Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri |
|
|---|---|
| محمد طاہر القادری | |
.jpg) |
|
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Founder of | Minhaj-ul-Quran International, Pakistan Awami Tehreek |
| Philosophy | Sufism, Anti-Terrorism, Philanthropy |
| Alma mater | University of the Punjab |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Born | 19 February 1951 Jhang, West Punjab, Pakistan |
| Senior posting | |
| Period in office | October 1981 – Present |
| Religious career | |
| Website | , |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Punishment in Islam their Classification & Philosophy (1984) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bashir Ahmad Siddique |
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (Urdu: محمد طاہر القادری; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar. He is also a former politician. He started two important organizations: Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek.
Born in West Punjab, Pakistan, Qadri has taught international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab. He also worked as a legal advisor on Islamic law for Pakistan's highest courts. He advised the Federal Ministry of Education on Islamic studies. He is the founder of many groups under Minhaj-ul-Quran International. Qadri has given over 6,000 lectures and written more than 1,000 books. About 450 of his books are published in Urdu, English, and Arabic. He has been listed in The 500 Most Influential Muslims every year since 2009.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri was born on February 19, 1951. His family was Punjabi Muslim from the Jhang District in Punjab, Pakistan. He studied both regular subjects and Islamic teachings from a young age. He was a student of Tahir Allauddin Al-Qadri Al-Gillani.
He earned a high-level degree, a Master of Arts (MA) in Islamic Studies. He also got a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Islamic Law from the University of Punjab. Later, he became a lecturer and then a professor of law at the same university.
Minhaj-ul-Quran International
Minhaj-ul-Quran International is an organization that started on October 17, 1980. It now has offices in over 100 countries around the world.
The organization aims to promote religious moderation. It also works for good education and talks between different faiths. They want to spread a peaceful understanding of Islam, using ideas from Sufism. In March 2011, the United Nations Economic and Social Council gave Minhaj-ul-Quran International a special advisory role.
Political Career
In May 1989, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri started a political party called Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). He won elections in 1990 and became a member of the National Assembly.
On November 29, 2004, Qadri resigned from the National Assembly. He did this to protest the government's policies against terrorism. In 2005, he moved to Canada.
Long March 2012
In December 2012, after living in Toronto, Canada, for seven years, Qadri came back to Pakistan. He started a political campaign. Qadri asked for a large march in Islamabad to protest against government corruption.
He demanded that an independent group be formed to make elections fair. He said if the rules were not followed, he would reject the upcoming elections. On January 14, 2013, many people marched in the city. Thousands promised to stay until their demands were met. About 50,000 people joined him when he started the march from Lahore. After four days, the government and Qadri signed an agreement. This agreement, called the Islamabad Long March Declaration, promised election reforms and more openness in politics.
Long March 2014
On June 17, 2014, a violent clash happened between the police and Pakistan Awami Tehreek supporters. Several protesters were killed by police gunfire. Tahir-ul-Qadri said the police refused to record a formal complaint. An investigation found that police were involved in the incident to remove barriers.
Tahir-ul-Qadri's plane was supposed to land in Islamabad. However, Pakistani officials did not allow it, and the plane was sent to Lahore airport. He was then taken to his home in Model Town, Lahore.
By the end of September 2014, the Inqilab March began. This involved sit-in protests with his partner Imran Khan, who leads Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). The protests took place in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri did not fully combine their protests. However, they agreed to support each other. On August 10, 2014, Qadri announced that his party's march would happen at the same time as PTI's march. Both marches followed different but close routes. The two parties had similar goals but different ways of achieving them.
On August 21, 2014, Qadri said that the government was not letting his supporters bring food and water to the protesters.
The Daily Dawn newspaper reported on August 31, 2014, that many people were hurt in Islamabad. This happened when police clashed with protesters led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek.
Then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked General Raheel Sharif to help resolve the situation. General Raheel Sharif met with Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan to end the protest. Thanks to General Raheel Sharif, a police report was finally made. Tahir-ul-Qadri thanked his supporters for their efforts to get justice.
It was reported that Tahir-ul-Qadri led the Eid prayer at Islamabad's D-Chowk. Imran Khan and other political leaders attended the prayer. Animal sacrifices were also made in the name of Allah, following the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail.
Important Events
Anti-Terrorism Camp
In August 2010, Qadri held an anti-terrorism camp for young Muslims. It took place at the University of Warwick in the UK. The goal was to fight extremism. He organized the camp through Minhaj-ul-Quran UK.
