Nelson, UK: Shaykh ul Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri Calls for Mandatory Urdu Education for Future Generations

A spiritually uplifting Suhbah gathering was held at Jamia Masjid Minhaj-ul-Quran Nelson in the blessed company of His Eminence Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. Families, elders, youth and community members gathered for Zuhr Salah followed by a profound Naseeha addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing Muslim communities in the West: preserving faith, identity and Islamic knowledge for future generations.

Opening his address with a clear policy statement, Shaykh-ul-Islam declared that Urdu should be established as a mandatory second language across Islamic centres and mosques without delay. His Eminence emphasised that this was not simply a matter of language, but a strategic necessity for preserving access to Islamic scholarship, religious understanding, spiritual etiquette and cultural continuity.

Shaykh-ul-Islam informed attendees that Minhaj Education Society has already developed educational programmes and learning resources specifically designed for Muslim children growing up in Western and European societies. These include Islamic stories, educational content and structured language programmes which centres can immediately adopt and implement.

Explaining the significance of language, His Eminence distinguished between its two primary functions: communication and transmission. Communication facilitates the short-term exchange of information between people, whilst transmission enables knowledge, values, traditions and identity to be passed from one generation to the next.

Shaykh-ul-Islam stressed that the issue of Urdu is not merely linguistic. Rather, it concerns access to religious knowledge, Islamic heritage, spiritual etiquette and the accumulated scholarly legacy of the Muslim Ummah. Whilst losing Urdu does not remove a person from Islam, His Eminence warned that it significantly weakens the transmission of faith, emotional attachment to religion and access to deeper Islamic learning.

Presenting a detailed overview of Islamic scholarship across languages, Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that Arabic contains 100% of the original Islamic sources, including the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, Tafseer and Fiqh.

His Eminence further noted that approximately 25% to 35% of Islamic literature is available in Turkish due to centuries of Seljuk and Ottoman patronage. A similar 25% to 35% is available in Persian owing to the contributions of major Muhadditheen, Mufassireen, scholars and Awliya, including figures such as Imam al-Ghazali.

Shaykh-ul-Islam stated that Urdu possesses an equally rich scholarly heritage, containing approximately 25% to 35% of the wider Islamic corpus. As a result, Urdu serves as a unique bridge through which Muslims of South Asian heritage can access a vast reservoir of religious knowledge. By contrast, His Eminence explained that German, Spanish and French collectively contain only around 3% to 4% of translated Islamic content, whilst most other European languages contain between 1% and 2%.

Regarding English, Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that only approximately 10% to 18% of Islamic literature is available, with an average of around 14% to 15%. This means that an English-only reader remains disconnected from approximately 85% of the wider Islamic scholarly tradition.

His Eminence further cautioned that the issue is not merely one of quantity but also quality. Whilst translations of certain texts are available, many classical commentaries, scholarly explanations, methodologies, jurisprudential principles and advanced works remain inaccessible in English. Consequently, reliance upon English alone can leave students of knowledge disconnected from the depth and breadth of the Islamic intellectual tradition.

Shaykh-ul-Islam drew attention to the increasing influence of social media and online platforms, warning that many young Muslims are receiving religious guidance from unqualified individuals who possess neither scholarly training nor recognised authority. His Eminence stressed that Islamic knowledge cannot be acquired through isolated reading or internet content alone, just as a person cannot become a doctor, engineer or lawyer merely by purchasing textbooks.

A significant portion of the address focused on the relationship between language, culture and adab. Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that every language carries within it a system of manners, values and social conduct. Urdu, in particular, preserves concepts of respect, honour and reverence through its vocabulary and modes of expression.

His Eminence illustrated how language shapes behaviour towards parents, elders, teachers and scholars. When heritage languages are lost, the culture of respect and refinement carried within those languages gradually weakens. As a result, future generations may retain the name of Islam whilst losing much of its spiritual taste, inherited etiquette and emotional connection.

Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that faith, language, culture and society are reciprocally interconnected. Each reinforces the other and collectively contributes to the preservation of religious identity. When one element weakens, the others are affected.

Expressing deep concern for the future, His Eminence warned that within two generations many Muslim communities in the West risk losing meaningful connection with their faith unless urgent action is taken. He observed that parents often dedicate immense effort towards their children’s worldly education and careers whilst comparatively little attention is given to preserving religious identity, knowledge and spirituality.

Using powerful examples, Shaykh-ul-Islam reminded attendees that the true protection of children lies not in seeking solutions after problems emerge, but in investing in their tarbiyyah from an early age. Religious upbringing, Islamic knowledge, a strong home environment and access to authentic scholarship remain the greatest safeguards for future generations.

His Eminence also announced that this subject forms part of a wider series of seven lectures addressing different aspects of the challenge facing Muslims in the West. Future discussions will examine the responsibilities of parents, homes, mosques, scholars and wider society in preserving faith and identity.

Concluding his address, Shaykh-ul-Islam reminded attendees that investing two or three years in learning Urdu can yield benefits for generations to come. Preserving Urdu, His Eminence explained, is not about language alone; it is about maintaining access to knowledge, adab, spiritual heritage, scholarly depth and a living connection to the faith.

The gathering concluded with a renewed commitment amongst attendees to prioritise the religious upbringing of future generations and to strengthen the means through which Islamic knowledge, values and identity are transmitted in the modern world.