Biography

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a renowned Islamic scholar and politician who holds Pakistani-Canadian nationality. He is credited with founding two influential organizations, Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek. Qadri has been a professor of international constitutional law at the University of Punjab and is the founding chairman of numerous sub-organizations affiliated with Minhaj-ul-Quran International.

His influence in the Islamic world is notable, as He has consistently been featured on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims since its first publication in 2009.

Early Year

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri was born in the Jhang District of Pakistan on February 19, 1951. He received a combination of secular and Islamic education during his early years. He was a student of Tahir Allauddin Al-Qadri Al-Gillani. Later, he completed his higher education, earning a First-Class degree, an MA in Islamic Studies, and a Ph.D. in Islamic Law from the University of Punjab.

After completing his education, Qadri was a lecturer at the University of Punjab before being promoted to Professor of Law. During his tenure as a professor, he contributed significantly to the field of Islamic law, and his work is widely recognized in academic circles.

Minhaj Ul Quran

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International on October 17, 1980. Today, the organization has expanded its operations to over one hundred countries. Its main objectives include:

• Promoting religious moderation.
• Providing high-quality education.
• Encouraging inter-faith dialogue.
• Fostering a moderate interpretation of Islam through the principles of Sufism.

In recognition of its efforts to promote peace and harmony, the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted Minhaj-ul-Quran International special consultative status during its March 2011 session. This recognition signifies the organization’s commitment to the United Nations’ goals and principles and allows it to participate in UN activities, including meetings and conferences.

Political Career

In May of 1989, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri established the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) political party. He participated in the 1990 elections and was successfully elected as a Member of the National Assembly. However, he resigned from this position on November 29, 2004, to protest against the authoritarian counter-terrorism policies of then-President Pervez Musharraf.

Following his resignation, Qadri relocated to Canada in 2005. His decision to move to Canada allowed him to continue promoting religious tolerance and peace in Pakistan from abroad.

Long March 2012

After spending seven years in Toronto, Canada, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri returned to Pakistan in December 2012 and launched a political campaign. He organized a “million-men” march in Islamabad to protest against the government’s corruption and demanded the establishment of an independent electoral reform body to ensure free and fair elections. Qadri threatened to reject the upcoming polls if his demands were not met.

On January 14, 2013, thousands of people participated in the march and pledged to continue their sit-in until their demands were met. At the start of the march from Lahore, approximately 50,000 people joined Qadri. During a rally in front of the parliament, Qadri accused lawmakers of being lawbreakers and called for political reform.

After four days of the sit-in, Qadri and the government signed an agreement known as the Islamabad Long March Declaration. The agreement promised electoral reforms and increased political transparency. Still, critics accused Qadri of having close ties with the military and using the protests to weaken the civilian government and delay elections. Lawyers for the Supreme Court of Pakistan also argued that Qadri’s demands were unconstitutional.

On February 17, 2013, The Tribune reported that Qadri appeared to have backed down most of his demands outlined in the Islamabad Long March Declaration.

Long March 2014

Several Pakistan Awami Tehreek protesters were killed by police gunfire during a violent clash between the group and the Punjab Police on June 17, 2014. Tahir-ul-Qadri, the leader of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, claimed that the police had refused to log a First Information Report. The Baqir Najfi inquiry into the incident found that the police actively participated in the massacre to remove barriers installed on orders of the High Court.

Following the incident, Tahir-ul-Qadri’s flight was scheduled to land at Islamabad airport, but Pakistani authorities refused to grant landing permission, and the plane was diverted to Lahore airport. Tahir-ul-Qadri believed that the Punjab government would harm him and was personally escorted by the convoy of the Governor of Punjab to his residence in Model Town, Lahore.

In September 2014, the Inqilab March began, with sit-in protests led by Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan, the chairman and founder of Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and organizer of the 2014 Azadi March, in Islamabad. While the two leaders Although the two leaders did not fully participate in each other’s protest marches, they also did not refuse to support one another during the Azadi March in Islamabad. On August 10, 2014, Qadri officially declared that the Inqilab March, his party’s political march, would be taking place parallel to PTI’s Azadi march. Both protests were organized to take different routes but closely mirrored each other. At the same time, the two parties had similar objectives, but The two parties had distinct goals and methods. The announcement of two parallel marches by opposition parties led to speculation that a coalition between PTI and PAT was possible. Although the chiefs of the two parties never clearly stipulated a formal alliance, They reached an informal agreement to provide mutual support.

On August 21, 2014, Qadri reported that the government had not allowed his workers to supply food items and potable water to the sit-in participants. According to a report in the Daily Dawn on August 31, 2014, Many people sustained injuries in the federal capital during a clash between police and a crowd of demonstrators headed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek. As a result, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif designated General Raheel Sharif (chef of army staff) was appointed to mediate.  General Raheel Sharif met with Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan to end the sit-in. General Raheel Sharif’s intervention resulted in the police report being filed. Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed his appreciation to his supporters for their efforts to achieve justice.

Tahir-ul-Qadri led the Eid prayer at Islamabad’s D-Chowk, and Imran Khan and other political leaders, including Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari of MWM, attended the congregation. Animal sacrifices were also offered in the name of Allah following the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail.

Anti-Terrorism Camp

In August 2010, Qadri conducted an anti-terrorism camp for Muslim youths at the University of Warwick to address extremism in the UK. Minhaj-ul-Quran UK organized the camp.

