NOW in its second year, Al-Mahabba Awards continues celebrating the love of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the arts and is planning to hold its awards between April and May 2008 in Abu Dhabi.
Conceived last year to provide, promote and recognize Muslims’ artistic expression of love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Al-Mahabba Awards was borne out of a vision by a dedicated group of young people from Saudi Arabia and the GCC, who decided the time was ripe for them to show their love and extend help to their Prophet in a way that would positively impact both Muslims and non-Muslims around the world. Al-Mahabba aims to promote love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a way befitting of true Muslims and following in the footsteps of the noble Prophet of Islam.
The inaugural event successfully showcased the deep affection Muslims have for their beloved prophet, and have shown to the world the many fascinating facets of Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) personality, morals and legacy.
“In its own way, the Al-Mahabba Awards has contributed to a renaissance of sorts among the Islamic faithful by giving them an opportunity to express their love for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through artistic works. And because the public have a say in the selection of the winners through internet voting, the awards will become a community celebration in honour of the Prophet (PBUH),” said Ahmad Al-Shqairi, spokesman for the Al-Mahbba Awards.
Al-Shqiri noted that Al-Mahabba Awards is a step forward in bringing Muslims from various backgrounds together, especially in showing the universality of their love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“Ultimately, it is our hope that this festival may be the start of a new love story between us Muslims and our prophet. We hope to give the audience, Muslim or otherwise, enough energy and passion to search for the Prophet in their lives throughout the year,” he added.
Following its successful inaugural event, people from all walks of life, especially the youth, are once again invited to participate in this year’s Al-Mahabba Awards, which has also received generous expressions of support from leading Arab and Islamic celebrities, who are committed to attend and perform in the event.
With such a diverse group of people coming together in support of Al-Mahabba Awards, a wonderful legacy for the creative expression of love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has begun. And through it, organisers hope they are also able to share Islam’s message of peace and love to the world, and introduce audiences to the superior character attributes of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“At a critical time when the non-Muslim community continue to have misconceptions about Islam, we hope the awards will show Muslims and non-Muslims alike the deep-rooted love and dedication we have for our Prophet (peace be upon him),” continued Al-Shqiri.
For the youthful organisers, the event is equally significant as an opening, an opportunity to reconnect with their Prophet (peace be upon him). Given the many distractions of modern living, many young people find it difficult to practice their faith meaningfully and consistently. “Hence, we hope to encourage Muslims to find ways to constantly showcase the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in their lives,” he said.
The long-term goal is to strengthen the awards and enhance its appeal for people to get inspired to produce artistic works of the highest calibre that express profound love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This year’s awards ceremony will be broadcast on satellite TV with popular actress Hanan Turk presenting. The program will consist of 12-15 episodes, aired over a period of three months, where each episode will be broadcast weekly and exclusively on one satellite TV channel. In addition, each episode will feature the different award categories, as well as artists, political and religious personalities from all over the world.
Additionally, organizers have set up an Internet site www.mahabba.tv specially for accepting submissions on the Internet in order to increase the interaction of ordinary people wishing to participate in this festival, and make it more accessible to people from all over the world, and from different cultural and social orientations.
2006 Al Mahabba Awards winners include: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, for Personality of the Year; The late Mustafa Al Aqqad, the director of the movie “Al Risala” (the award was received by his son Malek Al Aqqad); Michael Wolf and Alex Kronimer for their documentary “Muhammed: Legacy of a Prophet”; Sheikh Muhammed Saeed Ramadan Al Boutti for his book “Fekeh Al Seera”; and singers: Zain Bhikha, Reehan and Tariq Fuad for their music.
For more information on how to submit artworks to Al-Mahabba Awards, please visit www.almahabbaawards.com