Boys & Girls Joint
Report Day 20 (Thursday) 22/7/04
All too soon, the last day of the
course dawned upon us. This was not only the last day of the
lectures, but also the last day of being with many of the
friends we had made over the last three weeks, with people
whom we hardly knew even at home, to the many remarkable
people who had joined us from various countries over the
world, without whom the course would not have been the
success it was.
After our all-important morning tea, Maalim Rizwan called up
our first speaker, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid, for his final
lecture. His topic today was about the importance of setting
goals for one's life, with a timeframe for their
achievement. Ahadith tell us to
WRITE all that down and review it everyday, to create the
necessary determination and willpower in reaching them. He
also cleared up some doubts that many of us wonder about -
how far do magic, astrology, superstition, palmistry etc
affect our lives? He
proved that they have an almost zero effect, and also that
our Aimmah have already taught us many ways of protecting
ourselves, the easiest and most common
being Ayatul Kursi and the Ma'oodhatain (Surat al-Falaq and
Surat an-Naas).
The next lecturer was Sheikh Arif Abdulhussein. He continued
with his discussion showing how, were it not for pain and
suffering, man would not be able to realize his true
abilities. Even beyond the personal level, when trials teach
people to be patient for
example, difficulties also give rise to new knowledge - if
it were not for disease, would man ever discover the
medicinal properties of nature and the marvel of the healing
of the human body? During our suffering, we may not like it,
but in hindsight, pain ultimately
gives pleasure, perhaps the most important being the
realization of how we have grown because of it. This reminds
one of the hadith by Imam Ali (a.s): "I recognize Allah in
the foiling of my plans."
We were already running late, because the closing ceremony
was to be held after the lectures. After a hurried break, we
took our seats again, and Sister Sukaina Dewji took her
place at the podium. She talked about how actions speak
louder than words, and that the most effective spread of our
perfect religion is when we practice it ourselves in a
principled fashion and show how universal Islam is.
The final lecture for the course was by Syed Ammar
Nakshawani, who as usual, had a lot to say. He took off
right where he stopped yesterday, from the separation of
people into three groups on the Day of Judgment. The faces
on that Day will show the imprint
of their actions, and will be either bright or black
(3:106). There will be no secrets on that day and everything
will be exposed (69:19), and we will find all our actions
present there (3:30). Nobody will bear the burden of another
(35:18), in fact even Shaitan will say that he never told
anybody to follow him, and admit that he broke his promise
to them (14:22). On that day, no intercession will be
possible except by whom Allah gives permission (20:109),
which refers to Bibi Fatemah (a.s). Time was up, but Brother
Ammar took a few more minutes to recommend a reading list
for everybody, which he said have helped him immensely, to
gain a better understanding of our religion.
With that ended the last lecture of the Dubai-Iran Summer
Samp 2004. The closing ceremony began immediately, to avoid
delaying the noon prayers, with the first speech being by a
student of the course, Aqeel Noorali from the U.K., who
thanked the organizers and speakers on all our behalf.
Next, Maalim Rizwan came up to the podium, to a loud
salawat and chants of "Maalim Rizwan - YAY" from the boys.
The first item was a graph of the results of surveys
distributed among the campers to rate the various
aspects of the course, both in Iran and Dubai. The objective
had been achieved, all results from both boys and girls were
above the 75% mark, a pre-camp target of the organizers.
The thank-you list was next, and it was a long one. It made
us all realize how much effort had been put in by so many
people, to bring this camp to fruition. All the Education
Board and Jamaat committee members were thanked, the
sponsors, supporters and officials, both in Iran and Dubai,
the speakers, the gents and ladies coordinators and
volunteers, the press team, and last but by no means least,
the students. Then began the presentation of some tokens of
appreciation to the main supporters and the speakers, and
the certificates were distributed to the boys. All the gents
then filed
out of the room, leaving it to the women to conduct their
presentation in peace. There was a little thank-you speech
by one of the girls as well, and their certificates were
distributed - in quite an orderly fashion.
It was already past 1.15pm when we finally ended, and the
Jamaat had arranged for lunch for all the campers in the
Satwa Imambargha. We went there directly, to pray and devour
the excellent barbecued chicken waiting for us.
The programmes hadn't ended yet. In the afternoon, @ 3pm,
the girls had a Tadabbur workshop with Sister Sukaina Dewji.
The boys had a Ghusl/Kafan demonstration, which was followed
by a Dafan demonstration in the Qabrastan, which was
followed by
a lecture by Sheikh Arif on 'Death and After.' Not all
managed to attend the official programmes, either because
they were tired, or because they wanted to go shopping -
some were even flying out at night and still had a few
errands to finish.
We reached home around 5pm, and rested, before the usual
Thursday night majlis, which was going to be an especially
poignant one tonight. Goodbyes are never easy, and we pretty
much took over the mosque after nyaz, with our
picture-taking and autographing and final goodbyes. All the
participants were given a cd of snapshots of the course, to
ensure the memories stay alive forever. There was nobody who
was not going to remember their experiences this summer,
having been a part of the Dubai-Iran Summer Camp 2004.
Boys & Girls Joint Report Day 19 (Wednesday) 21/7/04
We are already, unbelievably, on the second last day of the
Summer Camp 2004. Its at times like this that the truth of the
adage "All good things must come to an end" really hits a
person, and one is torn between becoming depressed at the
thought of the end, or being glad that it happened. Personally,
I'd go for the second option - its allows you to enjoy that good
thing forever.
The day began with Sheikh Mohammed Rashid, whose topic under
discussion today was 'Azadari - bid'ah or not?' He proved that
mourning for Imam Husain (a.s) is not only not bid'ah or shirk,
but that it is the practice of Allah, since all Prophets were
told, by Allah, of the suffering of the grandson of the Prophet
in Karbala, and all of them wept over the tragedy that was to
befall them. Contrary to popular belief therefore, azadari was
not begun by Bibi Zainab (a.s), but only established by her, in
the form which we practice it today.
The second slot was Sheikh Arif's, and he answered the
commonly-held misunderstanding "If Allah is all good, how can He
create evil? If He is all compassionate, how can He allow
suffering to continue?" Firstly, the question itself proves
man's inherent belief that a god should be good and kind.
Secondly, since the above question is considered a valid one
considering the verse from Surah Falaq "Min sharri ma khalaq,"
which is usually translated to mean "The evil that He has
created", the problem lies in the mistranslation of the verse
itself - it should read "From the evil OF WHAT He has created."
The fine difference can be explained very simply - a pig is a
creation of Allah, so it is perfect in itself, in its creation.
The problem arises when we want to consume it - that act is
haram, because it is detrimental to human health. That in no way
means that the pig is evil - the ACT is evil because of its
harmful effects. Therefore, evil and suffering are both relative
- what is natural and good for an animal, for example, eating
pig flesh, is haram for a human being, because of the suffering
it can cause later in life. This also shows that Allah cannot
cause any suffering - it is man who causes the suffering to
himself, as is even mentioned in the Quran, and because Allah
has created natural laws, if man does something wrong, he will
have to suffer the consequences - Allah cannot change the
natural laws everytime we don't want to face the effects of our
own actions. That does not in any way mean that Allah is any
less kind.
