Ministry of Awqaf officials and the imams during the meeting.
Doha, Qatar: The Mosques Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has honoured 12 imams for their outstanding efforts in implementing the “Riyad al-Salihin” initiative, which aims to promote the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) and strengthen the educational and moral role of mosques in society.
The 12 imams were selected from more than 700 imams who participated in implementing the initiative, in recognition of their commitment to its scientific and educational programmes and their efforts to communicate the teachings and meanings of the book Riyad al-Salihin to worshippers and mosque visitors.
The recognition took place during a meeting between Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Director of the Mosques Department, and the honoured imams. It forms part of the department’s periodic incentive programme to acknowledge distinguished performance, encourage positive competition among imams and improve the quality of educational and religious programmes delivered in mosques.
The initiative seeks to deepen the community’s understanding of 'Riyad Al-Salihin', a collection of hadith compiled by Imam Al Nawawi, and promote the faith-based, educational and ethical values contained in its teachings.
More than 700 imams have participated in delivering the initiative’s monthly lesson programmes, reflecting the wide reach of the initiative and the engagement of mosque imams with its various educational activities.
The selection of the 12 honourees was based on their level of commitment to implementing the initiative’s standards and their efforts to use the designated methods to communicate the book’s hadiths and their meanings to worshippers and different segments of society.
The department’s recognition programme also supports the monitoring of implementation and encourages imams to share effective practices in delivering lessons, Friday sermons and hadith memorisation activities.
The Riyad Al-Salihin initiative operates through five complementary educational and scientific tracks designed to expand public access to the teachings of the book and strengthen the presence of the Prophetic Sunnah in daily life.
The first track involves delivering a daily lesson from Riyad al-Salihin, providing worshippers with regular exposure to the hadiths and their meanings. The second focuses on organising an extended weekly lesson to explain the hadiths in greater detail and highlight their lessons, benefits and guidance.
The third track involves the monthly recitation of hadiths from the book, enabling worshippers to become familiar with a wider selection of the Prophet’s teachings.
The fourth centres on preparing Friday sermons based on the book’s themes and content.
