About the Book
Mushaf, the compilation of the Quranic verses is one of the most acclaimed writing styles in the history of Islam. Since the advent of Islam, Qur’an is heard, read, and understood in various ways, where many memorize it, some use calligraphy to express their connection with Allah, while some choose to spread the message extensively by interpreting it. Syeda Rabab stepped up to impart her deep understanding about the religion in the form of Mushaf which took years of study and reading
Mushaf is one way to organize and compile the Quranic verses which slightly differs from the original, One and Only Qur’an. To make it simple to understand, Qur’an is about the revelations on our last Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, whereas Mushaf refers to the revelations put down into the written form.
Mushaf-e-Kareem by Syeda Rabab Kazmi is the first interpretation by a female that made history all across the world. Rabab has deep-rooted connections with religious studies for more than a decade. She started off with articles and booklets for the general public that later gained immense fame to have led Rabab to come up with this ten-volume Mushaf-e-Kareem which gave her the courage to stand against all the odds and bring the task to fruition.
Mushaf-e-Kareem’s first edition was published in 2018, subsequently followed by its second edition in 2020. To bring out the entire series to its readers by the next few years, the third volume is destined to come out in 2022. The book cost Rabab her time and efforts worth of 12 years, but the outcome was so remarkable, she didn’t take a minute before diving into reading countless books. The thorough study, collective reading, comprehending as well as decoding the messages of Islam to an easy, understandable language distinguish Rabab’s work from the others. Rabab shows true respect and stands free of opinion to all those who did work before her because, to her, it has always been about her religion and its true understanding by the people.
About the Author
Syeda Rabab Kazmi, the first female Urdu Interpreter of Al-Quran, currently lives in Philadelphia, USA. Mother of two boys, the lady sought to have more than just live and lead a simple life. With a vision she carried to do more for religion without any returns, Allah blessed her with the right people and support she needed to accomplish the task at such a young age.
Early life:
Rabab’s early life saw different phases; from challenging times to beautiful family moments. It is astonishing to see how she led a complete family to stand on its own along with her busy schedules, yet the will and resilience drive her to do both with success and satisfaction. Rabab’s early career life saw her as an educationist, a teacher, an all-women’s advocate by running a ladies club, and more. In 2011 though, Rabab decided to leave teaching and join in as a political figure because her family was a part of the same.
Career choice:
Rabab’s family was not into religious writing or interpretation. Her family was more into politics which directed Rabab to be a great politician too. She has been a part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf as well as the Motehda Qoumi Movement from 2012 to 2016, sadly the discriminated thoughts and practices didn’t appeal to her enough to stay connected with politics for long. Her strong character and principled personality were in search of something more when she met Shabbir Ali Zaidi back in 2016 who was luckily in search of a great woman who want to accomplish something in life. When they both met, it was miraculously agreed upon that Rabab will be the one to interpret the Qur’an in Urdu which hasn’t been done by any woman yet, and fortunately, the task met accomplishment in 2018. Both the efforts and vision of Shabbir to let women fly high rather than stay low, motivated Rabab who long ago wished for it.
The switch from politics to religious studies opened new doors for Rabab who started her Ph.D. in religious studies. To assess her capabilities, she also joined Madarsa-tul-Khaim as well as took classes from Matam-Imam-Zamana in search of a platform to deliver more. From majalis to her own youtube channel, she gained popularity to become a leading public figure who would impart her religious knowledge on different forums.
From Rabab Kazmi to Mufasera Syeda Rabab Kazmi
The journey of Rabab Kazmi from just Rabab to Mufasera Rabab is indeed amazing. It underwent rise and falls, yet the resilience that Rabab showed, held her unbelievably strong and took her to the success step.
It all began when Rabab was asked to replace and take a position as a Zakira at an event because the assigned Zakira couldn’t reach there for some reason. The experience was so overwhelming that Rabab fell deep into the dream of seeing herself doing much more religious work, but the only question was how? Muharram gave her the freedom and chance to prove her love for religion by conducting religious sessions but what happens when Muharram ends?
This all got answered when she met Shabbir Ali Zaidi. It was phenomenal to see how they both longed to spend time in religious activities and were able to support each other in the same cause. Shabbir Ali Zaidi came to Pakistan in search of a woman who would accept the interpreting task and take it upon herself and nobody could have done justice to it except Rabab. A family woman, an educationist, a politician, women empowerment advocate, and what not, yet Rabab felt it as a blessing from Al-Mighty Allah and accepted the task willingly leaving everything aside. Challenges and criticism chased her throughout the journey, yet she managed to stay ahead of it. Rabab is forever thankful to her husband for unconditional support, Shabbir sahib’s motivation, and her children’s love that made her what she is today!
