROCESSION 2018 Bradford Grand Mosque once again welcomed the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal with an epic celebration of the birth, life & legacy of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, Syeduna Mohammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as thousands of devotees assembled under the winter clouds to mark The Grand Mawlid; one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar. The annual procession and conference was supported and attended by both the local community and local Islamic organisations, but welcomed participants from all parts of the UK and abroad. As with previous years, this year’s Grand Mawlid was again presided by the founder of the host organisation, Qibla Hazrat Sahib, Shaykh Mohammad Habib-ur-Rehman Mahboobi but was also blessed with the presence of an amazing turnout of guest scholars, imams and community leaders. Speaking before the event, chief organiser, Haji Mohammed Ayub commented, “We would like to emphasise that the message of the procession is to spread a message of peace, compassion and unity. We want to demonstrate that this was the true message of our Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings be upon him, which he brought for mankind. We look forward to welcoming all our friends and the whole community in celebration.” On the day of the event, participants recited poems of praise, waved colourful flags and displayed banners with messages of love and peace for all humanity as the grand procession set off from one of Europe’s largest mosques, peacefully passing through the streets of Bradford and later returning to conclude at the same location from where it had begun. As part of the festivities, food snacks, treats and gifts were handed out in abundance to all the visitors, both young and old, by the volunteer teams and also by local residents from early in the day and throughout the whole procession. Upon its successful conclusion, the procession was followed by Maghrib prayer after which the guest speakers continued to address the congregation with their articulate accounts of the miraculous birth, life and legacy of the Beloved of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Those unable to make it were still able to benefit from the many words of wisdom that were imparted by the scholars as the entire event was streamed live across the world via the Bradford Grand Mosque App. Speaking after the procession, Bradford Grand Mosque chairman, Mohammed Riaz said: “What a fantastic way to end the year with a peaceful parade in honour of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. I truly believe that this whole event allows us to rekindle the universal message which the Prophet preached to all humanity; His message was a message of peace, love and tolerance for all and the peaceful procession enabled us to display our commitment to this message as Muslims and as proud members of the diverse and multifaith community of Bradford and the UK." The annual Grand Mawlid event finally came to a close late in the evening but not before the graduation ceremony of a class of five young students who had completed their studies as part of the five year Darse Nizami course offered here at Bradford Grand Mosque that aims to transform it’s every sincere learner into exemplary scholars and role models, readying them to serve the Ummah and the wider community. The mosque management team would like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated and made this event an outstanding success. Our thanks also to all the local institutes, organisations and businesses for helping to facilitate this event and to our all the stewards, traffic management and volunteer teams. We pray that Allah Ta’ala accepts the efforts of every individual who helped organise or took part in honouring the birth of His Beloved Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. We also plead that our Lord and Creator forgive any shortcomings that may have occurred, Ameen. www.bradfordgrandmosque.co.uk facebook.com/suffatulislam twitter.com/suffatulislam Instagram: bradfordgrandmosque Snapchat: grandmosque app.bradfordgrandmosque.co.uk