World Economic Forum

In 2011, Qadri delivered a speech on ‘The Reality of Terrorism’ at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, which was held in Davos, Switzerland.

Lahore Public Gathering 2014

Seven days after the Faisalabad Gathering, which refers to a specific event where Qadri held a gathering in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Qadri organized another public conference on 19 October 2014 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Lahore Clash 2014

The Model Town Tragedy, also known as the Lahore Massacre or the 2014 Lahore Clash, was a violent confrontation between the Punjab Police and members of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek on June 17, 2014. During the 11-hour standoff, police officers attempted to remove the. There are barriers on the road that leads to the offices of Minhaj-ul-Quran and the home of PAT founder Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri in Model Town, Lahore. Despite a court order by PAT leaders to place security barriers, the police still attacked and fired upon protesters, resulting in multiple deaths. Some police officers were later arrested in connection with the incident. The events were broadcast live on local news channels, with conflicting accounts of how the standoff began. While the police claimed they were attacked by people inside the PAT secretariat, party chief Qadri denied these allegations. In footage shown on TV, police were seen firing assault rifles and tear gas at protesters while the protesters defended themselves by throwing stones. Qadri strongly condemned the attack and promised to seek revenge through revolution to end The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, and his brother Shahbaz Sharif are being referred to.

The Day of Martyrs

On August 9, 2014, he and his political party commemorated the Day of Martyrs at the Tehreek-e-Minhaj ul Quran secretariat in Model Town. A nationwide clash took place between the police and PAT workers. Following the gathering, he pledged to his supporters and the government that the rally on August 10 would be non-violent. He urged his followers to bring their prayer mats for Quran recitation. 

Other Events

He has received invitations from various organizations to speak at their events. In July 2011, he was invited by Shaoquett Moselmane  MLC, a member of the NSW Legislative Council, to deliver a lecture on terrorism and integration at the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Qadri also appeared on Australian media to discuss Islam, terrorism, and the possibility of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. On 24 September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran organized the “Peace for Humanity Conference” at Wembley Arena in London, where Tahir-ul-Qadri and other speakers declared peace on behalf of religious representatives, scholars, politicians, and 12,000 participants from different countries. The conference was endorsed by notable figures such as Ban Ki-Moon, David Cameron, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. In November 2011, Qadri delivered a lecture at the “Peaceful Future of Afghanistan” conference in Istanbul, Turkey, attended by over 120 Afghan leaders. In February 2012, Qadri visited India for a four-week tour, delivering a message of peace and condemning terrorism at various events. He also urged the Pakistani and Indian governments to prioritize the welfare of their citizens over defense spending. During a lecture in January 2015, Qadri declared terrorism the world’s biggest problem.

Fatwa on Terrorism

The Fatwa upon Terrorism and Suicide Bombings is a comprehensive Islamic decree written by Qadri, consisting of 600 pages in Urdu and 512 pages in English. The fatwa is a direct response to the ideology of groups such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and it unequivocally condemns terrorism as unjust and unIslamic. The launch of the fatwa was organized by Minhaj-ul-Quran UK and received widespread media attention, with experts seeing it as a significant blow to terrorist recruitment.
The fatwa has been positively reviewed by international press outlets and officially endorsed by Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. The English book version of the fatwa contains a forward by John Esposito and an introduction by Joel Hayward, both of whom share Qadri’s condemnation of terrorism. The fatwa was also discussed at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2011 and was presented to Pope Benedict XVI by representatives of Minhaj Interfaith Relations.
While some have questioned the credibility of the fatwa, it has been widely praised for its comprehensive and absolute condemnation of terrorism without any excuses or justifications. The fatwa is a significant step in taking Islam back from terrorists and promoting peace, harmony, and interfaith dialogue.

Invitation to OIC

Qadri spoke to scholars during a meeting of the OIC in Riyadh on April 7th, 2019, and showcased the Counter Terrorism Syllabus created by Minhaj-ul-Quran.

Views

A newspaper commentator suggested that Qadri’s fatwa on terrorism, which includes a legal-theological opinion on the Khawarij, gives the impression of a consensus within Islam. According to Think Magazine (World Religions), Qadri’s perspective on Islam opposes that of Osama Bin Laden. In November 2017, Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, visited Pakistan at Qadri’s invitation to attend the Tajdar-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat Conference after converting to Islam in 2016.

Work

He has written 1000 pieces of literature, 550 of which have been published as books. This includes an eight-volume, 7,000-page encyclopedia of the Quran in English, which covers all 6,000-plus verses of the text. In addition, he has given more than 6,000 lectures and teaches a range of subjects, including Islamic jurisprudence, theology, Sufism, Islamic philosophy, law, Islamic politics, hadith, search, and other traditional sciences. Some of his written works are: 

List of Work Follows

• Islamic Concept of Crime(1985)
• Islamic Concept of Law(1987)
• Islam and Christianity^](1999)
• Peace & Submission (2011)
• Muhammad the Merciful(2014)
• Fatwa on Suicide Bombings and Terrorism (2014) translated by Shaykh Abdul Aziz Dabbagh
• Islam on Mercy and Compassion(2014)
• Creation of Man – A Review of Qur’an and Modern Embryology(2017)
• Beseeching for Help (Istighathah)published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform in 2017