Sheikh Arif's excellent explanation was discussed by many during
the break, and then we all resumed our seats for the third
lecture, by Brother Ammar Nakshawani. Today he talked about the
next step in the discussion of death - Qiyamah and the Day of
Judgement. No relatives will be able to help each other,
(80:33-37) and there will be no refuge from Allah (75:10-12)
when we are called with our books of deeds, behind our 'Imam'
(17:71). We will be separated into groups (56:7-10) and the
reward or punishment of each group is also detailed.
Sister Sukaina Dewji was the last lecturer for today, and she
discussed the relationship between Islam, Iman, Yaqeen, and
Ehsan. The first three are ascending stages of belief, and 'Ehsan'
are the good deeds that we do to express our belief. Belief is
hollow if unsupported by actions, which is why Allah always
mentions in the Quran "Those who believe and do good deeds..."
With that, Day 5 of the Dubai course ended, but today was the
shahadat day of our Lady of Light, Bibi Fatemah az-Zahraa (a.s),
and the Jamaat ahd arranged for an afternoon majlis after
Zohrain prayers. Accordingly, many girls went straight to Satwa
Imamwara for prayers, while the boys went to the nearby Bahraini
mosque for Jamaat namaaz. The majlis included a 20 minute
English speech by Sheikh Mohammed Rashid, and then the Urdu
majlis by Maulana Ghazanfer Abbas.
Today was the much-awaited day of the visit to the Sharjah
Science Museum, but since it was already time to leave by the
time we finished nyaz, the buses collected all the students from
the Imamwara instead of Imperial Residence. This trip was open
for all campers, residents and non-residents alike, and about 80
people went. They reached the museum around 4.30pm, and spent
the next two hours fascinated by the various exhibits, examining
them thoroughly. The last item was a 'hair-raising' electricity
show, which caused quite a few sparks - though nothing to worry
about... ;)
The campers returned shortly before Maghrib, in order to allow
everyone to freshen up before the third shahadat majlis at
night. Brother Ammar Nakshawani delivered the English speech,
and talked about the importance of one's heart in increasing
faith. Maulana Ghazanfer Abbas's majlis tonight was exceptional,
talking about the status that Allah has granted Bibi Fatemah (a.s).
After the majlis, nyaz was served.
The day had been quite a hectic one, and everybody was exhausted
by the time we reached home. Sleep never felt so good!
Boys & Girls Joint Report Day 18 (Tuesday) - 20/7/04
Today began with Brother Ammar Nakshawani up first, and he began
by answering a few questions that had been asked to him. Then
continuing with his discussion of death in the Quran, he talked
about the Day of Judgment, and how it will take place. The first
trumpet will be blown, upon which everybody will fall
unconscious, (39:68), just as Musa fell unconscious on the
mountain. The second trumpet (36:49-51) will signal the Day of
Judgment, and between the two blows of the trumpet, the earth,
sun, stars, mountains, oceans etc will be made to change their
form in preparation for the Day of Judgment (20:105, 14:48).
Then only will we be awakened and called to account for our
deeds. And for those who doubt how Allah can bring us back, He
can even refashion our very fingertips! (75:1-4)
That was scary stuff! Sheikh Mohammed Rashid's lecture was much
less so, but still gave us enough food for thought, and the Q&A
after his lecture showed that people were certainly paying
attention. He talked about how even non believers are given if
not several, then at least ONE chance, to come to the right
path, so if they still do not believe, that in no way means that
Allah is hard-hearted to be putting all those disbelievers into
hell.
Sister Sukaina Dewji, in her turn, talked about the importance
of prayer, and how to achieve presence of the heart during
prayer, to ensure our Salat is having an improving effect on us.
This, as with all other achievements, only comes with practice,
and she encouraged us to try to make sure all obstacles to
attention, whether internal or external, are removed before we
pray.
The fourth lecture was by Sheikh Arif Abdulhussein. This guy's
way of thinking is phenomenal! Today he discussed more inherent
qualities of the Necessary Being, i.e Allah. All things change.
But if they change, like learn something, they become different,
and therefore add to their existence. This proves that there is
nothing Allah doesn't know, whereas, we, being temporal beings,
are constantly changing. Another fascinating point was that we
need Allah's 'glance' upon us to continue to exist. If He stops
willing for us to exist, we will cease to exist, just as a
reflection of something in a mirror ceases to exist once the
thing has been moved away.
We all parted ways soon after, for Zohrain. The afternoon
program today provided the girls with the opportunity of a
workout and a swim, in a specially rented gymnasium in Karama,
and we were glad of the opportunity to work off the junk food
we're downing so much. The fitness centre included a boxing
ring, which, surprisingly enough, became a favorite among the
group. A great deal of splashing was also quite noticeable, but
too soon it was time to leave.
At night we had the Shahadat majlis of Bibi Fatemah (a.s), and
Sheikh Arif delivered a lecture on the validity of Wasila in
Islam, considering that Tuesday night is recommended for the
recitation of Dua Tawassul. The Urdu majlis was by Maulana
Ghazanfer Abbas, and both were outstanding, as usual. The
program ended with nyaz. We reached our respective homes past
midnight, and were soon fast asleep after a full day.
We reported for class at 8.30am as usual
- I have to mention here that the organizers are really smart;
the first lecture officially begins at 8.45am, but the first
15 minutes are for morning tea - and the unavoidable
latecomers, of course. At least nobody can complain of having
to study on an empty stomach! :)
Sister Sukaina Dewji was first up, and
her topic today was 'Awareness of the Self,' mainly using the
hadith "Whoever knows himself knows his Lord." She also talked
about the three souls people possess - Nafs al-Lawwamah, Nafs
al-Ammarah, and by proper control over one's desires, reaching
the stage of Nafs al-Mutmainnah, the soul which is at peace.
Sheikh Arif's lecture was next, and his
philosophical proofs about the nature of Allah continued - how
Allah is not separate from His Attributes, because if they
were separate, it would mean that they existed simultaneously
with Allah, but we know that it is not possible for two
infinite entities to exist together. Similarly, Allah is also
not seperate from His creation, just like the sea is not
seperate from its drops.
In the break we were served pizzas and
sweet pastries, and the compulsory chai. Our third lecturer
was Brother Ammar Nakshawani, whose topic was Barzakh, which
literally means a barrier, hence the name - the barrier
between this world and the next.
Everybody already begins to receive
their reward or punishment in Barzakh, and the good are even
'sustained' and allowed to travel, eg. appear in the dreams of
relatives etc. One especially eye-opening point was how our
souls are seized even when we sleep, and are then returned to
us when we awake, whereas the souls of those whose time has
come is not returned to them.
Sheikh Mohammed Rashid then took his
place on the podium, and defined the term 'Shi'a,' especially
considering our claim that the Shi'a religion has existed from
the beginning of creation, and how all the Prophets were also
believers in our Ma'sumeen. We then broke for Zohrain.
