Praise the Prophet Poetry Competition Open to Submissions

By Rising Star Staff
May 15, 2006
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A new web site dedicated to poetry has begun accepting submissions for poems with Islamic themes.

Launched to encourage poetry as a form of expression “for the betterment of our selves, our communities and the world,” www.IslamicPoetry.org is a site that is sure to inspire poets everywhere to share their passion for the written word on topics such as Allah, the Hereafter, Good Character, Parents, Prophets, and others.

One project of IslamicPoetry.org is to host writing and poetry competitions, such as the The International Praise the Prophet (peace be up him) Poetry Competition. Through August 31st, Muslims and non-Muslims of all ages are invited to submit English-language poems that praise and describe the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). Prizes worth up to $1000 will be awarded to the winning poets in each category.

“The competition is not about winning,” says Tahir Anwar in a written statement on the site, “But about demonstrating that our love for the Prophet, Allah bless him and bring him peace, has stood the test of time and will be as eternal as the love Almighty Allah has for him.”

Anwar is the imam (leader) and director of religious services at the South Bay Islamic Association in California and serves on the IslamicPoetry.org Board of Directors along with Sheikh Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, the imam at the Islamic Center of Santa Barbara, and Ziad Sikandar Hashmi, a freelance journalist based in Canada.

Participants in the competition may submit up to three original poems of no more than 32 lines each and must pay administrative fees with each submission. Selected poems will appear on the site, while others may be published in an anthology of Islamic poetry. Visit www.IslamicPoetry.org for complete contest rules as well as an extensive list of articles, books and audio lectures that discuss the Prophet’s life.