Islamic Centre of England to hold "Thought Forum" on Friday Night

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - THOUGHT FORUM:“Give good tidings to those who hear the word and follow the best of it ... those are the people who possess intellect.” Holy Qur’an [The Masses - 39:18].“Contemplating for an hour is better than the worship of one year.” Imam Ali (a).This famous saying of Imam Ali (a) puts a high premium on contemplation and intellectual engagement. However this is not to be understood as a replacement for acts of worship but rather to complement them. Undoubtedly any action that we perform with full intellectual cognition is better that one performed as a routine. However, just like any other activity, intellectual engagement requires training.The 'Friday Nights: Thought Forum” is a new initiative by the Islamic Centre of England which aims to provide a forum for people to converse, in a friendly and mutually respectful environment, on subjects that can stimulate our thinking processes and engage us at an intellectual level. The repetition of the word “intellectual”, as pretentious as it may sound, should not discourage anyone from attending since we believe that we have all been endowed with intellectual potential and we can all develop it.The gathering, which is open to all, will start with the first series of discussions on 'Spiritual Intellect' introduced by Sheikh M. S. Bahmanpour.Venue: Islamic Centre of EnglandDate: Fridays 19:30 to 21:00Starting Friday March 30th 2012ALL WELCOMEMuslim (Shia/Sunni), non-Muslim /129