Rabab’s accomplishments:
Currently, four leading universities took hold of Mushaf-e-Kareem as a material to be read and understood at different levels for enhanced religious understanding. Rabab carries strong believes and faith and has fear of none except Allah. Her journey till today met achievement because of her spirit and resilience. Her work got universally acclaimed, where many came forward to compliment her, but with appreciation came critics and threats. Without showing any care towards belittling minds, Rabab till today has plans to reach out to the tenth volume of Mushaf in a few years as well as plan on writing about family rules and ethics in Islam as her upcoming project.
Her unforgettable moments:
There are many times and moments that are hard to forget, but Rabab mentions one of her Majlis as one of the biggest events of her entire life. Her Majlis at Muhammdi Dera had over a thousand women who passionately supported Rabab in making it one of her most successful events in the history of Majlalis. With this being said, Rabab doesn’t hesitate to claim Mushaf-e-Kareem as one of her most precious, conquering, and memorable recollections of all times.
Message to the Young Generation:
Religious figures like Rabab Kazmi who has put immeasurable efforts into the awareness and mindfulness of their religion leave a great impact on the mind of young ones. They embed the lesson into the minds of future generations who see their greatness in their work. Likewise, Rabab addresses the youth by sharing the idea of treating a woman as an individual rather than making her dependent on any living being, be it her father, husband, or son. SHE is a great word in Rabab’s dictionary. She believes Mothers have the power to mold the future of any individual by creating a balance between Deen and Dunya that is the foremost thing to be understood in today’s era. She wishes the generation to stay connected with religion at all times, yet actively participate and stay in touch with technology and IT.
About the Publisher
Early Life:
Born in 1946 in Hyderabad Deccan, Shabbir came to Karachi in the year 1950 along with his parents. This is how he comes across his first visit to Pakistan at the age of 4. When he reached the age of 12 by the year 1958, Shabbir claims he remembers everything from that certain age to date. His family had strong religious and political ties as Shabbir is nephew of Allama Rasheed Turabi, a great name in the religious studies and affairs who has several books published under his name. With such connections, Shabbir saw himself as someone who would continue the legacy of working for his religion as not many opted for it at that time.
The motivation:
Shabbir’s educational life is associated with the Government National College of Karachi, and Karachi Polytechnic College. Later, his educational background got converted to religious studies because while Shabbir was growing up, he saw his family longing to do more for religious awareness. This is the time Shabbir realized that if he wishes to be someone tomorrow, he will be a religious figure because his mission and vision were established already by that time. Today, at the age of 75, Shabbir who presently lives in Belgium, Brussels, acts as the Head of Al-Hania Islamic Welfare Education in Belgium. He brought his vision to life without any attention to the fact that he lives abroad, because to him, it is more significant to create awareness about the Quran and his religion.
Bringing the idea to fruition:
One of the turning points in Shabbir’s life happened when he started to read the great poet of all times, Allama Iqbal. It was Allama Iqbal’s work that dragged his attention and led him to ask that why don’t we read and understand our Holy Book, ourselves? Why does somebody else have to take responsibility for translating or interpreting it while we claim ourselves Muslims?
This is when Shabbir gathered the courage and stood up against all odds and begin his study of the Quran by different interpreters. The comparative study facilitated him to go deep into understanding and philosophy of Islam so that he could put it into simpler, clearer words for people to understand. During his comparative study, Shabbir got the chance to connect and read different women poets, novelists, and writers which clicked him with the idea as to why not a female interpreter? This is how Shabbir went out into the world to look out for the perfect chance of meeting Syeda Rabab Kazmi who was in search of such moral support and then together they worked to be the change they have always wanted. The change to see women as beings who can do whatever they wish, beings who were born with equal rights from their creator, and beings who are given the responsibility to nurture generations!
Shabbir Sahib and Rabab Kazmi sat for hours to read, study, collect and gather the information into written forms. Later, they compiled the gathered information and shaped it into Mushaf-E-Kareem. Within fourteen months, the first volume was out already. Shabbir Ali Zaidi has it published all over Pakistan and India to aid Muslims to learn from what is theirs. Shabbir wholeheartedly gives Rabab the credit for the time and efforts that she put into the task to pull it off successfully. This author-publisher duo gained limitless appraise from all over the world and we wish them our full support for future endeavors.
Shabbir Ali Zaidi shifted to Belgium in 1974. He initiated religious work and activities in Brussels, Belgium, and after 20 years of non-stop efforts, he succeeded in opening up the first Imambargah in Belgium, Europe.
