DAY THREE: July 14, 2001 On Saturday, a mass rally in support of Islam, was held at the Bung-Karno Main Sport Stadium in Jakarta. The event, attended by over 120,00 people, was the scene for talks by some of Islam's most esteemed contemporary scholars from many countries, including Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al Kabbani (USA), Shaykh Abdurazak Al-Halabi (Syria) and Shaykh Bakar Al Samarai (Baghdad - Iraq) and Shaykh Mohammed al-Qabbani (Syria). Also in attendance were scholars and religious figures representing the Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Bhuddist faiths. Hosted by the Indonesian government, the rally was presided over by the General Chairman of Islamic Education Assembly, Dra. H.Tutty Alawiyah. The General Chairman introduced the guest speakers saying, "Returning to Islamic Teaching will significantly help this nation from further collapse. By having this Islamic rally, and supported by the prayers of the honorable Muslim leaders from Masjid al-Aqsa, the Grand Imam of the Umawiyah Mosque, and the esteemed Shaykh from the US [Shaykh Kabbani] attending today, hopefully there will come peace and tranquility to all of us." Over 120,000 people came in by bus from all across Indonesia including far distant villages. The buses were by no means luxurious and lacking even air conditioning and after the all-day event, many travelers had to wait hours to get on the road back to their homes. Despite the hardship, the attendees spoke with great fervor of their joy at having attended the first such mass rally for Islam of this size ever held in Indonesia The first events were recitation of the Quran by the Quadravox Recitation Group (who recited at the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference in Washington DC, in August 1998) and a display of Islamic flags by the Islamic Women's group NAMIRA. A talk given by Shaykh al-Halabi (in Arabic with translation into Indonesian) on aspects of Islamic jurisprudence was interspersed with recitation of Quran, qasidas, and several impressive marching displays by Indonesian Muslim youth. Shaykh Hisham Kabbani then rounded out the program in the evening by speaking of his experiences in America, in particular the impetus to write the the book "Angels Unveiled" when five Americans accepted Islam after hearing him speak briefly on the subject of "Angels in Islam" at an American Booksellers Exhibition in Chicago in 1995. Speaking in English, which many of the attendees understood (with translation into Indonesian), the Shaykh emphasized that Islamic teachings contain all aspects of life in far greater detail than any scientific or other source of information. "The West", he emphasized, "is thirsty for what we the Muslims have, and are often ignorant that we do have it, while we the Muslims, are running to the West seeking its secular knowledge." The Shaykh's talk was the spark that fanned the audience from being bored and hot in the vast stadium to being excited and joyful that they as individual Muslims, and as a society following the blessed Shariah, have a treasure, the treasure of Islam, the treasure of Quran and the greatest treasure, the treasure of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Following his speech, the Shaykh was given a rousing applause and two of the Islamic Qasida Chanting groups broke out into loud recitation of Qasidat al-Burda, the "charter" of Islamic recitation. An observer of law and politics, Prof. Dr. Jimly Ashidiqie, said after the rally, that the visit of the world's great Islamic scholars shows their acute awareness of the destiny of the Muslim people in Indonesia, which has been in disarray in recent times. He said, "As spiritual leaders, these honorable Islamic scholars are determined to provide moral support so that the Muslim people in Indonesia will revive their faith and come out the current crises the better for it. " In her speech, Dra. Tutty Alawiyah said, "This great meeting held today has nothing to do with the political problems of this nation. The purpose of holding such an event is actually to pray for this nation to be saved from calamity." This momentous Islamic rally was the preliminary session of the National Conference on Islamic Teaching held in Bekasi Hajj Housing in Jakarta from the 14th to 17th of July. **Watch
for dhikr and talks with Mawlana Shaykh Hisham as he travels through
Indonesia at mp3.com/naqshbandi
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