Dr Hameed A Mirza
Secretary Talim, AMJ Canada
The national department of talim of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada organised its 5th Annual Holy Quran and Science Conference on Sunday, 25 November 2018 at Baitul Hamd Mosque in Mississauga.
The Holy Quran and Science Conference highlights novel research carried out on the Holy Quran to discover the treasures buried in the Holy Book of Muslims. The wide range of subjects that were covered included physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, medicine & health sciences, engineering, as well as other areas of research.
The conference proceedings were divided into four sessions. At the end of each session a panel discussion with questions from the audience was arranged.
By the grace of Allah, this year, over 400 people from all walks of life participated in the conference. In addition, 2,500 people benefited from the web-stream of the conference proceedings. Many non-Ahmadi guests also attended the conference.
There were a total of 22 oral presentations and 4 poster presentations. Presenters came from UK, USA and Canada.
The first session chaired by Professor Dr Sohail Z Husain started at 10:15am with the recitation of the Holy Quran and English translation. The session chair then explained briefly the guidelines for presenters.
This was followed by the opening remarks by Farhan Khokhar Sahib (Naib Amir Jamaat Canada). He stated that Holy Quran draws attention of the believer to the creation of the heavens and the earth as a sign for those who ponder. He further said that it is through the scientific knowledge that people know their Creator and this is a noble journey.
In the first session, the following scholars presented their research:
1. Mr. Mahmood Akbar on Mountains for Food and Water
2. Dr Altaf Qadeer on Human Creativity and the Word of the Creator: Insights From the Holy Quran
3. Ms Maleeha Qazi on Therapeutic Targeting of Tumorigenic EphA2+/EphA3+ Brain Tumour Initiating Cells With Bi-Specific Antibody in Human Glioblastoma
The second session was chaired by respected Dr Zahid Khan Sahib who came from UK.
The following scholars presented their research in this session:
1. Suleman Ahmad on Low Risk Lifestyle Behaviors and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies
2. Dr Karim Sharif on The Genomics Education Partnership: Assessing and Improving a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)
3. Dr. Ali Alburaki on Honey
4. Dr. Zia H. Shah on The Human Soul and the Holy Quran
5. Dr Marya Ahmad on Synthetic Biomaterials for Health Applications
6. Mrs Shehla H Mirza on The Holy Quran, Cure for Ailments
The third session was chaired by Dr Zia Shah Sahib, Chief Editor of The Muslim Times
The following researchers presented in the third session:
1. Dr Sohail Z Husain on Preventing Asparaginase-Associated Pancreatitis Using the Novel Dimension of Metabolomics
2. Zeeshan A Bhatti on Irrigation Advisory Services for Farmers of Pakistan – Science in Service of Mankind
3. Dr Tauseef A Khan on Hormesis: Surely, There is Ease After Hardship
4. Dr Hameed A Mirza on Recent Advances in Trace Element Analysis, Food Safety and Impact on Our Lives
5. Rumsha Baig Sahiba and Sania Ahmad Sahiba on The Effect of Nigella Sativa on Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials
6. Karim Aziz Sahib on Fruits Mentioned in the Holy Quran
The fourth session was chaired by Lal Khan Malik Sahib, National Amir Jamaat Canada and co-chaired by Dr Hameed Mirza, national secretary talim.
The following researchers presented in the third session:
1. Dr Zahid Khan on From the Macro to Micro Evidence of the Existence of God
2. Shahab Khokhar Sahib on Fine Tuning and the Holy Quran
3. Dr Qasim Farah on Sustainable Development in the Quran
4. Dr Ali Alburaki on Beekeeping Research and Training Project
5. Shamaila Bajwa Sahiba on The Effect of Honey Intake on Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trial
6. Usama Ahmed Malik on ADHD Cures Within Islamic Practices
7. Dr Ijaz Ahmad on Design of Experiment: Using the Fleeting Time Wisely
In the closing session, Dr Hameed Mirza, Conference Chair thanked the audience, presenters and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Dr Mirza stated that it was now time that we pondered on the deeper meaning of the Holy Quran and sought guidance for our research work. Ahmadi students and researchers should look into developing research projects based on ideas from the Holy Quran and work to show this face of the Holy Quran to the rest of the world.
Then, Mubarak Nazir Sahib addressed attendees and reminded them that only one Dr Abdus Salam is not enough. We should work hard to become like him.
At the end, Malik Lal Khan Sahib, Amir Jamaat Canada said that he felt that justice was not being done to the study of the Holy Quran. Many a time, one reads the Quran and a thought arises in our minds, but true research was the manner in which the presentations had been prepared and delivered.
