25 April 2008 – Hundreds of Pakistani men and women gathered in the lawns of Pakistan Association Dubai to avail the unique opportunity of listening live to Justice Taqi Usmani, a renowned Islamic scholar and an international authority on Islamic finance and commerce. The topic of his lecture was “Qur’an and Our Responsibilities in Present Times”.

Justice Usmani thanked the PAD organizers for providing him an opportunity to meet his fellow citizens and to share his views on this very important topic. He mentioned that this is very vast topic and can not be justified with in a single lecture. He based his lecture on the following verse from the Holy Qur’an: O Believers, enter completely into Islam and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, for he is your avowed enemy. (Al-Baqara 208)

The respected speaker elaborated on the difference between the terms “Iman” and “Islam” with solid examples and arguments from the Holy Qur’an. He explained that “Islam” means total submission to the will of Allah and following of the teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) unconditionally.

Quoting the Holy Qur’an, Justice Usmani said, “If we need to understand the real meaning of total submission, let us study the life of Prophet Ibrahim. He was ordered by his Lord to move to the barren land of Makkah. He obeyed. He was instructed to slaughter his own son. He did not ask the reasoning and logic behind the decision of Allah. He just followed the instruction. He conveyed Allah’s decision to his son. Ismail responded, “O my father, do what you have been told.” He further elaborated, “many among us – especially those impressed by the modern sciences – try to find or even question the logic of Quranic orders; making their choices of accepting or rejecting those teachings, unfortunately relying on their extremely limited knowledge as compared to the knowledge of He who has the knowledge of everything because He created it.

Justice Usmani stressed the point that it has been a tyranny of times that we Muslims, individually and as a whole, consider a few rituals of Islam as the whole religion and hence neglect the major part of the religion that concerns the human rights. He explained that offering 5 daily prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, paying annual Zakat and performing Haj once in a life time are essential for a Muslim. These are obligations of Muslims towards Allah. But the second integral part of Islam, and rather the more important one, is the obligations of Muslims towards the mankind.

At the end of his address, the honourable speaker stressed upon the audience to understand the true meanings and spirit of Qur’an and study the life of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and mould our lives according to their teachings. This will transform our society in a way that will create peace and harmony in the world.

Professor Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed Gondel, Vice Chairman of Ghazali Education Trust, Pakistan made a short visit to the UAE last days. During his visit, a splendid Reception Dinner was arranged in his honour that was hosted by Mr. Riaz Farooq Sahi, the President of Pakistan Association Dubai, held on 23 April 2008 at the Pakistan Sports and Recreation Club, Dubai. Many prominent members of the Pakistani Community were also invited to the dinner.

Ghazali Education Trust (www.get.pk.edu) is the largest NGO of Pakistan that is running around 270 schools, providing education to more than 30,000 students in the rural areas of Pakistan.

Dr. Gondel is a professor of sociology at the Punjab University. Besides, he is a prominent writer, researcher, and columnist. The research work for his doctorate degree was entitled “Impact of Liberalism in Pakistan”. During his academic life he earned a gold medal for being the best orator of his session. He has also authored a book on Pakistan Studies which is a part of the university curriculum in Pakistan at present. He sits on boards of various educational institutions like Dar-e-Arqam, FAST, and AFAQ. Dr. Gondel frequently travels around the world and delivers lectures on different issues of social sciences.

In his insightful and heart warming address to the audience, the respected Professor stressed upon the fact that Pakistan is an ideological state. It is founded on the basis of the Islamic Ideology. He quoted Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah who said, “Pakistan was founded on the day when the first Hindu converted to Islam.” Dr. Gondel reminded the audience that in order to achieve success we need to draw lessons from the worthy life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). “Out of his 63 years of life, the Holy Prophet spent the first forty (almost two-third) in his character building. This was his impeccable character that raised him to the unchallengeable heights of respect and moral authority. This was the basis of the revolution that changed the world history.

Professor Gondel was not shy of admitting that our education system is not in a good shape and needs massive overhauling.

“Your concern and criticism about the shortcomings in Pakistan is a demonstration of your love for the country. I know, living here in Dubai and experiencing a very competitive and progressive environment, your hearts beat for your motherland, Pakistan. We need technological advancements and professional growth in our country. Our children must have the right to technical and professional education, but not at the cost of our Islamic moral values”, he said. Quoting various incidents from the lives of Companions of the Holy Prophet and other pious personalities from the Islamic history, Dr. Gondel expressed his conviction that Pakistan will again rise to the heights on the horizon as a nation of pride by restoring its basic values of faith, integrity, brotherhood, and quest for knowledge.

At the end of his speech, Dr. Gondel requested the audience to concentrate on the moral training of their children, spread hope, generate positivism, stop complaining and offer their individual contributions, in whichever way, to re-build the nation.

During his stay, Professor Gondel also visited Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School, Ajman and H.H. Sheikh Rashid Pak School, Dubai. There, in his discussions with the principals and teachers of those schools, he stressed upon the need to revive the role of the teacher in building our society. He offered to come to UAE with his team to conduct trainings for this purpose.