World Economic Forum
In 2011, he spoke at the WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Lahore Public Gathering 2014
Seven days after a gathering in Faisalabad, Qadri held another public gathering in Lahore on October 19, 2014.
Lahore Clash 2014
The 2014 Lahore Clash, also known as the Model Town Tragedy, was a violent event on June 17, 2014. It happened between the Punjab Police and Pakistan Awami Tehreek supporters. Several protesters were killed by police gunfire. Five police officers were arrested. The standoff lasted almost 11 hours. Police tried to remove barriers from the road leading to the offices of Minhaj-ul-Quran and Tahir-ul-Qadri's home in Model Town, Lahore. PAT leaders had a court order allowing the barriers for security reasons, but police still acted.
The event was shown live on TV. Police said they were attacked first, but Qadri denied this. TV footage showed police firing guns and tear gas at protesters. Protesters threw stones to defend themselves. Qadri strongly spoke against the attack.
The Day of Martyrs
Qadri and his party marked Youm-e-Shuhada (Day of Martyrs) on August 9, 2014. This was at the Tehreek-e-Minhaj ul Quran office in Model Town. There were clashes between police and PAT workers across the country. After the gathering, Qadri told his supporters that the rally on August 10 would be peaceful. He asked them to bring prayer mats for reciting the Quran.
Other Lectures and Conferences
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has been invited to give many lectures.
In July 2011, he spoke about terrorism and integration at the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He also appeared on Australian media to talk about Islam and terrorism. On September 24, 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran held the "Peace for Humanity Conference" in London. At this event, Tahir-ul-Qadri and other speakers signed a declaration of peace. Many religious leaders, scholars, and politicians supported this conference.
On November 30, 2011, Qadri gave a lecture at the "Peaceful Future of Afghanistan" conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Over 120 Afghan leaders attended this event.
On February 22, 2012, Qadri visited Delhi, India, for a four-week tour. He shared a message of peace, saying: "Terrorism has no place in Islam." He also asked the Pakistani and Indian governments to spend less on defense. Instead, he urged them to use the money to help poor people. He visited Ajmer and gave a lecture on Sufism. On January 4, 2015, he stated that terrorism is the world's biggest problem.
Fatwa on Terrorism
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri issued a religious opinion, called a fatwa, against terrorism. This fatwa was published as a book in London. It directly challenges the ideas of groups like al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It is a very strong Islamic ruling that condemns terrorism completely. It says that terrorism has no place in Islamic teachings and cannot be excused. The launch of the fatwa was organized by Minhaj-ul-Quran UK.
The fatwa received a lot of attention from the media around the world.
According to CNN, experts believe this fatwa is a big setback for terrorist groups trying to recruit new members. The US State Department also called the fatwa an important step in taking Islam back from terrorists.
The 512-page English book version of the fatwa is titled Fatwa on Terrorism and ... Bombings. It includes introductions by scholars who agree with Qadri's view that terrorism is evil and must be condemned. It also has a certification from the Islamic Research Council of Al-Azhar, Egypt.
In January 2011, the fatwa was discussed at the World Economic Forum. In June 2011, Pope Benedict XVI received a copy of the fatwa. The Pope reportedly liked that it promoted peace and understanding between different faiths.
Invitation to OIC
On April 7, 2019, Qadri spoke to scholars at the OIC meeting in Riyadh. He presented Minhaj-ul-Quran's plan for fighting terrorism.
His Views
One newspaper writer noted that Qadri's fatwa on terrorism suggests there is agreement in Islam against certain extremist groups. Think Magazine (World Religions) said that Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri offers a different view of Islam compared to Osama Bin Laden. In November 2017, Mandla Mandela (the grandson of Nelson Mandela) visited Pakistan. He came at Tahir-ul-Qadri's invitation to attend a conference.
His Works
He has written 1000 works, and 550 of them are published books. This includes an "eight-volume, 7,000-page Qur’anic Encyclopaedia in English." He has given over 6000 lectures. He teaches subjects like Islamic law, theology, Sufism, and history. His published works include:
- Islamic Concept of Crime (1985)
- Islamic Concept of Law (1987)
- Islam and Christianity (1999)
- Peace & Submission (2011)
- Muhammad the Merciful (2014)
- Islam on Mercy and Compassion (2014)
- Creation of Man - A Review of Qur'an and Modern Embryology (2017)
- Beseeching for Help (Istighathah) (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Tahir ul Qadri para niños
- Minhaj-ul-Quran International
- The Amman Message
- Contemporary Islamic philosophy
- London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism 2011
- Minhaj Welfare Foundation
- Minhaj University
