Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif referred on Monday to the Kingdom's status among the Pakistani people, its influence, its leadership of the Islamic world, and its great efforts in serving humanity in general.
Sharif and Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa attended in Islamabad the closing ceremony to honor winners of the annual Quran competition Al-Maher (proficient) in the Holy Quran for young memorizers under the age of 10.
The two men also attended a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the project of a branch of the Museum of the Prophet's Biography and Islamic Civilization, whose main branch is in Madinah.
The ceremony was attended by several senior scholars and ministers of Pakistan, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Religious Affairs Minister Salik Hussain, and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, in addition to university professors and students, and memorizers of the Holy Quran and their families.
The Pakistani prime minister expressed his gratitude to MWL for its pioneering and Islamic role, its efforts in caring for memorizers of the Holy Quran, and its endeavours to spread the Islamic religion's true values.
He also commended the league's presence and influential global role, referring to the Kingdom's status among the Pakistani people, its influence, its leadership of the Islamic world, and its great efforts in serving humanity in general.
The PM underscored Pakistan’s embrace of the forthcoming Museum of the Prophet’s Biography, recognizing its potential to advance Islamic principles worldwide and deepen understanding of Prophet Mohammad’s life.
“This museum will serve as a pilgrimage destination not just for Pakistanis, but for people worldwide,” Sharif said, affirming that the Pakistani people would deeply appreciate the museum, a gift from Saudi Arabia.
In his address to the young Quran memorizers, Al-Issa said, “Today, we are delighted to meet with the young memorizers of the Holy Quran, under the patronage and presence of the prime minister of Pakistan, within the framework of the Islamic duties of his government, which attaches great importance to preserving the Holy Quran.”
He said that Quranic schools and institutions throughout the Islamic world should not focus merely on memorization but also on imparting understanding and insight into its meanings.
“Islam came as a middle ground between exaggeration and laxity. It came as good tidings, not repulsion, a facilitator, not a hardship. It came to call to following the straight path of God with wisdom and good preaching, calling for repel evil with that which is good, and guiding for what is most upright,” Al-Issa said.
Later, prizes were distributed to the outstanding winners in the annual Quranic competition, which lasted for a year across Pakistan, under the supervision of specialized arbitration committees. The attendees then watched a visual presentation about the International Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization.
