On the occasion of Prophet Muhammad's birth the "Mawlid of the Prophet" program, organized in Moscow, was an emotional experience for thousands of people who filled the Ismailovski Concert Hall.

The organization, put together by the Russian Muftis' Council and the Nadezhda (Hope) Waqf, was joined by people from many different nations, all responding to the call of love for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and for peace; among them were Russians, Turks, Tatars, Kazaks, Kirghiz, people from Daghestan, Chechens, Azeris, Ingushets, Tajiks and Turkmen. Representatives from the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the Duma, ambassadors and academics joined in the evening, which was supported by the Duma Religious Affairs Committee, the Moscow City Council Religious Organizations Union, Moscow State University, the Moscow Islamic University and the Tatar Cultural Center.

A choir from Daghestan, "Nashidul Islamiya", started the program with the hymn ‘Ya Allah', and Metin Çakan, the imam of Eyup Mosque, recited from the Qur'an. A children's group, called Shatlik, read a prayer and the Kirghiz artist Emil Baltagulova, the Kazak artist Marat Omarov and the Chechen Ali Dimayev performed their own compositions for the Prophet. The famous Tatar artist Naile Fatihova's ‘Medina' group participated, causing great emotion, while the Mufti's assistant Ildar Alaaddinov caused many tears when relating the mercy of Prophet Muhammad.

Prizes were awarded in the poetry competition, "The Mercy of the Universe Prophet Muhammad" and a raffle was held among the participants; four lucky poets won the prize of umrah. An exhibition of photographs of the Sacred Trusts, which are exhibited at Topkapı Palace, was received with great interest by the visitors.

The Head of the Russian Mufti's Council, Ravil Gaynuddin said that now one could easily express one's love for Allah and the Prophet in Russian masjids, schools and conference halls; he went on to say "The fact that we can celebrate the Week of the Holy Birth here with our mothers, sisters, children and elders is a great mercy. We should be aware of this. In Russia there are more than a hundred nations and members of divine religions all living like brothers."

This article has been taken from www.zaman.com.tr.