Ohio Students Revive Prophet's Message

Ohio Muslim families and students have come together in a special religious weekend, reviving lessons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and charging their batteries for the new year.

“We decided we wanted to work with other Muslim students' Associations (MSAs) in the area in order to build some networks and collaborations and make these events bigger and beneficial for a wide variety of people,” Abdulrahman Alwattar, MSA President, a third-year in public affairs, told the Lantern on Monday, January 21.

Held over the weekend, the conference titled “In the Words the Prophet: The Last Sermon" aimed at reviving the Prophet's (pbuh) message of unity and equality.

Guest speakers included Siraj Wahhaj, imam of the Masjid At-Taqwa in New York City, Mohamed Abutaleb, a teacher at the Oak Tree Institute of Islamic education and Yasmin Mogahed, a keynote Muslim speaker and author.

“The Prophet Muhammad was sent as the most beautiful example, and he is also described as a mercy to all of mankind," said Yasmin Mogahed, as self-help author and a keynote speaker at the conference, the Lantern reported on Monday, January 21.

"And therefore, we have to study his example, and what more important way to study him than through his last advice,”

The event was funded by Muslim donations as the single-day ticket of the conference cost $15.

“There was a committee made that would just focus on the budget, advertising and raising money," Alwattar said.

"We were able to raise $8,500 for this event in donations that really made this event possible,” he added.

The United States is home to a Muslim minority of between six to eight million.

A recent survey found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world.

It also showed that US Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society.