“I am so pleased to be here today. I did not know much about the Pakistan Association. “, said Dr. Sana Qaiser, the next speaker. “I am sure PAD would prove to be a platform where doctors could exchange professional knowledge and extend help to the humanity in general and to the Pakistani community in particular”, she added.
Dr. Abdullah Moshin, who came all the way from Al Ain together with his colleagues, mentioned that they have already started some activities in Al Ain. But joint efforts under the umbrella of PAD, he believed, could prove to be much more beneficial to the community. He extended his group’s full support for the good cause.

His Excellency, the Consul General, Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, in his short and candid speech expressed his gladness for being a part of such a distinguished gathering. He requested the doctors and other professionals related to the field of medicine to actively support the efforts of the Pakistan Association in furthering the welfare services.

At the end, Mr. Riaz Farooq Sahi, President of Pakistan Association Dubai, addressed the doctors. He thanked them for their cordial presence. He said that people belonging to the profession of medicine are reflection of God on earth. “Today, I am convinced that PAD is not only an association of drivers, but that of doctors, engineers, mariners, management experts and professionals from all disciplines”, said Mr. Sahi, overwhelmed by the dedication demonstrated in speeches of different doctors. He further said, “sixty percent of cases referred to PAD’s Welfare Committee relate to medical problems. We badly need our doctor brothers and sisters to help and join the Monday evening sessions. Doctors’ endurance and extra endeavour would indeed light the flame, which is not extinguished but put away indolently. Time will change if an extra mile is walked without any expectations. High stature is letting go off the right while completing the duties. Let’s mint an example.”

In the concluding moments, there were clear signs of commitment from almost everyone present that we together will exert all efforts to help our community.

Dr. Shafqat MehmoodKhan a dentist by profession and a member of the Executive Committee of Pakistan Association Dubai organized an evening for doctors and paramedical staff belonging to different specialities, different hospitals and different Emirates of the U.A.E. But, one thing was common: They all were Pakistanis and their hearts were filled with the love for their homeland.

This splendid gathering was held on the evening of Thursday, 17 April 2008. After recitation from the Holy Qura’n, Dr. Shafqat Mehmood Khan welcomed the guests seated in the lawns of PAD enjoying a lovely and cool weather. In his opening address Mr. Muhammad Khaleeq, Chairman of PAD’s Strategic Planning Cell, extended his thanks to all participants on their positive response to the invitation and an encouraging turnover. He provided brief overview of PAD’s activities, especially highlighting the welfare services extended by the association towards the community. He emphasized that Pakistani doctors can play a very important role by increasing awareness of the community on health issues and offering their professional advice.

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed, during his lively speech, informed the audience that he and some of his doctor friends started, two years ago, a Doctors’ Forum. This humble start has grown to more than a hundred doctors who occasionally meet. On behalf of all present doctors, he thanked PAD for providing them an opportunity to connect with the community. He assured the audience of Pakistani doctors’ unconditional support to the community.

Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed wisdom. Education has as one of its fundamental aspects the imparting of culture from generation to generation. Education means 'to draw out', facilitating realization of self-potential and latent talents of an individual.

The education of an individual human begins at birth and continues throughout life and that is how the nation becomes strong. On the other hand lacks of education not only makes an individual weak, it also affects the entire country and leaves it defenseless. Gathering education is important not only for us, also for our nation, to make it powerful and influential. Education is certainly a main factor that leads to success in life.

The most precious aspect that I have gathered is the ability to apply my mind to situations. This is especially important because I will meet hundreds of new situations in life. There is no textbook solution to every problem in what ever area I choose to work in, be it engineering, marketing or law. I have learned how to think clearly and how to apply logic, moral and ethical values before making any decision. The skill of thinking of a problem from every angle, looking for missing information and then applying the new knowledge is an invaluable skill that will carry me forward in life, no matter what I do where or when I do it. This aspects of education is ancient and yet as modern as today.

Another invaluable aspect of education that will serve me all my life in my proficiency in language. With language and ability to read and understand I will never be in a situation where I do not know. With a skill in language I have gathered, I can go on learning from books or from other sources; seeing that language is the main tool in education. Regardless of my chosen profession, I can keep myself up to date by reading available literature. Needless to mention, the skill in language will also enable me to express myself well in speech and in writing. Thus language proficiency is a valuable aspect of education.

Finally, the ability to apply mathematics and science to life is a great strength. With science strongly planted in my consciousness, I can be sure that I will remain relevant and up to date with what is going on in the world. With mathematics life becomes easier and simpler.
The countless benefits of education tell us how important it is to gain. It is for parents to admit their children for their primary education. It is compulsory for children to receive primary education (though in many jurisdictions it is permissible for parents to provide it). If the children population grows strong, the foundation of whole nation becomes stronger.

As young people are the hopes of the future. In spite of all that our parents and other adults do to take care of us, the time is not far when we have to take over the reins from them and run not only our own lives, but the country as well, therefore we must acquire higher education and make sure our children get better knowledge to create a better nation.

We should give the highest priority to education as individuals to develop a stronger country to face the challenges of the future and survive as independent nation. As Muslims education is the cornerstone of our Emaan and the first comandment of GOD ALMIGHTY. LET US BE EDUCATED & LET US BE STRONG.