Minhaj College Manchester (MCM) held it’s second annual ‘The Living Legacy (PBUH) Festival’ on Saturday September 10th in Manchester. This year’s event consisted of a variety of performances from nasheed artists, comedians, lectures and ensembles from around the world!
The hosts for the evening were Muhbeen Hussain and Nazia Barkat who introduced the honourable main lecturers for the night, Shaykh Hammad Al-Madani Al-Qadri and Shaykh Tahir Kiani. They spoke about the living legacy – our Beloved Master and the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH) and how Allah (PBUH) prepared the arrival of the Prophet (PBUH), His beautiful life and the legacy which enlightens the hearts of humanity and all of creation up until this day.
Watch last year’s celebration here!
The event kicked off with a recitation of the Holy Quran by Hafiz Haider from al-Musafirun and Qari Hassen Rasool. The night was filled with an entertaining array of performances featuring headliners like Qari Hassen Rasool, Singer 786AM, Muslim Hip Hop Duo Mecca2Medina, Comedian Fetiha El-Ghorri, Renowned spoken word poet Rakaya Fetuga, al-Musafirun and the final act Hamza Bouzhar .
The special guest and keynote speaker was Shaykh Hammad Mustafa al-Madani al-Qadri who gave a brilliant and spiritually uplifting speech on the moral conduct, personality and esteemed characteristics of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Shaykh emphasised the concern and dealings of the Prophet (PBUH) towards Humanity and the high rank bestowed upon those that help other people. Shaykh Hammad brilliantly explained through Prophetic narrations, the love and etiquettes shown by our Beloved Prophet (PBUH) towards His Companions. The Prophet (PBUH) was never harsh or showed any sign of frustration and always showed kindness and mercy to all of Creation.
The teachings of our Beloved Prophet (PBUH) in the light of Hadith showed that regardless of how many prayers one performs, or how much charity is given, or how many times ones performs Hajj – if character, ethics and moral excellence is not perfected, then you will not be able to gain the proximity of the Beloved of Allah (PBUH). The Companions’ extreme love for the Beloved (PBUH) was mentioned by Shaykh Hammad, who further explained the exalted, noble and magnificent station of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) granted by Allah (SWT). The Shaykh concluded by saying, this is the life lesson we all should take to gain the proximity of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) by adopting His beautiful sīra and sacred teachings to become a humble and sincere believer engaging in community service, preparing the future leadership and encouraging the youth to become progressive members of the society.