”Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His Mercy – in that let them rejoice.” (10: 58)
There are so many things that we can rejoice in and celebrate. We should rejoice in our very humanity, knowing that Allah has honoured human beings and gifted us the gift of life to praise Him.
‘And proclaim (speak of) the blessings of Your Lord.’ (93:11)
Scholars state that in some contexts, it is appropriate to list the gifts Allah has given a person. This is to acknowledge the blessings, give thanks to Allah, and provide encouragement to believers for the blessings of Allah and all the gifts that come with them. In addition, acknowledging and celebrating the achievements and goodness of the believers is not only allowed but, in some contexts, encouraged. All this is done not to show off or boast, but for the believers to compete for the hereafter: ‘The last of it is musk. So, for this let the competitors compete.’ (83:26).
The gift of knowledge, acting upon it, and giving back to society is a central teaching of Islam; ‘the best of you is most beneficial to people.’ Scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, the torchbearers of guidance, and the path of illumination. To recognise and celebrate good work, it is hoped that Allah’s mercy will descend upon all, as Sufyan al-Thawri said, ‘in the remembrance of the good descend the mercies of the Lord’.
Sh Dr Yasir Qadhi is a prominent, traditionally trained scholar and caller to Islam in the west. He has combined traditional knowledge with modern areas of expertise. His work and effort span nearly two decades of teaching and giving da’wah in multiple Muslim and western countries.
We recognise and celebrate Sh Dr Yasir Qadhi’s lifetime achievements in teaching Islam and da’wah at the BISCA Awards 2023 supported by The British Board of Scholars & Imams (BBSI).
The Special Achievements Award is given to outstanding international awardees for their positive contributions to promoting Islam and traditional knowledge in society.
Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi is the Resident Scholar of the East Plano Islamic Center. He is also the Dean of The Islamic Seminary of America. He is one of the few people who has combined a traditional Eastern Islamic seminary education with a Western academic training of the study of Islam. Yasir graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences, and then completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to America, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University. He has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English.
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