TORONTO – The first annual reading contest on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, has been launched across North America.
“Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is arguably the most striking example on how extreme perceptions of an individual can be polarizing,” says the organizers of the contest.
“While adored by millions of adherents, Muhammad is also defamed as a beacon for violence.
“The Prophet’s life is a source of unparalleled empowerment, vision, inspiration, and hope. By joining the contest, we can finally answer the question: Who is Muhammad?”
The contest that will be conducted in April 2016 is recommended for high school level students and up and is open to residents of United States and Canada only.
The contestants will be required to read the bestselling book, ‘Muhammad, the Messenger of God’, authored by Fethullah Gulen and then take an online multiple-choice test in April 2016.
Ninety-nine prizes will be awarded as follows: 33 Umrah trips, 33 iPad Minis and 33 Amazon gift cards.
“The Prophet of Islam is one of the most misunderstood historical figures in the West,” Zeki Saritoprak, Professor of Islamic Studies at John Carroll University, told AboutIslam.net about the book.
“Fethullah Gulen’s perspective on the Prophet and his life is among the significant in our times.”
“Gulen does not only speak of historical events of the life of the Prophet, but also he addresses mystical dimensions as well as important information on all prophets and the concept of prophethood,” adds Saritoprak.
“Therefore, I strongly recommend ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ to everyone.”
Praise
The chosen book, ‘Muhammad, the Messenger of God’, has been praised by many American Muslim leaders.
“May Allah bless the great teacher, Fethullah Gulen, for his work and his effort for bringing the seerah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, to the light and making it for the understanding and relevance to the modern man,” says well-known American Muslim leader, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi.
“There are many books written about the seerah without understanding the challenges of the time,” adds Dr. Siddiqi.
“So understanding the challenges of the time, international relations – the world is now a pluralistic world where we live with people of other faiths. How we relate the seerah to our situation – this is the importance of the book, it makes the seerah relevant to the time.”
“Fethullah Gulen is really a great person, he and his companions are doing a very good job in the field of international education,” says the internationally known Muslim scholar, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
“Also, they are publishing very good literature to introduce Islam in a positive manner.”
“They are conducting a contest on Seerah which will encourage people to study the seerah of the Prophet,” adds Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
“I hope for the success of this initiative – may God bless them, may God help them realize this noble cause.”
Participants in the contest will have the option to select only one of the following dates and times to take their test: April 16th, 2016 Saturday @ 1:00 pm EST, or April 20th, 2016 Wednesday @ 8:00 pm EST
The online examination will be a multiple-choice test with five choices for each question.
Scoring will be based on providing correct answers to each question. Questions will also be scored differently based on the level on their difficulty level.
The results for the reading contest will be officially announced through the contest website three days after the last session of testing. . All winners will also be notified by email as well.
To register for the contest and information visit: http://whoisprophetmuhammadpbuh.com/