"Allah is beautiful. He loves beauty." [Sahih Muslim Hadeeth]

Beauty is the essence of Islam. Genuine praise (madh / naat), whether in prose or poetry form, is a beautiful artistic expression. And successful works of art evoke emotions in the audience that cultivate the soul and mind creating a culture (Latin: "cultivation"). Much the same way a well cultivated piece of land produces fruits and flowers that sweeten the palate and fragrance the olfactory, a culture with aesthetic forms of art soothes the soul and raises the intellect to higher levels of refinement.

All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. It is then by His Command that we are to narrate the favors He has bestowed upon us [Holy Quran 93:11]. The greatest favor of Allah to us is the sending of His last and final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through whom we received the Holy Quran and the practical guidance of how to implement it in our lives, i.e. the Sunnah. Praising the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in poetry form is an established practice of the Noble Companions (As-haab), may Allah be well pleased with them [Sahih Bukhari]. The IECRC Islamic Culture Conference 2012 was a humble effort to promote this religious tradition of the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Culture is an expression of religious values and this Conference shared a mix of both Arab as well as Subcontinent expression of the religious value of poetry recitation in praise of the Beloved of Allah (peace be upon him).