“Invite to your Lord’s way wisely: teaching in a pleasant manner, and debating with courtesy”
The word Dawah generally means “calling people towards Allah”. This act is commonly thought of being limited to religious matters only, rather it is the complete package of advocating in favour of what is good. It includes both spiritual and secular instructions for the sake of the betterment of people. At Karimia Institute we are proud to be involved in dawah work through various mediums. Although it is a moral responsibility of any individual to spread the word of righteousness and try to stop others from unlawful activity, for a Muslim it is not only from an ethical point of view but also a must from a sacred standpoint.
At Karimia Institute we are at the forefront of interfaith dialogue, we’ve been engaged in this dialogue from the outset and through it we have formed great relationships with our neighbours and people of other faiths.
The Quran lays down a principle with regards to interfaith dialogue when it says “And co-operate in matters of righteousness and piety” (Maida: 2). There are many fields of activity where people of religion can work together for example: We can share spiritual guidance, reconnect humanity to their creator, develop God consciousness. We can promote the development of moral values in society at large. We can support the family institution; Rejuvenate traditional marriage, re-educate young about the rights of parents, tackle problems of divorce and domestic violence.
With many people converting (or reverting) to Islam every year, we have a duty to support our new Muslim brothers and sisters. For many brothers and sisters, being a Muslim revert is not easy. In the early stages, there will be many questions and changes in life. So, we have recruited a specialist Imam who teaches new Muslims, we arrange regular classes, gatherings, Eid parties, Iftars, provide resources as well as moral and spiritual guidance.
We have been holding Masjid open days for several years now. The aim of the event is to welcome individuals of various backgrounds to learn more about Islam, all the while forging stronger connections between different communities. Mosques, like other community centres, are places of action and outreach, working for the good of the people and the area. They play an important role in our society and not just for Muslims.
On Visit My Mosque day, you can expect a warm welcome, insight into the workings of our mosque and a cup of tea and some cake. There is also a guided tour, a film about the community and an exhibition about the activities of the mosque. It’s a great opportunity to get to know people in your area, and to ask questions about Islam.
We have a wide range of publications and newsletters, digital and print. Our publications are designed to get you closer to Allah and to learn key concepts of the Deen. We have developed an independent publishing house ‘Invitation Publishing’ which publishes general interest and children’s books on Islam. Inspired by our Islamic faith, we are committed to publishing relevant and authentic books. In today’s ever-changing world, we seek to enable Muslim spiritual, cultural, intellectual and creative expression in ways that are engaged and exciting, traditional and modern.
The Invitation Magazine has been running for over 30 years, our publication was one of the first to reach Muslim households in the ’80s. Starting from humble beginnings, our first copy was put together by a group of committed volunteers. The Invitation Magazine website will become an Islamic Hub for our Ummah, providing them with an informed perspective, and give them guidance on key issues affecting the Muslim world.
We’ve recently set up the British Fatwa Council to meet the growing needs of the Muslim community in the UK. A Fatwa is clarifying Allah’s ruling, the lawful and the unlawful based on evidence from Islamic texts when a questioner asks a question. British Fatwa Council provides guidance on personal, family and business-related issues people face in their daily lives. This project promises our community informed guidance and advice. British Fatwa Council will raise the level of Islamic awareness and protect the community from poor quality fatwas. Click HERE to visit their website.
We started our weekly ‘Thought for Friday’ email 15 years ago, which is a reminder of our duties, a source of new knowledge from the Quran and Sunnah and an inspiration. Since then it has grown immensely, it now goes out weekly to over 20,000 people across the world. As Muslims, it is imperative that we continuously learn the teachings of Islam and develop a deeper understanding that is a sure way of being guided and avoiding evil. Each week subscribers receive a topical email containing relevant articles at the time of year or in reaction to a global event. Click HERE to subscribe.
The Majestic Quran
Dr Musharraf Hussain has undertaken this translation because he felt that he owed so much to the Quran; it gave him meaning and purpose in life. He felt indebted; this translation is a labour of love. This translation will offer fresh insights and understanding for readers living in a global village in an exciting age of science and information technology.
The purpose of this translation is to convey the meanings of the Glorious Quran clearly and concisely with the necessary impact and the appropriate tone of voice. We want to make it an accessible, readable and appealing translation in plain English.
Dr Musharraf has been a serious student of the Glorious Quran for more than fifty years; during this time he has memorised the Quran, studied the Arabic language, and the science of Tafsir and Hadith at Al-Azhar University, Cairo. Prior to this, he was a research scientist for more than ten years. We want to pay special thanks to the Research Academy of the University of Al-Azhar, Cairo and to Dar Al-Iftaa, the Premier Institution for Islamic Legal Interpretation in the Muslim World, for approving the translation.
For more information contact:
Atif Hussain | atif.hussain@karimia.com | www.majesticquran.co.uk
The six outstanding features of this translation are explained below:
A unique feature of this translation is that we have added section headings for the sake of clarity. These headings correspond to major themes and subject matter presented in the text. The headings of each section are not just attention-grabbing but reflect its contents, themes and specific topics to help the reader understand the “bursts of revelation” the Quran was revealed in, according to the needs of the time. However, this is only an attempt at clarity for the sake of understanding the Divine Text.
Our goal has been to translate the meaning of the Divine Message by being faithful and accurate in expressing the exact meaning of Quranic words, by using the root meanings of the words rather than freer interpretation. We have used Plain English and simple words and avoided archaic words. Instead of translating Arabic idioms, we have used English idioms. We have aimed for an accurate translation by relying on classical Arabic dictionaries and commentaries of the Quran.
This highlights the period of revelation, the merits of reciting the surah, the major themes and intra-and inter-surah coherence. An introduction to each surah also sheds light on the socio-economic, political, historical and cultural environment of the seventh-century Makka, and the Arabian Peninsula in general at the time of revelation.
We have used footnotes to add value to the communicative process of translation. Their absence could lead to misunderstandings. We have used them for explaining metaphors, the figurative language of the Quran, and circumstances of revelation that can facilitate understanding the background and the context of events.
This heading in the margin of the Arabic page is to encourage the reader to reflect on Quranic teachings, to think deeply about the section or verse, and to contemplate on its meanings employing reason, emotion and spiritual insights. This is a great spiritual activity; worship brings closeness to the Lord. The purpose of this heading is to gain inspiration from Quranic readings. This helps to make the Quran reader more certain of the revelation.
To craft the perfect reader experience we focussed on two core elements, language and design. To have a rich reader experience we’ve replaced the traditional verse-by-verse translation with free-flowing paragraphs, which take you deep into the core messages. We’ve summarised into themes and headers, which help you see the bigger picture and how the passages link together. We’ve formatted every page manually to adopt the easiest and most simple typeface to make it reader-friendly to read the Arabic. We’ve put coloured section headers to space everything out and to make the Quran easily digestible.