The ICCI Annual conference took place on the 16th and 17th of December, starting with an opening talk in the main masjid on the Friday evening by Professor Jasser Auda on 'The Qur'an: The Beacon of Light'.
On Saturday, the guests were welcome by Sr Summayah and the conference was opened with Qur'anic recitation from Surah Yusuf (verses 105 -109), by Sheikh Mustafa Hegazy, the translation being:
How many signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by with indifference!
And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others with Him ˹in worship˺.
Do they feel secure that an overwhelming torment from Allah will not overtake them, or that the Hour will not take them by surprise when they least expect ˹it˺?
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “This is my way. I invite to Allah with insight—I and those who follow me. Glory be to Allah, and I am not one of the polytheists.”
We only sent before you ˹O Prophet˺ men inspired by Us from among the people of each society. Have the deniers not travelled through the land to see what was the end of those ˹destroyed˺ before them? And surely the ˹eternal˺ Home of the Hereafter is far better for those mindful ˹of Allah˺. Will you not then understand?
This was followed by welcome from our CEO Br Ahmed Hasain and an overview of the conference by Sheikh Hussein Halawa.
Dr James Carr, introduced by brother Zahri, gave a talk titled: 'Overview of the challenges facing the Irish Muslim community.'
Prof. Jasser Auda, introduced by Sheikh Eid, gave a talk titled: 'Rising to the challenges...with insight.'
Attendees then divided into three groups for workshops:
'Creating a home of knowledge' with Dr Basma Abdelgafar.
'Building a nurturing community' with Dr James Carr.
'Collective Contribution' with Sr Summayah Kenna.
After lunch and prayer Dr Basma, introduced by Sr Amilah, gave a talk titled: 'Moving forward...with insight.'
The day ended with a panel discussion of the speakers and presentation of gifts.
Simultaneous translation was provided throughout by Sr Hibah Aburwein, may Allah reward her for her time and efforts.
Throughout the event there were free books for distribution and also for sale from the ICCI library. Br Said had a stall for his bukhoor and perfumes. Br Salem had a display of canvasses and other items for sale.
May thanks to Br Ayaz for the photography. A big thank you also to Kanafeh Kingz and Yummy Crepes.
Last but not least, may Allah reward all those who helped make this conference a reality, and all those who attended.
