Alhaj Muhammad Owais Raza Qadri
AlHaaj Muhammad Owais Raza Qadri (Urdu: ) born 8 July, 1970 in Karachi to a famous merchant of those days Abdul Majeed. Owais is a famous Naat khwan (one who recites Naat) in Pakistan. Owais was born after four sisters. He has five sisters and two brothers. He is sixth amongst them.
In Life
He is Intermediate in academic qualifications. He has performed several Hajj and Umras, the first Umra being in 1992 while the first Hajj in 1996. His favourite personality is Alahazrat, Mujaddid-e-Din-o-Millat Imam Shah Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi.
Early life
Owais was 10 years old when his father died in a traffic accident. After his father's death, Owais cared for all the sisters and brothers as a father. He passed matriculation examinations from M.K Academy which was under the Memon community in 1987. From the childhood, he was a religious person. In his area, there lived a number of famous Islamic scholars and teachers like Syed Shah Tarab-ul-Haq, Musleh-uddin Siddique, Sadeeq Ismail, Yousuf Memon and Maulana Shafi Okari. His religious teacher Yousuf Ashrafi also lived in that area.
Early career
From the childhood, he liked to recite naats. His teacher Yousuf Ashrafi made him famous and taught him the art of reciting naats. Ashrafi purified his talent and removed the fear of public and crowd from his mind. In 1983, his first album was released and after that a number of albums have been released. He graduated in 1988 and worked as an accountant in a private company. After his first Hajj in 1994, he came to back Pakistan and started the trade of catering. He had a lot of interest in Naats so he granted this business to his younger brothers and started a reciting Naats. He did not take special naat classes but acquired the companionship of good, pious "Ushaqaan-e-Rasool".
Married life
He was married in 1994. He has two sons and two daughters. He was married in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
International fame
He had his first Umrah in 1992 and first Hajj in 1996. Owais has traveled to many parts of the world to recite naats. He has visited countries like, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria, India, South Africa, UK, Zimbabwe, Hijaz-e-Muqadas Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Canada, USA and China. In a mehfil-e-naat in Hyderabad, India, more than 2 lac (0.2million) people attended that mehfil creating the record for most number of attandees in a mehfil-e-naat.
Award Conferred on him
Owais Qadri's services for promoting naats were recently acknowledged by the Government of Pakistan when he was given the award of Best Naat Khawan in 2007. He was also weighted in silver by Barkati Foundation in recognition of his services for the promotion of naats, in 2008.
His Message to Youths
Addressing the young generation, Muhammad Owais Raza Qadri remarks that undoubtedly success lies within the fact that we must walk on the path guided to us by Allah Rabb-ul Aalameen and the Holy Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), live the path of a stranger and always believe in death. Acquire adequate knowledge of Islam and recite at least one Ruku of the Holy Quran Kanzul Iman with translation.
See also
- Nasheed
- Hamd
- Barelwi
- Ghazal
- Music of Pakistan