‘The Book of Guidance’ Programme

On Saturday the 2nd of January Noor Trust, together with Shabab al-Sibtayn, held The Book of Guidance event at Al-Khoei Islamic Centre to celebrate the births of Prophet Mohammed (s) and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a). Though the day was to be one of celebration, a sombre mood hung in the air as the attendees arrived since we had just heard the news of the murder of Shaykh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi regime. The event began with a reading of Surat al-Fatiḥa for the soul of Shaykh Nimr followed by a recitation of Hadith al-Kisa by Ahmed Ayed al-Zubaidi. The day was filled with numerous recitations of the Holy Qur’an, from both talented youngsters as young as 11 years old and by distinguished adult reciters. The event also included poetry and nasheeds read by Taher Adel and Hadi Gubbanchi, as well as a number of lectures. Sayyid Jalal Masoomi gave a talk on the history of the different styles of recitation of the Qur’an, Shaykh Mohammed al-Hilli spoke about what the Qu’ran says about itself and the importance of its recitation, and Ayotallah Sayyid Fadhil Milani gave a lecture focusing on the believer’s relationship with the Qur’an and the importance of Ahl al-Bayt (a) in its interpretation. Finally Hussain Owainati gave a special recitation of Surat al-Fatiḥa for the soul of Shaykh Nimr and the attendees filed their ways out, a little introspective and, we hope, a little more conected with the Holy Book.