#sharinghussain | 30.11.14

On the 30th November 2014, The Al-Mahdi Institute held an Intra-faith event called #sharinghussain with the aim to bring together different schools of thought to disseminate the different perspectives of Hussain ibn Ali (as). With an impressive turnout of around 50 people coming from London, Manchester and Birmingham, the day was set to be an interactive one with lectures, breakout group discussions, group activities and speeches. Amongst the speakers were; AMI’s Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain, Mulla Farroq, Maulana Zafrullah Shah, Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots, Amina Inloes, Shaykh Mohammed Amin Evans and Afroze Zaidi Jivraj.

Also present were a number of supporting partner organisations such as The Muslim Vibe led by Salim Kassam and Haseeb Rizvi, Who is Hussain, Made in Europe, British Muslim TV, Ring of Knowledge, Ahlulbayt Societies, Islamic Unity Societies, Unity FM and Penny Appeal. The event was also filmed by Sahar Tv, an Iranian TV channel who will soon be releasing a documentary showcasing the event.

The day began with a Welcome speech by Ali Asghar Hirji and was followed by a discussion on ‘Hussain – the Human’ chaired by Afroze Zaidi Jivraj with a panel of speakers such as Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain, Amina Inloes, Waqar Ahmed and Shaykh Mohammed Amin Evans. This was the perfect opportunity to share the attributes of Hussain ibn Ali and his characteristics and selfless nature. After which, the group was divided into three break off groups with different speakers to learn more about the ‘Metaphysical lessons of Hussain’, ‘Hussain in different schools of thought’ and ‘Kerbala through an orientalist lens.’

Thereafter, there was another panel discussion on the topic of ‘Hussain – the Message’ with speakers such as Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots, Sarah Bokhari and Haseeb Rizvi who shed light on the tragedy of Kerbala and its message to humanity. This was followed by another round of breakout discussions on; ‘Academic thought is the only thought’, ‘Individually flourishing in the renaissance of dawah’ and ‘Activism – the Prophet’s way of dawah.’

Finally, a key note lecture by Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain outlining the reason for Hussain’s sacrifice and how Hussain teaches us to incorporate Godliness in to our daily lives was the perfect end note to a vibrant and interactive event involving Muslims from all schools of thought.

The event came to a successful close with Congregational prayers followed by dinner.

To view the gallery for #sharinghussain please click here.