AMI celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2015 at Hawza Graduation Ceremony

On Saturday 4th June 2016, Al-Mahdi Institute held a Hawza Graduation ceremony celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2015 Graduates. Having completed an intensive four years of study on the Four-year Hawza Programme, it was finally time to recognise and honor the hard work and commitment of the Graduates;

Mr Mozzammil Jaffar

Mrs Mahdiyah Abdulhussain

Mr Ali Rahmatullah

Mr Mohammad Nabe Anwarzadah

The ceremony also honored the outstanding contributions of Mr Mohammad Hussein Rajani, lovingly known as Haji Saheb, founder of World Islamic Propagation and Humanitarian Services (WIPAHS) for his services to ‘humanitarian development through education.’ And, Professor Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic studies at the University of Exeter, for his ‘contributions to the study of Islam and Shi’a though in academia.’

With the presence of the guest of honor, Ayatollah Professor Mohaghegh Damad, senior Professor of Jurisprudence and Law at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, the ceremony was attended by over 100 people including AMI faculty, previous AMI Graduates, students, staff, AMI trustees, funders and friends and family of the Institute.

The ceremony, hosted by Shaykh Muhammad Reza Tajri, lecturer in Arabic studies at AMI, began with Quran recitation by Qari Mohammad Ali, followed by a talk by Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain, director and founder of Al-Mahdi Instititute which led on to the presentation of the graduate awards presented by Shaykh Arif. Next, was a talk by Ayatollah Professor Mohaghegh Damad on the importance of education and the hawzavi system. This was followed by the presentation of honorary awards to Haji Saheb and Professor Rober Gleave, by Professor Mohaghegh Damad.

Haji Saheb’s endless efforts towards WIPAHS and other community projects around Tanzania are testimony forward thinking vision and dedication to transform individuals and communities into literate, ethical and sustainable societies through supporting and promoting community education at grass roots level especially for women, irrespective of ethnic, linguistic, provincial or religious backgrounds.

Professor Robert Gleave’s contributions towards Shi’i studies within western academia, through his scholarly output and academic leadership have allowed for the study of Shi’a approaches to Islam to sit firmly within the core of academic studies of Islam in the UK. Furthermore, his broad and sustained collaborative work, with a commitment to building international scholarly networks has served to help bridge perceived divides both within and between ‘Western academia’ and traditional centers of Muslim learning.

The ceremony drew to a close with a short talk by Mr Shafik Haji, a long serving trustee of Al-Mahdi Institute, who spoke on behalf of the AMI Board of Trustees. This was followed by a drinks reception and photography in the AMI Gardens.

The evening ended with a celebratory dinner for all guests held in the AMI Dining Room.

To see more images from the event, please click here.

Watch the full ceremony proceedings here.