Russian Muslims wishing to attend the third ‘Mawlid al-Nabi’ held in the country’s capital, Moscow, were unable to all fit into the Kosmos Hotel. More than a thousand Russians, Tatars, Tajiks, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Daghestanis, Azeris and Chechnyans, old and young, rushed to attend a ceremony celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and his conception of peace, love and dialog.
At the celebrations, of which this year’s were the third, were supported by the Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, Moscow Municipality, the Natural Science Institute, the Asian African Countries Institute and Moscow Islamic University Ravil Gaynuddin, president of the Russian Council of Muftis, said that Muslims in Russia had never lost their love for the Prophet Muhammad (saas) under the totalitarian regime. Gaynuddin stated: "Allah"s holy envoy Muhammad (saas) was sent as a blessing to the worlds, and Russian Muslims maintained their love for the Prophet (saas) even under the totalitarian when religion was banned. They tried to learn about his legacy and Sunna and to heed his calls.”
Gaynuddin noted that people had worshiped at home under very difficult conditions, and went on to comment: “Russian Muslims are now free to perform their religious observances. Thanks be for these days when we are finally free to live by our faith. We can feel pride in these days when we are working for our faith to be better understood.”
Federal Council President Sergi Mironov sent a message of congratulation to the program, attended by many members of the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, the Duma, and the Federal Council, the upper house. He said: “The Prophet Muhammad (saas) was an important historic leader. He was a great ruler and reformist, a military genius and religious preacher. He personally represented religious tolerance and lofty moral virtue.” In his message, Mironov emphasized that the strengthening spiritual unity among Russian Muslims would benefit multinational Russian society.”
It is certainly a cause for great rejoicing that Muslims in Russia are able to worship freely. People across the world have begun feeling a great sympathy and tolerance for Muslims and Islam as the moral values of the religion become better understood. As a result, many people have converted to Islam and begun studying the Qur’an and feeling a desire to be acquainted with Muslims.
By Allah"s leave, as revealed in trustworthy hadith of our Prophet (saas), that rise will increase still further in the near future; people will better appreciate the fertility of Islamic moral values and the moral virtues of the Qur’an will spread across the world.
Allah gives Muslims these glad tidings in the Qur’an:
Allah has promised those of you who have faith and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. ‘They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.’ Any who are unbelievers after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur, 55)