There was nothing arranged officially
for the girls in the afternoon, but the boys were taken to Al
Ittihad School, where the organizers had arranged for the
indoor soccer and swimming facilities to be used by the
campers. The buses reached @ 4pm, with everybody hyped at the
prospect, and the facilites did not disappoint - the soccer
field in particular was quite impressive, and the boys quickly
made their teams and began. Not having to play in the 40 degC
heat of Dubai was an additional plus point, and the pool was
used - and abused - to cool off, some even being pushed into
the water with their soccer clothes and shoes on! Overall,
they had a great time, and reached home shortly before 7pm.
There was majlis at night for the
Shahadat of Bibi Fatimah (a.s), beginning at 8.15pm with
YaSeen, followed by an English speech by Sheikh Arif, and an
Urdu majlis by Maulana Ghazanfer Abbas. Both were brilliant,
and were followed by nyaz. The boys had a session with Sheikh
Arif afer nyaz, and though it could have been better attended,
the quality of the session was, as usual for Sheikh Arif, very
eye-opening. After the session, everybody returned home,
around half-past midnight.
Boys &
Girls Joint Report Day 16 - 18/7/2004
Today began at 8.30am as usual, with our first lecturer being
Sheikh Arif Abdulhussein. He furthered his discussion of the day
before, and talked about the ultimate simplicity of Allah, and
yet how it is impossible for us to understand Him because He is
so perfect in every way. He also showed how the notion of two
gods is utterly illogical, and that the universe is working
towards the purpose decided for it by Allah.
Next up was Sheikh Mohammed Rashid, who continued his discussion
of what other religions have to say about our Shi'i beliefs.
Today he concentrated on Sunni beliefs, and quoted passages from
a Sunni book which show that they believe in our Imams as well.
After the break, we had Sister Sukaina Dewji. Her topic today
was Asmaul Husna, and how we can practically apply them in our
lives. Brother Ammar Nakshwani came up on stage around 11.40am,
and began with discussing what the Quran has to say about death,
how different people view death, depending on their beliefs, and
how we all have to taste it.
It was almost Zohr time when he ended. The boys went to pray
Jamaat namaaz nearby, while the girls prayed in the prayer hall
in the Majma', and then we dispersed for lunch.
There were no afternoon programmes for the girls, but the boys
were taken to Splashland, to enjoy their day of swimming. They
reached around 4.15pm, when it was almost deserted -
understandably, in Dubai's heat - but on seeing the inviting
water and the slides, the oppressive sun was forgotten and they
all dived in. They enjoyed about two hours of frolicking in the
water and tried out all the rides. By the time they had to leave
they were drained but happy, not to mention probably quite
tanned!
There was more to come. There were three night sessions
organized for the youths, which began right after Maghribain.
The under-17 boys had an informal session with Sheikh Ammar
Nakhshawani, who answered all sorts of questions, from the
Oneness of Allah to Azadari. The boys aged 17 and above had
Sheikh Arif Abdulhusseinwho delivered another of his fascinating
philosophy lectures.
The girls on the other hand, had a workshop with Sister Sukaina
Dewji, which focused on her area of specialization - Tadabbur of
the Quran. After beginning with a few guidelines on how to
ponder on the Quran, she arranged the girls into groups, and
gave them all one particular verse to discuss. A speaker was
nominated from each group to then summarize what they had learnt
from the verse, and Sister Sukaina Dewji was quite impressed
with the level of understanding the girls displayed. This was
followed by a short Q&A session.
The day wrapped up with the much anticipated barbeque dinner for
all the youths and officials of the summer camp, with the
delicious mishkaki and chicken greatly appreciated by all.
Today was the first day of the Dubai course, and despite most
students being tired after their journey here, whether from
Iran or elsewhere, everybody came back extremely pleased with
the lecturers and everything we learnt. The Majma is quite a
grand, imposing setting, and our hats off to the volunteers
who are working quite hard to ensure that no inconvenience is
caused.
The first lecture was by Sheikh Mohammed Rashid of Dubai. He
began with a brief introduction of himself, and an overview of
the topics he was going to discuss during his week of
lectures. Today's topic was "How do we know the Shias are on
the right path?" He discussed the prophecies about the last
Prophet and his pure progeny in other religions, particularly
in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, and showed how our Ma'sumeen
were universally known, even before their birth.
The second lecture was by a personality who was lecturing for
the first time in Dubai, Sheikh Arif Abdulhussein, principal
of the Hawza in Birmingham, and a PhD holder in philosophy.
His lecture was on ideology, and in particular, proving the
existence of Allah through logical reasoning. His first talk
today began with proving the necessity of a First Cause for
the existence of the universe, and following lectures will
build upon that.
Next was the all-necessary 15 minute break, and we were
provided with tea and sandwiches. Most students were
discussing the speakers and what they had just spoken of, and
there was general approval all round.
Our third lecturer was Brother Ammar Naqshwani, a favourite
with the youths, since we had all heard him in the month of
Ramadhan. His topic is "Death in the Quran." However, before
starting with death and Qiyamah, today he reviewed the other
four Usul-ud-Deen, also from the Quran, and particularly
proving Imamah from our 'manual of life'.
Sister Sukaina Dewji was our fourth and final lecturer, and
her topic was the importance of Tadabbur and contemplation on
the Quran. Today's focus was on the importance of reciting
correctly and how we would know whether the timeless messages
in the Quran were really affecting us and making us better
believers.
After each lecture we were given time for Q&A, and we
certainly took advantage of it.
All the lectures were excellent and the comments of the
participants showed that everybody was looking forward to the
rest of the week.
We then dispersed for Zohrain namaaz, the girls praying in
Majma' and the boys being taken to the Bahraini mosque
opposite our Imamwara to join jamaat there. Lunch was served
in Imperial Residence for the campers there.
The main afternoon activity which had been arranged by the
organizers was a trip to Jumeirah Beach Park for the girls,
Saturday being the ladies-only day in the park. By 4.30pm, the
beach was taken over by the students, who took advantage of
the unique opportunity to the fullest. Dubai's hot weather
made the sea look deliciously inviting, and everyone enjoyed
themselves immensely.
The remainder of the day was free, and we caught up on
personal work, and the all-important SHOPPING, at night.
Boys & Girls Joint Report Day 14 (Friday) - 16/7/04
This report begins from Thursday midnight for a change, since we
were pretty much ready to leave from around that time. Its
doubtful anybody slept much, because we all wanted to go to the
Haram of Imam Ali Reza (a.s) for the last time this trip, and
most of us left the hotel about an hour before Fajr so that we
could take advantage of the Thursday night as well as recite
Ziyarat Wida' before Fajr, which was at 3.50am. We had to be
back at the hotel as soon as possible after namaaz, because we
had to leave for the airport at 4.30am.
We reached the airport a little after 5am, and, to everybody's
annoyance, the international flights section was not yet even
open...understandably perhaps, since there are so few
international flights out of Mashad, but still, we might have
gotten another hour of sleep! Anyway, most of us were too wide
awake now to sleep on the hard chairs, so we bought tea and had
an EARLY breakfast. The counter finally opened almost a couple
of hours later, and we were the first to check in. We boarded
the plane with no incident, and looked forward to a proper meal,
which was served almost immediately after take-off. Many of us
did manage a little nap after that, but with the flight being
only about two hours long, there was still a lot of sleep left
to catch up on.
Luckily for us, Asseman Airlines operates from Terminal 2, so
the visa formalities didn't take too long, and as soon as our
luggage arrived, we started moving out, and meeting the massive
welcoming committee of everyone's parents and relatives, as well
as the camp organizers. By noon, everyone had left the airport,
and were on our seperate ways home. Our 2 week trip to Iran, an
unforgettable experience, had finally, sadly, come to a complete
end.
Its quite definite that most of us spent the entire afternoon
fast asleep, trying to get rid of some of the exhaustion before
the opening ceremony at night, which began at 8.30pm. It felt
good to meet everybody all over again, and I'm pretty sure I
heard people saying "Long time no see!" From living together to
meeting just on occasions, it was already time for reminiscing
over our trip to Iran.
The opening ceremony was a grand affair, held in Majma'
AhlilBayt, which all participants, their parents, organizers,
sponsors etc, were welcome to attend. The participants were
seated in front of their relatives, to the side of the projector
screen, much like a graduation ceremony setting, which made all
of us feel quite special.
First, there was an introductory speech to the workings of the
Education Board by committee member Brother Altaf Rashid. The
MC, Brother Askary Khimjee, then introduced the special guest
for the occasion, all the way from Seattle, President of the
Ithna-Asheri Muslim Association of the Northwest and an
executive with Microsoft Corp., Brother Jawad Khaki. He
delivered an inspiring speech to us all, reminding us of the
importance of both faith and hard work in achieving our goals.
The next speaker was the Chairman of the Dubai Jamaat, Brother
MohammedRaza Aziz Jawad, who appreciated all the effort put in
by the Education Board and all the other volunteers, to make
this course a success. The last (official) speaker was the
Principal of the Madressa, Maalim Rizwan Manji, whose speech
included a presentation of snapshots of the trip, among which
the most impressive were the
pictures of Jami'at az-Zahra, and among the funniest were of the
boys trying to wash their own clothes! :)
The last item was a surprise speech that very few people knew
about, and the MC called on the student representative to come
to the podium. The boys had selected Syed Waqar Rizvi to speak
on all their behalf and thank Maalim Rizwan for all his hard
work, patience and dedication during the trip. He ended by
presenting Maalim with a small token of their appreciation of
all his efforts.
The speeches were complete, but the fun wasn't. The camera crew
in the Imam Khomeini Institute, where we had our lectures
everyday, had made a little movie composed of views of the
Institute, and clips of the speakers and the audience, and a
part of the movie was shown to us all. Everybody had a good
laugh with the clips of the students in different positions,
some doodling or even sleeping, much to our embarrassment. But
there was good-humoured laughter all around, and the parents
were duly impressed by the level of professionalism displayed,
both in the movie as well as the Institute itself.
After ziarat, we all trooped downstairs for dinner, and by the
time we reached home it was past 11pm. I'm sure most of us hit
the sack and were asleep almost immediately, but happy upon the
ending of an eventful day, which was both an end and a beginning
of experiences we will never forget.
Joint Report - Day 12
(Wednesday) - 14/7/04
Bismihi-Ta'ala
We were to stay only three days in Mashad and so we decided to
go to Nishapoor today. It was a two hour ride from Mashad, but
with our luxurious coach, time didn't really matter!
We were supposed to have breakfast and leave the hotel by 8am
but the coach arrived late and we ended up leaving the hotel an
hour later than planned.
Both the boys' and girls' buses left the hotel by 9am and it
took us two hours to reach the Qadamgah, a spot outside
Nishapoor, where we did the ziyarat of a blessed stone which
still bears the imprint of the Holy feet of Imam Reza (A.S).
During Imam Reza's (a.s) short stay here, 12 centuries ago,
people had also complained to him about the lack of water in the
area, and Imam ordered water to flow from a stone. We visited
this stone, from which fresh sweet water flows to this day.
It took us around 45 minutes to do the ziyarat here and to fill
our containers with this holy water, after which we boarded the
bus and headed towards the Shrine of Khaja Aba Salt.
Khaja Aba Salt was one of the closest companions of Imam Ali ibn
Musa ar-Reza(A.S) and his most faithful servant. It has been
recorded in books that the Imam has said: "One who does my
ziyarat and does not do the ziyarat of Khaja Aba Salt, I shall
not accept his/her ziyarat!" This shows the importance and
status of this personality.
It was some time after 1pm when we reached the shrine of Aba
Salt and so we all did Wudhoo, recited the ziyarat and then
prayed Zohrain Namaaz. All this took about an hour before we
boarded the bus and headed to the hotel for lunch.
It took us 30 minutes to reach the hotel and on arrival, lunch
was served. As usual, the girls ate the Jujeh Kabab first and
then the boys!!
After lunch we were given the day off to shop as we had only one
day remaining before our return to Dubai.
Some wanted to go to the famous Bazaar-e-Raza while others opted
to go to Bazaar-e-Markazi and other Bazaars. However just as we
were about to leave, it began to shower. In the past 12 days, it
had already drizzled around 7-8 times, but we were waiting for
some heavy rainfall, to make all those back in Dubai jealous!
Well, today was our day!
The rain delayed our departure for the bazaars for about half an
hour, but even the girls didn't complain about missing their
shopping this time, since they were enjoying the rain too. As
the rain began to give way, we broke up into smaller groups for
shopping, and we spent a good 2-3 hours looking for bargains.
Many of us managed to go to the Haram for Maghribain after
returning, and returned by about 9.30pm. For a change, the boys
got their meal first, and the girls had to wait until after 10
to get their dinner. Of course that's always a good thing, 'coz
mealtimes are the best times to chitchat.. ;)
After finishing with fruits for dessert and the usual 'masti' at
nights, we finally slept around midnight.
The main things we
did today were travelling and sleeping! Most of us hadn't
caught up on our sleep after the trip to Hamedan on Sunday and
we had all been busy yesterday, going to the unvisited places
and packing for Mashhad.
We left Qum at around
4am and it took us two hours to reach Tehran Airport. As soon
as we arrived, we went towards the check-in counter and began
to off-load our luggage from the trolleys. As the luggage was
being sent in, most of us bought some breakfast from the
restaurant before finally checking-in.
Our flight was
scheduled for 7.30am but as we checked-in we were informed
that it had been delayed for an hour. This wasn't what we had
wished for but it turned out to work out fine as most of us
settled down and fell asleep almost immediately.
The flight was
uneventful, but because of the delay, it was noon by the time
we reached the Kavian Apartment Hotel, our home in Mashad.
After having
delicious Chelo-Kabab for lunch, we all prayed Zohrain Namaaz
before sinking into our beds for some more napping.
At around 6.30 in the
evening, we left for the Haram of Imam Ali ibn Musa Ar-Reza (A.S)
and we had a good 90-minutes to recite the Ziyarat and Duas
before Maghribain Namaaz started at around 8.15pm. This was
followed by the Ziyarat of Imam Reza (A.S) and, being a
Tuesday night, Dua-e-Tawassul was next.
The dua was recited
brilliantly and took over an hour to reach its completion,
after which we all headed back towards the hotel, which is a
ten-minute walk from the Holy Shrine.
We finally reached
home at around 11p.m and on arrival the girls sat at the
tables for dinner.
Due to lack of space, they had to eat first after which the
boys took their seats to eat the masala-filled chicken and
bread!
As we were preparing
for bed, however, there was a fire-scare in one of the girls'
apartments. Due to a gas leak from the ACs in one of the
girls' rooms, the smell of burning gas spread to 5 floors! It
eventually became so crazy that we decided to evacuate the
floor before it really did blow up! Within minutes, however,
we realized that there was no danger after all, except for
those with sensitive noses, and everybody returned to their
apartments, laughing at the mini-adventure.
Soon after, by around
1am, everybody was fast asleep!
We had returned very
late from Hamedan last night and it was close to 4am by the
time we went to bed after the late-night dinner. Some of us
decided to stay up and go to the Haram while others thought it
was better to have a short nap before Fajr Namaaz. However we
all slept after the morning prayers as we had to reach the
auditorium at 9.45am today instead of 8.45am, which was the
normal time.
The bus dropped the
boys at the auditorium at the scheduled time before leaving to
collect the girls. The closing-day program started as Dr.
Shameli concluded his discussion on the 'Concept of Imam Mahdi.'
This took around 30 minutes and was followed by a tea-break
after which all the three respected lecturers came to stage to
present their final statements.
Agha Salerkiya, Dr. Shameli and Agha Shomali, all wished us
the best for the future and prayed that this camp was a start
towards achieving knowledge and not an end. Sis. Aarifa
Suleiman then made a closing speech which was followed by a
thank-you speech by Sis. Iram Vakil. They both thanked all the
lecturers and organizers, mainly the Jami'at-uz-Zahra
officials for their never-ending hospitality.
It was noon when
Maalim Rizwan took the mike for the closing presentation and
as scheduled, just before he started, Ayatullah Misbah Yazdi
entered the room to receive a standing ovation of Salawat. It
continued until he took his reserved seat on the stage and
Maalim Rizwan then started the presentation. He too thanked
all the lecturers and organizers before specially thanking
Agha Shomali, the principal of Jami'at-uz-Zahra, for his
untiring support throughout the camp.
Maalim then presented
tokens of appreciation to the three lecturers, before asking
Agha Shomali to present a token of appreciation to Ayatullah
Misbah Yazdi, on behalf on the Education Board of Dubai. He
then handed the mike over to the Ayatullah, who after giving a
short speech opened the floor for Questions 'n' Answers. Other
groups had probably known that he was going to be present at
the Institute at noon, as there were barely any seats to spare
as he spoke.
On completion of this
program, the girls headed back towards the Jami'ah, while the
boys stayed over for Zohrain Namaaz. After namaaz the boys
went to the Musafir-Khana, where they ate lunch and boarded
the bus once more to go swimming at The Madrasah of Imam
Khomeini, which has the best swimming facility in Qum!
After a briefing and
a film-screening to enlighten us on the activities of the
Madrasah, we were given a guided tour which took about an
hour. After this, we got on our respective buses and headed
towards our destinations, to finish any last-minute shopping
and to pack for Mashad.
Meanwhile, the girls
went to meet Khanum Faridah, the daughter of Imam Khomeini, at
5.30pm, after which they proceeded to the Haram, happy to
finally be able to spend some uninterrupted time there.
It was close to
Maghribain by the time the boys finished shopping and they
then left for the Haram of Bibi Masuma Qum, to pray
Namaaz-e-Maghribain, and to bid farewell to this Holy Lady,
all of us hoping and praying to return soon.
After dinner we began
our packing and it was around 11p.m by the time we were done.
As instructed, we brought down all the main luggage and then
went off to bed for a nap.
Our flight to Mashhad
was at 7.30am, so we were to leave for Tehran Aiport at around
3.30a.m the following day, and the excitement kept us from
sleeping...at least until midnight!
Boys &
Girls Joint Report - Day 9 (Sunday) - 11/7/04
SPECIAL REPORT:
Trip to Hamedan, with detailed report on:
THE CAVE OF ALI SADR
Bismihi Ta'ala
Hamedan, Hamedan, Hamedan! Those who
had gone before couldn't stop praising it, and those who hadn't
couldn't now wait to visit it. However, the trip began at 7am,
with the cloudy skies matching our groggy faces, from lack of
sleep. Most of us fell asleep right away, but when the bus
stopped for refreshments, everybody was outside in a jiffy. Once
on our way again, there was some more napping, and we finally
reached Hamedan around noon.
Hamedan used to be called the 'Capital
of Kings,' and immediately on arrival we could see why. There is
so much greenery in the city, and while walking even on the
pavement your can smell the leaves. There are many sites of
interest, but unfortunely, time was not on our side, and we just
managed to visit two places which were particularly worth
visiting.
Our first stop was the museum of Bu Ali
Sina, or Avicenna in English, one of the most famous
philosophers-cum-scientists of the Islamic world. The site
contains his grave surrounded by 12 pillars, symbolizing the 12
disciplines he was proficient in - among them medicine,
theology, law, philosophy, natural sciences etc. In the same
room are samples of some of his medicines, as well as the plants
he used to make them. Other rooms contain some personal
articles, and his collection of books, including a copy of his
authoritative book on medicine.
Our next stop was a soda factory owned
by Jami'at az-Zahra, which had guest rooms where we prayed
Zohrain prayers. They had also prepared lunch for us -
scrumptious jujeh kabab. Finally, around 4pm, we proceeded
towards Ali Sadr Cave, the highlight of our trip.It as some way
away, and we arrived after 5pm. By the time our tickets were
purchased and we reached the caves it was past 5.30pm, but
everybody was very hyped up, and there were whoops and hurrays
from the boys all along the way.
The Ali Sadr Cave is one of the ten
great tourism caves in the world. They date back to about 150
million years, and their beauty, even just at the beginning, was
just indescribable. The rock surrounding us, all around, has
been molded into fascinating shapes and designs, and one could
spend weeks looking around, and still be hungry for more. The
cave branches out into hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller
tunnels, also filled with water. So far, only about 16km of the
caves have been explored, but there is still no clear idea of
how big they might be. The water filling the caves comes from
the mountains above, and it is so clean and clear that in
places, one can see the bottom, which ranges from 1/2m to 15m in
depth. The water temperature is about 12deg C, and accordingly,
the caves are quite cold even in the summer.
Even as we entered, we were overwhelmed
with the grandeur of the place. The majesty was unbelievable,
and beyond compare, but most importantly, it was all completely
natural. We had to climb down several dozen steps, and then
reached the level of the water which fills the caves. There,
guides pedal foot-propelled plastic boats, tied to two or three
other boats for passengers. We finally boarded the boats and
began our tour through the caves. Everybody was in awe of the
beauty surrounding us, and, being Iran, there were signs every
few hundred metres on which were written verses from the Quran,
reminding us of the signs of Allah, and how they surround us at
all time. There were often places where the boats knocked
against the side of the caves, but also areas which were so huge
they could have fit our entire auditorium. Subhanallah! The
guides pointed out rock formations resembling the Statue of
Liberty, a lion's head, an eagle, and even La Ilaha Illallah
naturally formed in the rock of the ceiling.
LINK TO PICS
We completed two routes through the
cave, and then stopped for refreshments, but everybody was too
excited to eat anything. Almost immediately, we proceeded
towards the third route. By the time we finished with the route,
it was already 7.30pm and we had to leave, but everybody would
have loved to stay longer if we had the time. The five-hour
drive home was the only factor against our desire to see more.
Finally, we could eat, and we stopped
for ice-cream and grilled corn on the way to our buses. On the
way back, it began to rain, and lightning could be seen every
few minutes in the sky around us. The sunset over the fields was
absolutely gorgeous, and we appreciated the creation of Allah
all the more.
We stopped only once for Maghribain,
then continued on our return to Qum. Everybody was very pleased
with the whole trip, but so exhausted that we slept the drive
home. We finally reached Qum about 2.30 in the morning, and
despite the late hour, we all hogged on the yummy chicken 'n'
chips that was waiting for us, both in Jami'at az-Zahra, as well
as the Musafir Khana. It reminded us again of how welcoming our
organizers, and Iranians in general, have been, and they had all
our prayers as we ate all their hard work in a matter of
minutes. :)
SPECIAL REPORT:
JUMU'AH PRAYERS AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF TEHRAN.
DAY 7 - 9/7/04 - FRIDAY
Bismihi Ta'ala
Tehran University is the foremost
university in Iran, located on a massive campus, containing 13
departments and over 100,000 students. It was a focal point for
demonstrations against the Shah before the Revolution, and
accodingly, possibly the most famous spot on campus is the area
where Jumu'ah prayers are held every Friday. It is a converted
soccer field where the first Jumu'ah prayers were held after
Imam Khomeini's return to Iran, and average attendance is about
half a million people, which increases drastically on important
days, and particularly so if the Rahbar, Imam Khamenei is
present. We were fortunate enough to participate in Jumu'ah
prayers there on 9th July 2004.
Being such a politically sensitive
spot, there are security checks at every spot. Our bags were put
through a scanner before entering the main compound. Jami'at az-Zahra
had notified Tehran Uiversity of our visit, and we were escorted
all the way from the entrance to prayer area by one of the
officials. Our photographer also got a special pass to ascend
the lecture stand and take pictures from there,
which are available here.
When we arrived, the khutbah was
already underway, and namaaz started a little after 2pm, adhaan
being around 1.15pm. The khutbah itself discussed current
events, expecially those related to Iran and its relations with
the rest of the world. Salawat and appreciation was repeatedly
heard from the crowd.
The prayer was led by Imam Kashani, and
was an extremely moving experience, when all of us could feel
the unity between ourselves and our brothers and sisters in
faith. It was an unexpected honour when, between the two
prayers, the presenter came to the mike and warmly welcomed our
group and introduced us to the crowd as the Shia's from the
Emirates, Africa, North America etc. After this we joined hands
to recite Dua Wahdah, which was followed by Asr Namaaz. Soon
after the prayers ended, we were taken to a secluded area where
we met Agha Maqsudi, the director for the Friday Prayers in
Tehran. He welcomed us warmly and gave us an overview of the
programmes, emphasizing the importance of prayer in Islam,
particularly the Friday prayers, to achieve proximity to Allah.
Finally he wished us Tawfiq in our studies, and took his leave,
after which we departed for the remainder of our visit.
It was early morning
when we boarded our luxurious coaches. The boys' coach left
from the Shah-e-Khurasan Pilgrim-House while the girls' coach
started off from Jamiat-az-Zahra. It had been planned that we
would spend the day in Tehran and visit the places of interest
there, including the Shrine and House of Imam Khomeini.
By about 7.30 the
engines had warmed-up and we were on our way to Tehran. Being
a Friday, we recited Dua-e-Nudba, after which most of us
continued with our sleep. It was about 10.30a.m by the time we
reached our first stop in Tehran - Jamaran, the place where
Imam Khomeini used to deliver his sermons. We also visited his
humble house before going to the building's basement, where a
we were gven a guided tour of a museum dedicated to the Imam,
containing a vast display of pictures and belongings, from his
childhood to his death. We all learnt a great deal about this
great personality and supreme leader, whose memories are still
alive in the hearts of all Iranians, and in-fact also in the
heart of the Muslim world as a whole.
We spent over an hour
here before leaving for Tehran University, where we would
offer the Friday Prayers.
Here, we took our
place and sat to listen to the Khutba (Friday Sermon). After
the sermon we offered the Juma'ah Namaaz. It was an excepional
honour when, between the two prayers, the presenter came to
the mike and warmly welcomed our group and introduced us to
the crowd as the Shia's from the Emirates, Africa, North
America etc. After this we joined hands to recite Dua Wahda
which was followed by the Asr Namaaz. After a short
introduction about the University, we climbed the bus to go
for lunch. We stopped at the restaurant where Agha Nourozi had
booked our tables and food. As Maalim Rizwan said:
"Pre-Booked, Pre-Ordered & Pre-Paid!" We all had Juje Kabab
which not only looked mouth-watering, but also tasted
absolutely delicious.
As we had started
lunch at around 3p.m, it was about 4.30p.m by the time we got
back on the bus and started-off towards the Shrine of Shah
Abdul Azim, the great-grandson of our 2nd Holy Imam. Hazrat
Shaheede Thani has stated from reliable sources from the 10th
Imam that a visit to the Qabr of Shah Abdul Azim has the
merits of the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (A.S) The status and
grandeur of Shah Abdul Azim is not only because of his kinship
to the Holy Prophet, but also because of his devotion and
religious knowledge. Also in the shrine of Shah Abdul Azim are
located the graves of Imam Zadeh Tahir, the grandson of the
4th Imam and Imam Zadeh Hamza, the grandson of the 7th Imam.
We payed our respects there too.
After spending an
hour-and-a-half visiting these three Holy Shrines and
refreshing ourselves with fruit juice, we left for the Shrine
of Imam Khomeini. It was around 6.45p.m by the time we reached
the Shrine and we all got off the bus to go and recite the
ziyarat inside. Once inside, we also recited Marsias and
Matams, and so all together, we took 45 minutes here. It was
about 7.30 in the evening when we finally boarded the bus and
headed back towards Qum.
It took us around 2
hours to reach our destination. After freshening up, we prayed
Namaaz-e-Maghribain and went to bed soon after dinner.
We had our three
lectures as usual at the Institute, this morning - Agha
Salerkiya with his continuation of Shi'ism, Dr. Shameli coming
closer to his conclusion on the 'Concept of Imam Mahdi' and
Agha Shomali discussing how important truthfulness and the
uselessness of doing things if it is not done honestly and
truthfully.
Some of our students
were also interviewed by an Iranian Channel, who had come to
film us for their cultural programs.
After these lectures
and interviews, we got onto the bus and headed towards the
Gulzar-e-Shuhada. On arrival, we were informed that this was
the graveyard, where the Shuhada of the Iran-Iraq war are
buried. Here we also recited the ziyarat of Hazrat Ali, the
son of Imam Jafar-as-Sadiq (A.S)
After visiting this place, we went to Bayt-un-Noor, the place
where Bibi Masuma Qum(A.S) stayed while she was sick. Here, we
recited our ziyarat as well as the Zohrain Prayers, before
reciting Marsias inside the Mehrab of Bibi Masuma and then
finally boarding the bus.
Before heading back
to our destinations, namely the Musafir-Khana for boys and
Jamiat-uz-Zahra for girls, we first stopped at graveyard,
where one of the graves of particular interest is of a
shepherd, named Karbalai Kazim Karimi. This shepherd was a
pious man and had a great interest for reciting and memorising
the Holy Quran. People made fun of him as well as his job. He
prayed to Allah(S.W.T), to grant upon him a favour, by which
he could show people that even shepherds had a high position
in the sight of Allah. His prayer was granted and overnight he
became a Hafiz-e-Quran. He was tested by various scholars and
religious schools, including the Azhar University in Cairo.
After paying our
respects here and at the other graves in this place, we then
headed towards our destinations. We had planned to visit Imam
Khomeini's house in Qum, but time did not permit us to do so
and we hoped to do it some other time.
The girls at Jamiah,
had their Farsi Class at 5-6 in the evening, which was
followed by an hour's lecture by Mulyani Raziya Batool.
At the Pilgrim-House,
Dr. Murtaza Alidina shared his knowledge with the boys from
6-7.
At around 7.30 p.m,
both the boys and the girls gathered at a place called the
'Centre for Islamic Research and IT Development.' Here we were
impressed by the amazing work done by this Centre, namely cd's
produced regarding Quran, Duas and books of Hadith, with
various language and search options. We were also given a
briefing on the Centre, by the Director, which made us realise
the importance of their work.
We left the Centre
and headed towards the Haram of Bibi Masuma Qum (A.S) on foot,
as it was a 5-minute walk from the Centre. Crowds of people
could be seen from long distances, and being a Thursday,
people had come from around the area to recite Dua-e-Kumail at
this Holy Shrine. With the grace of Allah, we too were part of
this program which lasted for approximately one hour.
On completion of the
dua and ziyarat, the girls headed back towards Jamiat-uz-Zahra,
while the boys went towards the Pilgrim-House.
After dinner, we
packed our handbags and kept them ready as the organizers had
told us that we would be leaving for Tehran at 7a.m the
following day.
SPECIAL REPORT:
Library of
Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi
The
library of Ayatollah Marashi Najafi is a MASSIVE collection of
over 35000 original Islamic and scientific manuscripts, some
of them several centuries old. Ayatollah Marashi Najafi was
born in 1897, and began collecting books from his youth, often
staying hungry to save money to buy manuscripts. It is an
honor to be allowed this opportunity to visit such a
fascinating place, with appointments granted very
sparingly. Unfortunately, taking pictures is prohibited, but a
guided tour is provided for
visitors, which takes almost an hour.
Beginning in the library itself, among the most fascinating
items are an Arabic tafseer of the Quran written entirely
without dots, and a HUGE volume of the Psalms of David, bound
in wood, with pages made of animal skin, and written entirely
in Latin. There are
also books in Aramaic, which is said to be the language of
Nabi Isa, so the antiquity of the items there can only be
imagined. The room is entirely filled with floor-to-ceiling
shelves, with hardly any room for more books.
From
there the tour continues with the 'Book Hospital', so called
because of the professional restoration work carried out on
centuries-old books, which have been damaged by damp and
insects, to a readable form. The process begins with killing
any germs etc that may be in the book. Then they are kept in a
special cupboard fro three days, to remove all traces of damp.
The center makes its own special paper from natural materials,
from cotton to animal skin, as well as in a range of colors,
to match the paper in different manuscripts. Damaged sections
are then repaired, and joined to the original using a special
invisible glue. Books are then ready to be used. Some books
are also transferred onto microfilm and microfiche, to enable
easy storage and accessibility. The library also has study
rooms, and collaborates with several libraries around the
world.
Overall, it was a mind-boggling setup, and the Islamic world
is indebted to Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi for providing us with
this treasure of knowledge. We ended around 9.45am, then
proceeded to the Institute for the day's lectures.
Boy's Report
--------------------
Bismihi'Ta'ala
Yesterday
(Tuesday) had been an amazing day as we met with Ayatullah
Makarim Shirazi and attended Dua-e-Tawassul at Masjide
Jamkaran.
Today morning, we managed to pull ourselves out of bed and
into the bus to go to the Imam Khomeini Institute.
Still quite drowsy, we took our places in the auditorium.
As per the routine, Agha Salerkiya started the day by
continuing his discussion on Shi'ism and its roots.
Dr. Shameli came to the mike next and and presented to us
the role of the youth and the elderly in the army of our
12th Imam. He also handed out leaflets to us giving all the
details we needed to know about 'the Concept of Mahdi.'
Having concluded the discussion on 'the rights of parents',
Agha Shomali discussed with us the importance of keeping
promises. How important it was to keep our promises,
especially our promises with Allah in order to have our duas
answered.
On completion of these 3 lectures, we got on the bus and
headed towards The Centre for Translation of the Holy Quran.
Agha Shomali had informed us that this Centre had translated
the Quran into several languages including English, Urdu,
Swahili, Gujrati etc.
Agha had also told us to have a look at a famous English,
word-to-word translation, recently done by Agha Ali Quri
Qarai.
We reached the Centre in a couple of minutes, and we all
climbed the stairs and entered the small but neat and
well-organized library. Here we saw different sections; each
section indicating a different language. To our great
surprise and happiness, Agha Ali Quri Qarai happened to be
present at the time. We had a chance to meet him and he
informed us that he was working on a Quran Tafsir and asked
us to pray for his success.
It was Zohrain time when we left and after namaaz we all had
lunch and went for our normal afternoon nap. At about six in
the evening, we had an hour's session with Dr. Murtaza
Alidina who discussed with us the purpose of Creation as
well as the status of dreams in Islam.
Maghribain Time was drawing closer by the time we finished
the session, and so we all dispersed off to change to go to
the Haram of Bibi Masuma Qum (A.S). After namaaz and ziyarat
we came back to the Pilgrim-House and after dinner some of
us went to the internet cafe and returned to doze off.
Boy's Report
--------------------
Bismihi'Ta'ala
As usual, we arrived at the Imam Khomeini Institute in the
morning and settled into our seats.
It was nice to see the extra preparations that had come into
place - 2 new camera's which meant that we all had to look
extra attentive!
Agha Salerkiya expanded his discussion on the origin of
Shi'ism after which Dr.Shameli, with his interesting
multimedia presentations, caught our attention and discussed
with us a mind-boggling question - "How can the enemy of Allah
be dominant over the friend of Allah?"
Agha Shomali then offered his lecture slot to Dr. Al Hussaini,
who had successfully captured our attention the previous day
and did so again.
Agha Shomali was also kind enough to arrange a special trip
for us to meet Hujjatul-Islam, Ayyatullah Makarim Shirazi. We
were all honored to be in the presence of such a respectable
and knowledgable personality.
For most of us this was the first time we had met any mujtahid.
Ayyatullah blessed us with his wisdom, giving us a few hadith
of Imam Ali which he called the 'key to success.' Ayatullah
also attended to our questions after which we were given the
opportunity to kiss his hand. We then headed towards the Holy
Shrine of Bibi Masuma Qum for the Zohrain Prayers.
We were aware that the forth-coming night would be a long one,
so we went to bed straight-after lunch. In the evening, we had
a final session with Dr. Al Hussaini who wrapped up his
discussion on the purpose of Creation, in his unique and
rhythmetic way.
As the night drew closer we were filled with anxiety and
excitement, knowing that our Holy Imam would also be present
at the mosque we were going to. Right after Maghrain and
dinner, we got into the bus and headed towards the Holy Mosque
of Jamkaran, hoping to be a part of the famous Tuesday-night
Dua-e-Tawassul program. They aren't words in the dictionary
that come even close to describing the emotions that ran
through our hearts as we entered the Holy Mosque. Thousands of
buses were parked outside and hundreds of thousands of
worshippers had taken their place.
The dua started minutes after we arrived and we were all very
lucky to be part of such a highly inspirational function.
Within an hour, the dua had finished and with tears flowing
down our cheeks, we bade farewell and returned to the
Pilgrim-House, each holding a coin(siqqah) of Imam-e-Zamana (A.S)
and Moor+Tasbih, which Agha Nourozi(our tour-guide) had kindly
arranged for us.
Truly, it had been a long but fulfilling day and was worth
every minute.
Boy's Report
--------------------
Bismihi'Ta'ala
The Euro 2004 finals kept us all awake late last night
(4.7.04), but it was well-worth it. All of us had gathered
around the 20 inch TV to watch the underdogs Greece defeat the
hosts, Portugal.
In the morning, after breakfast, we left for the Imam Khomeini
Institute. It was our second day there and we all sat to
listen to Agha Salerkiya, who continuted his discussion on
Shi'ism.
Unfortunately, Dr. shameli could not make it and so our 3rd
lecturer, Agha Shomali took over and wrapped up his discussion
on the rights of parents.
Today, we were also blessed by the presence of Hafize-Quran,
Agha Muhammad Mahdi Mussayabi,12, whose brilliance most of us
had seen back in Dubai. Nevertheless, it was and honor to see
his ever-smiling face once again.
Those who had not seen Muhammad before were very excited to
see him and Muhammad in return, fascinated them by showing
them his abilities and answering their questions on various
topics from the Holy Quran, Nahjul Balagah and
Sahif-e-Sajjadiya.
Having rested yesterday, the afternoon nap today was followed
by a very interesting session with a presenter from Sahar TV,
Dr.Al Hussaini, who impressed us with his vast
knowledge, which he shared with us in a humorous and beautiful
manner.
We prayed the Maghribain prayers at the Holy Shrine of Bibi
Masuma Qum and went to bed after dinner, to end a very
informative and well-utilized day.
Boy's Report:
-----------------
We arrived at Imam Khomeini Institute at about eight-thirty in
the morning. Within minutes we were all seated and ready to
start. Truly, the grand atmosphere of the auditorium made us
feel like we were in Dubai.
They were 3 distinguished lecturers, who would give us one
lecture each to enlighten us.
Agha Salarkiya started off by talking to us about the importance
of the unity of Muslims and then gave a brief explanation as to
what the term 'Shia' means. This was followed by a short tea
break after which Dr.Shameli discussed 'The Concept of Imam
Mahdi.' This was more of an interactive session and was quite
thought-provoking.
After another short snack break, Agha Shomali, the principal of
Jamiat-uz-Zahra, drew our attention to the topic of Akhlaqiyyat
and mainly the 'rights of parents.'
A documentary about the Imam Khomeini Institute was screened
after these 3 lectures, soon after which we gathered to pray the
Zohrain prayers.
Back at the Pilgrim-House, we ate lunch and then were all
allowed the day off, to cover up the missed sleep and to be able
to be wide awake for the Euro 2004 finals....tonite!
Girl's Report:
----------------
After the morning lectures, the girls returned to Jamiat az-Zahra,
where we recited Zohrain in Jamaat, in the prayer hall. Lunch
was simple but excellent - macaroni and fruit... Iranians LOVE
fruit, and that's rubbing off on us! :) Naptime was next, to
allow us to catch up on our sleep after the first day's
traveling - not to mention the Euro finals that everybody wanted
to be wide awake for!
At 5pm, we had a lecture scheduled with Muliani Raazia Najafi, a
favourite with all the girls. Her topic was the history of the
city of Qum, as well as the biography of Bibi Ma'suma-e-Qum, to
whom the entire city is indebted for the knowledge and level of
learning it enjoys today. She included a short explanation of
her Ziyarah, which is the only Ziyarah of a notable non-Ma'sum
to have been taught by a Ma'sum - her brother the 8th Imam,
alaihis-Salaam. (This reminds us that she did not die of grief
upon hearing of her brother's death, as we have popularly heard,
but in fact passed away a little earlier, due to an illness
suffered on her way to meet him.)
Around 6.30, we boarded a bus taking us to Darul-Quran Imam
Husain, an institution devoted to study and teaching of the
Quran. They have structured programs for memorization and
tafseer of the Quran, within different timeframes (1 year
program, 3yrs, 9 yrs, 2 weeks summer courses etc.) We visited
the Arabic
section of the institution, which caters mainly to visitors and
students from the Middle East. From there we went to the Haram,
for the first time since we arrived, and it was quite an
emotional experience, for the first-timers and veterans alike.
Maghrib is around 8.45 pm, so we had time to recite the Ziarat
before Maghribain.
We returned around 10pm, and went straight for dinner - chicken
and chips - and the day wrapped up with a walk around the
compound in the night breeze. Lovely! :)
Bismihi Ta'ala
We boarded the plane after eating the delicious cake that the
organising committee had arranged for us.
After 2 hours in the air, we landed in Tehran and then boarded a
bus for another 2 hr journey to Qum.
On the way we witnessed beautiful scenery and also saw the
magnificient tomb of Imam Khomeini.
On the road, we kept ourselves busy by reciting Marsias and
Matams.
On arrival in Qum,
we checked in at the Shah-e-Khorasan Pilgrim House, hoping to
have a good night's sleep, in order to be fresh in the morning
and start our informative journey the following day.
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