Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore, as the name indicates, is an institution for the propagation of Qur'anic teachings. Much more than just an ordinary organization, the Anjuman actually represents a mission and a movement, the objective before which is to call people towards the Holy Qur'an, to rekindle the light of Iman in the hearts of the Muslims, and to pave the way for Islamic renaissance.
The sole aim before the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore is to disseminate and propagate the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Qur'an, the fountain-head of faith and enlightenment. This propagation has to be on a vast scale as well on the highest intellectual level so as to achieve the revitalization of faith among the Muslims in general and thier intelligentsia in particular. The ultimate objective of this revitalization of faith is to bring about an Islamic renaissance and to usher in, for the second time in history, the blessed era in which the true Islamic way of life reigned supreme.
The Qur'anic discourses of Dr. Israr Ahmad, Founder-President of Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore, were quite popular while he was still a medical student and an activist of the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talabah. During 1959-61, Dr. Israr Ahmad established a Halqa Mutala`ah-e-Qur'an (or Qur'anic Study Circle) and a hostel for the religious education of college students. In the presentation of the lectures on the Qur'an, Dr. Israr Ahmad initially used Maulana Ameen Ahsan Islahi's selection from the Holy Qur'an. Later he expanded the selection and developed what is now known as the Muntakhab Nisab. It consists of a selection of various Qur'anic ayaat in a particular sequence of lessons, the aim of which is to delineate the true nature of the Deen of Allah (SWT), to describe the major themes of the Qur'an, and to explain the obligations of a believer as well those of the Muslim Ummah as a whole. It may be mentioned here that Dr. Israr Ahmad has delivered lectures on this Muntakhab Nisaab in various cities of Pakistan, Middle East, and the U.S.A., and that several sets of these lectures, including a set in English, are available in the form of audio and video tapes.
After completing his masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi, Dr. Israr Ahmad returned to Lahore in 1965, where he opened his own publishing house (called Dar-ul-Isha`at Al-Islamiyah) and revived the publication of a monthly journal called Meesaq, which was founded by Maulana Ameen Ahsan Islahi in 1959. The popularity of his lectures on the Qur'an increased rapidly in Lahore, resulting in the need for an organization. In February 1971, at the occasion of his second Hajj, Dr. Israr Ahmad made the most important decision of his life. He vowed that he will not practice medicine in the future but will devote the rest of his life in the service of the Book of Allah (SWT) and in the struggle to make His Deen supreme. Dr. Israr Ahmad, therefore, conceived a society for the propagation of the teachings and wisdom of the Qur'an, and expressed his views in his lectures as well as in the editorial pages of Meesaq. As a result, the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore was established on March 21, 1972.
The goals of Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore are as follows:
1. To organize Arabic language classes.
2. To urge people to study the Qur'an.
3. To disseminate and propagate the Qur'anic sciences.
4. To train youth whose sole aim in life is to learn and teach the Qur'an.
5. To establish a “Qur'an Academy” which can present the philosophy and wisdom of the Qur'an on an intellectual and educational level.
Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore has give rise to six affiliated societies in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, and Peshawar. Their goals are the same as that of the Central Society, but the affiliated ones are independent in their organizational and financial matters. The Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore and its affiliated societies have established Qur'an Academies in Lahore, Karachi, and Multan. The Qur'an Academy Faisalabad is under construction. A Qur'an College, hostel, and a Qur'an Auditorium have been built in Lahore.
In addition to various short-courses, the Qur'an Academy offers a One-Year “Back to the Qur'an” Course, in which basic Arabic grammar, Tajweed (the art of rectiting the Qur'an), Muntakhab Nisab (Selected study of the Qur'an), and fundamentals of Hadith and Fiqh are taught. College and university graduates are accepted in this course, that is, those who have already completed their secular education. This course was started in 1982 as a Two-Year Course, but in 1987 its duration was reduced to one year. Admissions for the next session will start in late September, 1997, and the classes will start in early October.
A fellowship scheme was also started in 1982, the purpose of which was to encourage talented young men to study at and then work for the Qur'an Academy. The Qur'an College was established in 1987. It prepares students from Intermediate level to Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), along with compulsory teaching of Arabic, Tajweed, Muntakhab Nisab, and Translation of the Qur'an. The Anjuman regularly arranges seminars on various topics related to the Qur'an. For instance, Charles Le Gai Eaton spoke in 1992 on “The Roots of Western Culture,” “The Muslims in the West” and “Islam Today.”
The Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an also offers following Correspondence Courses in Urdu:
1. Qur'an ki Fikhri aur Amali Rahnumai
2. Arabi Grammar
3. Turjumah-e-Qur'an
Prospectus and admission forms are available on request.
Their have been a number of attempts in the past to remove the unfortunate dichotomy between the religious and secualr knowledge and to integrate them into a unified whole. The following excerpts indicate the attempts made by Maulana Abul Kalama Azad and Allama Muhammad Iqbal to establish institutions for this purpose. The Qur'an Academy has been established by the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore to achieve the same goal, as explained in the booklet Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead.
“I was guided by the grace of Almighty Allah a few years ago to launch a fresh a movement for disseminating the message of the Qur'an through Al-Hilal. It happily resulted in a wide and popular reawakening of interest in Qur'anic teachings and methodology among both educated and uneducated Muslims. They have felt renewed attachment and concern for the Holy Book. However, work on the second and more vital and arduous stage of this movement remains to be done, the work of educating a significant number of persons in the Muslim Ummah who follow the established guidelines of Qur'anic research and comprehend its wisdom fully. Only these highly enlightened and inspired Muslims can in turn start an effective mass movement of Islamic revival and resurgence.
This is the sole aim before Dar-ul-Irshad. It will endeavor to accomplish the second stage of the movement of `calling people to the Qur'an' through encouraging and educating a group of Muslims as rapidly as possible. This group, it is hoped, will perform the duty of popularizing the Qur'anic teachings on the widest scale and of starting a movement for the religious and moral purification of the Ummah!”
(Al-Balagh dated November 12, 1915)
“We have decided to assemble within the precincts of this institute persons well-versed in modern academic disciplines, and others who have a deep grasp of the religious sciences. These individuals must be of high caliber and intellectual capability. They will work under the guidance of a mentor, to be appointed shortly, who will be of excellent moral character. Besides having attained deep and full insight into the wisdom of the Holy Qur'an, he will know in detail about modern revolutions and changes in various realms. He will work to acquaint these people with the spirit and elan of the Divine Book and the Prophet's Sunnah. He will also help them in reconstructing the morality, politics, and economics, so that through their scholarship and missionary work they can struggle to revive the pristine glory of Islamic civilization.”
(Iqbal, Dar-ul-Islam, aur Maudui: p. 82)