“Muhammad was the greatest man”: Quran exhibition and bookstall at Moana Market in South Australia

Atif Ahmed Zahid, Regional Missionary, South Australia

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Adelaide West organised a Holy Quran exhibition and bookstall at Moana Market on 13 March 2022. 

The local community of the beachside outer suburb of Moana organises a market every second Sunday of the month. The market is being held in the Pioneers Memorial Hall and its surrounding ground near the beautiful beach of Moana. Moana is a popular tourist destination in South Australia which is situated 36 kilometres from the central business district (CBD) in the south of Adelaide. 

After the Fajr prayer, the Jamaat members started the journey from Mahmood Mosque in the Jamaat van. After reaching the marketplace, the Jamaat members did not spare a minute and set up the stall at the entrance of the car park which is also near the road to the beach. Thus, the messages portrayed in the gazebo were read by hundreds of the beachgoers. Further, the stall attracted the market-visitors due to its colour and position in the marketplace. Moreover, the stall received significant attention from the local community as it was the first stall of its kind from any Muslim organisations in Moana. 

This humble one led everyone in a silent prayer before the Jamaat members started the tabligh activities. Tabligh activities started with a visit to other stalls in the market and by greeting the market-visitors. I led the interactions with the community members and the visit to other stalls. Further, I gave important instructions to the Jamaat members on how to do tabligh activities appropriately. 

Dozens of people visited the stall and discussed various matters with the Jamaat members. Discussions included female education in Islam, the war in Ukraine, multi-culturalism in Australia, sharia and the life of the Holy Prophet^sa. The Jamaat members presented the true teachings of Islam to the visitors and responded to numerous questions asked by them. These discussions thus helped to remove different misconceptions about Islam, and break down barriers and build bridges between the communities. 

The younger members of the community visiting the market with their parents showed a greater interest to learn about the religion. I showed them the copies of the Holy Quran in different languages and gave them pamphlets as they were interested to know more about the religion. 

Some community members eagerly came to the stall and thanked the Jamaat members for holding the bookstall in the market. 

Alhamdulillah, a total of 10 books and dozens of pamphlets were distributed among the community members.  

The market started at 9am and ran till 1:30pm. During this time, the stall was able to spread the message of the Jamaat to hundreds of the community members by the grace of Almighty Allah. 

Mr Richard Shaw visited the bookstall and told the members at the stall that he had read a book on the life of the Holy Prophet^sa. Furthermore, he expressed about the Holy Prophet^sa that “He was the greatest man on earth. He is on top of my list.” He was given the book, Life of Muhammad, for further reading. 

Another visitor said:

“It is very good [and] very educational. It feels good to stand here. I am getting positive vibes just by standing here.”

May Allah accept the humble efforts of the Jamaat members and help them to spread the peaceful message of Islam, amin.