Qatar Hadith Murals Introduces Islam to FIFA World Cup Visitors

Qatar has placed several murals in public spaces bearing Prophet Muhammad’s sayings, written in English and Arabic, to welcome incoming FIFA’s World Cup 2022 fans across the Pearl District of Doha, in public spaces.

The murals feature various Prophetic sayings (known as hadiths) on mercy, charity, and good deeds and are situated in a popular attraction for visitors in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Hadith are a collection of sayings and practices attributed to the prophet Muhammad; these sayings serve as a guide for Muslims on how to practice Islam.

Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup, a football tournament that draws thousands of fans from around the world. The event will take place between November 20 and December 18.

Showcasing Islam in Modern Times

In other countries, murals typically show paintings of popular figures or scenery. In Qatar, murals are the sayings of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. The murals were placed in public places in time for the FIFA World Cup visitors into the country.

The initiative to introduce Islam to foreign visitors and international media via the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is something that Qatar is known for.

At Qatar’s opening ceremony for the FIFA World Cup held last year, the performance showed the life of a boy growing up in Qatar with the boy learning and reciting the Quran along with other young students. This type of performance at international events is unique compared to other countries, where normal dances and parades take priority.

The Qatar government is also the owner of Al Jazeera News. Their English channel, Al Jazeera English, started as a response to provide an alternative narrative and news angle on the Muslim world that countered the bias Western news media of CNN, BBC and the likes. Al Jazeera English started broadcasting internationally not long after 911.

Proud of its Islamic Heritage

Despite numerous criticisms by the West of Qatar’s laws, especially during the country’s hosting FIFA’s World Cup 2022, Qatar is remaining strong in their faith.

Critics have criticized Qatar on political fronts, and their countries’ teams have vowed to use this international football event to protest political issues with armbands and banners by turning a sporting event into a political one. However, even some Western commentators have highlighted the hypocrisy of the criticisms.

Where Qatar is holding firm to the rope of Islam, Saudi Arabia seems to lose a little of it, with the first ever Halloween celebration in its capital, Riyadh.

Farah I, Writer & Researcher

Farah Ishak is a Content Writer at Halalop. She grew up in the United Kingdom where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Management. Later, she completed her MBA and held senior-level positions in Malaysian based MNC. She left the corporate world to be with her young kids. She is passionate about issues concerning Muslim women, Startups and Muslim businesses in general.