As part of the Huquq-ul-Ibad workshop series, in May 2008 Luqman Institute hosted a programme on the subject of Haquq-ul-ibad. The event was attended by young people mainly from the Ilford area but also from other parts of London.
The event started with a formal introduction to the Luqman Institute, its mission, aims and work in the community and beyond. The theme of the programmes was briefly introduced and the schedule of the day's proceedings where mentioned.
The key-note speech was delivered by Sheikh Musa Admani on the subject of Haquq-ul-ibad. The Sheikh spoke eloquently and passionately on the importance of and practical implementation of Huquq-ul-ibad in our daily lives.
Summary points and issues of further reflection from his speech:
- Our situation can improve if we study the Qur'an and observe the teaching of Prophet (saw). Along with that we also need to study our community and society to see what the issues are and where we are lacking in contributing to their solutions.
- "Haq" means the right. "Haquq" is the plural of Haq and "Ibad" is the plural of Abd. So Haquq-ul-ibad means the rights we must give to other people and Haquq-ul-Allah means rights Allah has over us.
- The Sheikh asked … "is being honest or just Haquq-ul-ibad or Haqul-ul_Allah?"
- Our interaction with other people, regardless of their colour, creed or origin comes under the umbrella of Haquq-ul-ibad and is a major principle of Deen and Islam.
- The Sheikh also asked … what is the difference between Human Rights and Haquq-ul-ibad?
- Haquq-ul-ibad is you giving the rights to others and so being a facilitator of good. When you care for others and give precedence to others then others will inevitably care for you.
- Allah can forgive us (it's within His power), however if we commit injustice to another person; Allah will not forgive us until the other person forgives us first. This is why Haquq-ul-ibad is so important in Islam. We have to work on it all the time.
- We know our own condition better than anyone else and therefore we have the ability to control our emotions, needs and wants but we DO NOT know the condition of others and so others must come first. This is an aspect of Haquq-ul-ibad, and when we begin to do this we are inevitably pleasing Allah (swt).
Following the speech there was a break-up session, where participants where divided into roughly three equal groups. This part of the event was geared to give the participants the opportunity to discuss the subject between themselves, relate their experiences, thoughts and practical suggestions relating to programme theme.
The Chairman set out the focus for the break-up session and suggested that each group choose a facilitator from amongst them to represent the group's thoughts to the audience. The issues under review for the break-up session were:
What practical steps can we take to;
o Improve our understanding of Huquq-ul-ibad?
o Apply Huquq-ul-ibad in our daily lives and communities?
The results from the break-up sessions where brilliantly narrated by each group's facilitator.
Shortly after the group presentations a Q&A session was conducted where the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to the keynote speaker on the issue of the day or make any comments about the programme in general.
In concluding the programme the participants were asked for their thoughts about whether they would like to take the issue of Huquq-ul-ibad forward and in what form they would like to see future programmes if any.
The feedback received thus far has been overwhelmingly positive, heart-warming and very encouraging. There where many useful and practical suggestions put forward on the day. The overall consensus from the participants on the next step forward was to hold a similar programme soon after the academic examination period. It was also suggested that the content of the forthcoming programme should be to advance the understanding of Huquq-ul-ibad.
All suggestions during the programme have been acknowledged by the Luqman Institute and as such we are planning the next event for Ilford.
