World #QuranHour Invites Muslims To Understand, Return To Quran

By Fadzillah Aishah Ismail SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), Aug 26 (Bernama) -- On Sept 11, which is also Zulhijjah 9 on the Muslim calendar, for the first time ever, readings of the Quran will ring out throughout the world simultaneously for one hour from 9am in conjunction with the World #QuranHour. The date and time were chosen to coincide with the ritual of wukuf for haj pilgrims at Arafah in Makkah. The mega-scale programme is aimed at urging Muslims all over the world to return to the Quran, to understand it and make it a guide in their daily lives. The inaugural programme of World #QuranHour in Malaysia will be held in several locations, namely the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Mosque in International Islamic University Malaysia (UIAM) in Gombak (a district in the state of Selangor) and various locations in all 14 states. Haj pilgrims who are performing the wukuf in Arafah will also be participating in the programme. The following is the transcript of Bernama's interview with the Founder of the Heritage Foundation Ummah Ikhlas (WUI or Yayasan Warisan Ummah Ikhlas) who is also the Chairman/Managing Director of Kumpulan Media Karangkraf, Hussamuddin Yaacub on the programme. BERNAMA: Datuk ((in Malaysia) a title of respect), what is the latest on the World #QuranHour? HUSSAMUDDIN: Alhamdulillah, the awareness about World #QuranHour is increasing. We see on the social media that people have begun sharing this and are talking about it and we have received many commitments for participation at UIAM and in their own places. At UIAM, which is the main organiser, there are students from 117 countries who have committed to participate and bring their countries' flags and their alumni are also participating. We are also working with corporations such as Celcom (mobile telecommunications provider) as well as Zahafiz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd and Andalusia Travel & Tours to get their haj pilgrims in Arafah to join the programme. At the same time, a Muslim organisation in India which has more than 10 million members and another group in Indonesia will also join the programme, but what is most interesting is the participation of the Maahad Tahfiz Sulaimaniyyah (MTS) in Turkey which has more than 10,000 branches in 165 countries including Malaysia, America and Australia. Almost every country where there are Muslims will participate in the programme. BERNAMA: Why choose the one-hour duration? HUSSAMUDDIN: The one hour is just symbolic....In Malaysia, we are observing the World #QuranHour for one hour and it is the same in other countries, but because of the different time zones, it will become one day. We want to create an impact where during that day, Muslims begin interacting with the Quran, and we hope they will begin to love the book. We also hope that this will be the start of Muslims making it a habit to read the Quran for an hour each day, and God willing, after 10 years they can really understand and practise the Quran, and we will see a person's character changing for the better. BERNAMA: How did the idea for the World #QuranHour come about? HUSSAMUDDIN: We thought about the idea two, three years ago because we feel that although Muslims perform their prayers, there are still those who do not have good morals. By right, a person who prays, if he truly understands the meaning of the prayer, he understands what he is saying during the prayer, he will interpret it into his behaviour and become a responsible person with a clean and beautiful life, not lying, accepting bribes, becoming angry...but why are Muslims still like this? We ignore the poor, we abuse power, we become unjust leaders. The reason is that Muslims do not understand Islam, so the way to understand Islam is to read and understand Allah's book (the Quran). This is what we want to push, so that Muslims go back to basics...really understand Islam. We see (some) Muslims today, like the Daesh militants, who do not reflect the real Islam. So what is portrayed in the daily lives makes non-Muslims think Islam is petty, not good, not beautiful and they hate Muslims. It is our own fault, so we hope to start a global movement to urge Muslims to study the basics of Islam again through the Quran. Alhamdulillah, the Quran today has been translated into various languages throughout the world, it will take time if you want to learn the Quran, but you can read the interpretations....this can be said to be interacting with the Quran. So this means that we want to encourage Muslims to delve into the Quran, understand it, with the hope that they will become better Muslims. Actually the World #QuranHour is not a programme but a big-scale movement to get Muslims to hold the Quran, open it, and read it...open their minds, eyes and hearts. This is actually a process of replacing the operating system in the hearts of Muslims..what should be in their hearts is the Quranic operating system. BERNAMA: Datuk, you mentioned that non-Muslims see Islam as petty because of the failure of Muslims to lead a truly Islamic way of life. What about the Islamophobia phenomenon? HUSSAMUDDIN: I do not blame them for thinking like that as it is due to the actions of bad Muslims like Daesh. During the time of Prophet Muhammad, people were attracted to Islam, non-Muslims see the morals of the prophet and his companions. There was a code during the wars...after fighting, the Prophet forgave his enemies, he brought them into society, but when we lose our elections, we become enemies, we start new parties and we do not follow the correct order. That is why the World #QuranHour is a beginning for a large-scale movement for Muslims to open their eyes and return to the guide book provided by Allah. The Quran is complete, the problem is we do not open, read and understand it. BERNAMA: Will the one-hour duration of the World #QuranHour be filled only with reading the Quran? HUSSAMUDDIN: We apply the concept of interaction...we want people to view the Quran as a guidebook, not just reciting its verses. For instance, at UIAM, we will be using a new approach where we analyse the verses in the context of our present lives. This means that the World #QuranHour will be the starting point where we invite Muslims to look at the Quran differently, as a guide book for living, management and leadership. We want people to understand the Quran from a different perspective and we want to relate it to everyday life in the present context. The Quran is relevant for all times but we only think about reading it and we send our children to religious schools only to read and memorise it. By right, people who graduate from religious centres should be leaders who truly understand the Quran. BERNAMA: This is the first time the programme is held, will it be continued in the future? HUSSAMUDDIN: God willing, we will propose to UIAM to take this programme to a larger scale on the international level, and make it into an annual event, but we hope there is a follow-up event. We want Muslims to make it a habit to read the Quran for one hour each day, studying it and understanding it, how it can become a guide in life. If this is successful, in 10 years we will see a major change in the way Muslims behave, in the way Muslims live, they will become leaders who are more just and honest. We want to see Muslims becoming more disciplined and not people who like to slander others. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA