It was the all the usual stuff, we got a couple of speeches which we would never forget and after that we got two very passionate speeches one from the boy’s side and one by the girl’s side. The girl’s speech was interesting and gave a very good detail of how the girl’s side improved themselves and how they benefitted from the trip. The boy’s side on the other hand were mostly concentrating and complaining about the eastern toilets and pinpointing the funny experiences they had such as a memorable phrase by their mentor Mashal “let’s go! let’s go! let’s go!”

After all of the speeches it was time for handing out certificates and that went quite smoothly for the boys and girls. Then it was time for the mentors and so Mashal went up and then Abbas, and since me and Abbas shared a special bond, I decided to follow Abbas onto the stage. I got to hug both Mashal and Abbas which was welcomed by everyone with a joint “awwww.”
 

Later we all went for our farewell Ziyarat which was very emotional for everyone. We then came back to the hawza and packed for Tehran, we then went to the train station and left Qum never knowing when we would have a chance of coming back to this holy place.

Hussein Abbas Ebrahim


Day 13

Madinah al-Ilm

Today was a very important day. Not only was it the last day of classes, it was the beginning of our last week in Iran. We all definitely had some mixed feelings.

After a spiritually awakening Fajr Namaaz in the Haram, we headed back to the hawza for some rest before our last class of the trip. Instead of our usual three classes we had a single 3 hour class on practical laws with Sheikh Nadir Jaffer. A lot of us were looking forward to the last day of classes, because it would mean that we would be leaving for Mashhad soon. Yet, at the same time many of us learned loads of new stuff in the short two weeks of classes. This left a gloomy feeling in our hearts, as today was the last class. The class of the day on practical laws was very informative, many of our unanswered questions where answered by Sheikh Nadir Jaffer.
After Zuhr and free time, we headed to the market to go shopping. Many of us had numerous things to buy for our family and friends so this extra shopping time was greatly appreciated.

After Maghrib, we headed to a fast food restaurant (which was not fast at all as had a 40 minute wait for food). The next few hours was spent in the restaurants arcade and various games. After an amazing day, we went back to the hawza before tomorrow facing our final day in Qum. 

By Ali Jafferi (Vancouver) and Moslim Soleiman (London)


Day 11

Madinah al-Ilm
We are now more than half way through the Iran Camp and so closer to the end than to the beginning. The first half of the camp has flown past without us even realizing and now that the half way mark has past, sadly, it feels like it will all be over very soon. Today also saw the last of our morning twilight sessions and, also, the last of our daily classes.

The day began with the usual difficulty for the mentors to get everyone up and ready for fajr salaat at the haram of Sayyeda Ma’suma (as). After praying salaat in jamaat, we proceeded towards the holy zareeh to perform the day’s ziarat. This is definitely one of the things that I love about this trip and will really miss when I return back home, that we are able to start everyday with the ziarat of this grand Lady. What can go wrong in the day of someone who starts it with ziarat of such a grand personality? Even though we have been blessed with two weeks in the city of Qum and are able to perform the ziarat of Sayyeda Ma’suma (as) everyday, even this feels too less. After performing ziarat we went back to the hawza and had the last of our twilight sessions with Sheikh Ali Ridha Walji in the masjid. The final session was an accumulation of everything we had learnt during the past sessions. In the first session we had tried to answer the question ‘Who am I?’ using the intellect but we had found this very difficult. However, today, we put together some of the techniques we has learnt, to answer the same question, but this time trying to find an answer from the heart instead.

After twilight, we ate our breakfast and headed towards the classrooms for our last three lessons of the short course.

The first lesson was Aqa’id with Sheikh Tahir in which we linked our in-depth study of the Justice of Allah (SWT) with Nabuwwat, Imamat and Ma’aad. When looking at Nabuwwat, we said that it was a part of Allah’s justice that He sent 124,000 Prophets to guide the people so that on the Day of Judgment the people would not have a reason for not being guided. This ties in with the Justice of Allah (SWT) because if He is just, then He cannot punish anyone for not believing in Him if they were not guided in the first place. Therefore to show His Justice, Allah (SWT) sent prophets so that Man would not have any argument against Him for not knowing the truth. We said that Imamat was an extension of Nabuwwat and is a way for the people to continue to be guided even after the last of the prophets, Prophet Muhammad (saw). The event of Ghadir is the main proof of Imamat and as it is widely reported in both Shia and Sunni books, it is impossible that the hadith could have been fabricated. The question was raised that ‘Can you be a Shia Ithna ‘Ashari if you doubt the existence of the 12th Imam (as)?’ The answer to this is obviously no, and so if we do have doubts about this then we need to clear these up immediately. Ma’aad is also linked with the Justice of Allah (SWT) because, as Allah (SWT) is just he will reward those who do good and punish those who do wrong. Ma’aad cannot be proved using the intellect but we can understand what will happen after death using Qur’anic verses and the Ahadith. The lesson ended with a short quiz testing our knowledge from all the Aqa’id lessons.

The next two lessons were just as interesting as the first. In Akhlaq, with Sheikh Nadir, we went through the etiquettes of sleep we looked at the different times of the day where we can get good quality sleep and the other times of the day where sleeping can just add to our fatigue. We were amazed to learn that Sheikh Nadir had only had about half an hour sleep the previous night and yet most of us looked more tired than he did! In Sheikh Khalfaan’s class we completed going through the list of eight things that man and woman agree to when signing the Nikah contract to become husband and wife. This list can also be used as criteria in spouse selection.

We used the time after lessons and before zohr to catch up on some much needed sleep. After praying salaat-e-jamaat in the hawza, we ate lunch and then had more free time. Some, like myself, used this time to catch up on even more sleep. At 6pm, we left the hawza to attend our meeting with Ayatullah Seestani’s representative in Qum, Syed Mohsin Hashimi, for a question and answer session on various fiqh issues. This was a great opportunity to ask questions that we were unsure about and to get direct answers there and then. Hot topics included music and nasheeds, keeping a beard and various najasat issues like food made by non ahle-kitaab and alcohol in restaurants and in medicines. Other topics also included gelatine and rennet, sheesha, games of chance and interest. We continued the session after praying maghrib salaat in jamaat behind Syed Hashimi. It was an extremely intense and fruitful session with many questions being asked and many doubts being cleared up. We returned to the hawza at around 10.30pm, had dinner and then went to sleep.

Alimehdi Moti, Birmingham, UK


Day 10

Bab al-Ilm

Wednesday was a great day. It wasn't the most action packed day but it was an eye opener. At fajr time we got up and went to the haram of Masuma e Qum. Everyone is always tired when we go but we still think its worth it. We got back and fell asleep as soon as we got into bed. After a quick nap, we went went to our daily classes and got on with the day. We had a new teacher and was by far the best class that I have gone through.  Later on in the evening we went to Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi's personal library. We got a tour and saw his grave. It’s really amazing what he went through to acquire the books and manuscripts that he possesses. He has a grand total of over five hundred thousand books stored there. He even had a book hospital to ensure that the books would be preserved forever. After that awe-inspiring experience we went to Ansarian Book Shop. The volume of books that were available for us is just absolutely amazing. Our mentor and another guy from the older group bought a combined amount of $500 worth of books. I only bought seven books but they'll last a while. That night we went swimming at the pool located in the house. That in itself was a highlight. It was definitely the nicest and most well maintained pool I have ever been to. It had a sauna, a steam room and a hot tub. We then went to bed exhausted anxiously waiting for the next day.

Imran Ladak from Vancouver

Madinah al-Ilm
It’s the tenth day of the summer camp in the holy city of Qum. By the grace of Allah (SWT) we rise up as usual in the early hours of the day and ready ourselves for the fajr namaz. At 4 am, we are on our way through the beautiful and lively city towards the Haram where we perform our daily prayers as well as perform ziyarat of Janabe Fatima Masuma. We then head towards the park for the morning session of twilight, which deals with contemplation (meditation) skills. The session was very interesting in that we develop the power of knowing ourselves spiritually. Furthermore the skills also help us a lot in gaining concentration in prayers. How wonderful it is! 

Eight in the morning, we are back at the hauza for the daily classes. In my opinion the classes have been very beneficial in terms of religious matters. There is so much in Islam that we learn in a span of three hours. We leave classes and have a rest. At dhuhr time we get into the mosque in the hauza for midday prayers. The program resumes at five thirty in the evening when we make a visit to Ayatullah Marashi Najafi’s library. Although we don’t get access to it, we had an interesting session in which we were briefed of Ayatullah Marashi’s biography. We learned that Ayatullah Marashi was a very pious and God fearing person. Though he was poor, he did all he could to develop the third largest Shia library in the world. We are told that he would pray and fast on behalf of various marhoom as a means of getting finance to develop his library. Surprisingly, we are told that he was so poor that he never managed to go for hajj. May Allah (SWT) bless him in the good work he did that up do date millions of mu’uminiin, students and scholar’s benefit from.

Ansariyan bookshop is where we go next. At this point we purchase various religious books on different topics of which upon reading would result in a positive effect among most of us Inshallah. By now, it’s already maghrib time when we return to the hauza to perform the wajibaat. The peak of the day is now here, a time which most of us were eagerly waiting for. We go for swimming, which I believe everyone enjoyed. We have dinner back at the camp after which some of us go to Sheikh Khalfan’s place for a session on how to perform best the ziyarats. The day ran very well with the events were very exciting. Thanks to Allah (SWT) the camp is very benefitting with some of the most wonderful events. Wal hamdu lillahi rabbil aalamin.               

Jaffary Kamanza – Mombasa, Kenya

Day 9

Madinah al-Ilm
The night of the 15th Sha’ban was spent at the Khizr Mountain and Masjid Jamkaran. After the Fajr prayers at Masjid Jamkaran, we were heading towards Hawza Imam Khomeini. Many of us were exhausted after spending the whole night in Ibadat (worship). We got a couple of hours to rest before a visit to Ayatullah Al-Udhma Shaykh Wahid Khurasani. We were all excited to meet this huge personality. Ayatullah Wahid is known as one of the best and highest Maraja in the shia world. His dars (classes) are the most attended among all the Marajas. He led the janaza (burial) prayer of the late Ayatullah Jawad Tabrizi, late Ayatullah Fazel Lankarani and the late Ayatullah Sayyid Abbas Kashani. Ayatullah Wahid entered the hall where all of us were waiting. The program started with few students of the Hawza receiving their turbans from the respected Maraja. After that, Ayatullah gave a short lecture on Imam al-Hujjah (aj). Shaykh Nadir Jaffer gave us a translation of the short speech. One of the powerful advices he gave us was to recite the Holy Quran entirely every month and offer its reward to the 12th Imam. While doing this and at the same time staying away from the Muharamat (haram acts) and performing all the Wajibats, this would be a key of success in life.

In the afternoon we went for some outside Ziyarat. We performed the Ziyarat of Hazrat Musa Mabarqah who was the son of Imam Jawad (as) and brother of Imam Hadi (as).

Next was Mawlud of Imam Mahdi (aj) at Dar-al-Zahra. The program started with a Quran recitation by brother Hasnain Khatau from Mombasa. Shaykh Nadir Jaffer then gave a speech in Gujarati. One of the points he talked about was how men represent the attribute of Allah (SWT), Al-Zahir (the Apparent); and how women represent the attribute of Al-Batin (the Hidden). Qasida groups then took their turn at the stage. The Ghadir group really made us happy with their wonderful recitations in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu. Dar-al-Zahra was really packed as around 270 attendees participated at the program. 

After jamaat prayers, the main part of the program was about to start. I am talking about Shaykh Shomali’s lecture. Following is a short summary of Shaykh’s lecture:

It is quite worrying how we understand and present to the outside world about the mission of Imam al-Hujjah. We say that Imam is the savior of the shias; this is not the case. Imam is there for the entire humanity. Just as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) was Rahmat-ul-lil-Alamin (mercy for the entire humanity), the same applied for the 12th Holy Imam. People were coming in masses towards Islam during the time of the Holy Prophet, when the Imam will appear people will come in masses towards Islam. According to traditions from shia and sunni sources, even the animals such as birds will be satisfied when the Imam will appear. Another tradition states that people will seek refuge at the Imam just like the bees seeking refuge at their Queen. According to the 5th Holy Imam, when Imam al-Hujjah (aj) will appear, a very special bond will be created among people. They would use each other’s money and property without even having to ask the permission for it. We should ponder on all these matters and prepare ourselves by embedding on us many of these characteristics so that we can become servants of our Imam (aj) and help him to establish Islam when he reappears.

The program ended with dinner. Khoja’s favorite: Bhiryani !!!

Aliraza Alidina, Bujumbura, Burundi

Shabe Bara’at – 15^th of Sha’baan – the birthday of Imam e Zamana (aj) in one of the holiest cities in the world - Qum. That is enough to emphasise the success of day 8!

To add the cherry on the cake, we spent the night performing a’maals in two places, which hold direct significance to the 12^th Imam: the mount of Khidhr and Masjid e Jamkaraan.

No words, phrases, or expressions can possibly describe the scenario we witnessed. The streets were literally alive all night, decorations and lighting all over, faithful trying to get to their destinations for their celebrations and voices of “Labayk Ya Imam” ringing in all the corners of the city.

Amongst the a’maal we performed at the base of mount Khidhr were the two rakat prayer for the night of 15^th of Shaaban, several dhikrs, ziyarat of Imam Husayn (as) and it finally climaxed with the recitation of Dua Kumail. All these a’maal under the open star filled sky added to the experience, making us more aware of our real purpose in life.

We were also graced with the presence of two prominent speakers: Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan and brother Muntazir Mahdi, who enlightened us about the Ghaibat of our Imam and how to prepare for his re-appearance. We thanked them from the bottom of our hearts for their endeavors to make sure we do not die deaths of ignorance. We have all heard the famous hadith “A person who dies without knowing the imam of his time, dies the death of an ignorant.”

One point that they both emphasised was that imam is not in ghaibat, it is us who have veiled ourselves from him. He sees us, listens to us, even helps us, it is us who do not sense his elixir.

Our night ended with salat-ul fajr in masjid e jamkaran along side 2 million people. If there is one place to be on the 15^th of Shaaban, it is Qum. We pray to Allah swt to accept our insignificant ibaadah, Inshallah.

Mohammad Hasnain M Khatau, Mombassa Kenya

Bab al-Ilm

The day kicked off while we were still residing in the great Jamkaran. Because the 15th of Sha'ban was upon us, we had come to a consensus to spend the night getting closer to Allah (SWT). After praying our Fajr namaz we exhaustively left the Mosque and made our way to the car park. Fortunately, unlike the way down, a bus was actually there waiting for us as opposed to us trekking back up the road. Unfortunately, this joy was short lived and the bus only escorted us out of the car park, back to the road. The groups’ quizzical and frustrated looks summed up the general feeling but we had a few morale lifters in the crowd and eventually we made it to the top. Upon reaching the metaphorical 'summit' of the road we were back to the hawza. As we scaled the staircase to the corridors, and traversed the corridors to our doors, and painfully pried the door from the hinge, and took that first step into our rooms. After our heads hit the pillow, we were thrown into a deep slumber. To awaken, some few hours later.

We had the privilege of meeting Ayatollah Khorasani. Though his speech was brief, there are no doubt his words were ones to remember. I guess then it’s a shame I can't speak Farsi. From there, we were back in the coach. After no more than 5 minutes, a familiar sight entered into our peripheral vision. We were at the Mosque of Bibi Masuma Qum (as). Despite the great magnitude of the place, we found it extremely difficult to find somewhere to pray.

In the evening we travelled for so long it felt like the life age of the earth, or roughly 15 minutes. We were treated to a night of Kaseeda's and an awe-inspiring Majlis by Dr Shomali and a great M.C in Brother Ali Arastu, wrapped up with a classic Khoja meal of Biryani which truly wrapped up a dramatic day.

Ali Dharas from London

Day 8

As had become habit, we went to buy bottled water before we retired to our rooms for our afternoon rest. Some of the group decided they were ready to try the renowned Iranian yeast drink. My friends, being the extravagant big shots they are, only carry notes of 20,000 Rials (which really is far less than it sounds when compared to pounds, dollars, and rather surprisingly, Kenyan shillings), which was too much for the vendor, who had no change. Out of nowhere, a Maulana appeared, and paid the vendor, thus solving our dilemma of either putting a temporary halt to our endeavors, or going to seek out cash of a smaller magnitude.

I had to take time to compose my thoughts. Since the Maulana was adamant that the drinks were ‘on him’, the others accepted his kind offer and were on their way. I, however, succumbed to the temptation of trying the drink, and asked for one, but alas, it was sold out.

In the first class, Sheikh Khalfan’s, the topic of conversation was ‘the night’. Indeed the incident of the night is deeper in impression and more upright in expression [73:6] The verse indicates that the night has specific significance in Islam, particularly that deeds which are performed within its confines are highlighted, which is why it is recommended to use the night for prayer and repentance.  Equally, Allah swears “By the night when it approaches/recedes” which refer to the very powerful times of sehri, during which time it is related that we see dreams which eventually come true, and maghrib. At these two times scholars say Shaitan sends his hordes.

In the classroom

Many historical events have occurred at night. Prophet Musa received the covenant from Allah and equally, the Prophet went on Me’raj at night. The 11^th Imam (AS) once said that without the mount of the night, no one would reach the height of perfection.

It has been narrated in Biharul Anwar that when we are about to retreat to bed, we are rushed to by a noble angel and a rebellious devil. The angel encourages us to end the day with a good deed, while the devil requests quite the opposite. By reciting a tasbeeh in the specific form of 34 x Allahu Akbar, 33 x Subhanallah and lastly 33 x Alhamdulillah, the angel wards off the devil until we wake up.

If like me, you are interested in extra duas and actions you can do for reward, then this part will interest you. We were told recitation of Surah Waqiah ensures a continuous supply of wealth from Allah. Reciting the dua with which Prophet Yunus supplicated to Allah when he was consumed by the whale, 400 times in sajdah after Isha namaz, for forty days removes veils that have accumulated around our hearts. Incidentally, the number forty has a special and secret significance in Islam, but it is also the age at which a human is considered fully mature. Also, when making hajat, it is recommended to pray for a religious progeny who upkeep namaz and good deeds, as this will provide monumental reward during our stay in Barzakh.

Our next two lessons, Islamic beliefs and Akhlaq were also equally insightful and so we walked away with knowledge aplenty. Since tomorrow we are going on a field trip and have had little rest thus far, the day was cut short somewhat, with shopping a short tour of the Haram the only points on the schedule. I did not have anything to shop for, so my brother and I capitalized on the free time to visit Bibi Masuma. Just like her Holy family the Ahlul bayt, visiting her is extraordinary in a different way no matter how many times you are fortunate enough to do it.

On something of an aside, I absent-mindedly left my bag, which housed my wallet and other key possessions, in the Mosque after namaz. When I finally realized it was missing, I went hopefully and swiftly to retrieve it. Fortuitously, it was still there, but more importantly, so was my wallet. I remembered to thank Allah, but was also reminded what that I truly am in a city and a country that is Holy, unique and rich in morals.

It is amazing how a country can be transformed simply by following the rules set out by Allah, which were upheld and demonstrated by the Ahlul bayt. Wise people realize that the fleeting desires of this world are no comparison to what can be achieved simply by having good Akhlaq and the aspiration to make Allah proud.

Muhammad Dharas, of London, UK.

Bab al-Ilm

We looked forward to today’s exciting field trip. We started off the day like usual, woke up at 3:30 am and headed to the haram for Fajr prayers at Sayyadah Fatima Masuma. Unfortunately today we weren’t able to have our twilight session. During that time we took advantage of the time to catch up on some sleep.

We then woke up from our nap at 6:30 am to have breakfast. We had cereal with milk and naan.

After visiting the Shah’s palace and the 5^th Imam’s son’s ziyarat, we prayed Zuhr and Asr in the mosque and headed back to the bus. We then had refreshments on the bus which was driving towards some amazing Caves. After arrival we witnessed 1.5 kilometers of gorgeous rocks and sediments the cave has. I found it interesting how it takes 2000 years to grow 2 millimeters of crystals.  This 17 million year old cave was discovered 20 years ago by Iranian Explorers. The cave was an experience like no other. After exploration of the cave we ate at a nice restaurant and had Chelo Kebab. We then went back to our base in Qum to do Maghrib and Isha prayers. We then had 2 hours of free time which most of us decided to use for sleep.

Today was the best day by far because we got a taste of Iranian culture. We rounded off the day with a good nights rest to prepare for tomorrow’s special day (15^th of Sha’ban).

Mehdi Hussain

Eight days in and we are starting to get used to the changes spiritually and physically. This night may have been the biggest one in our trip, the night of the birthday of Imam Al Mahdi (AS), the whole afternoon was about rest, so that we could stay up for this holy night. Our plan was to go to Mount Khizr and than at 1am head to Jamkaran. Mount Khizr was a very peaceful and calm place, it was very spiritual. Dua-e-Kumayl at Mount Khizr at a time where everyone was reciting together, you could feel the unity and spiritual feeling in the air. After we finished the recitations, we decided to do the impossible and head to Jamkaran, a place that was filled with over 1 million people as it was the Masjid of Imam-e-Zamana

Alhamdulillah we made it there and when you walked into the entrance to see how many people were there, it was unbelievable. The amount of people there and the feeling you get when you see so many people celebrating the same event as you were, is indescribable. Knowing that everyone is unified, and to top it off, Fajr salat in jamat. The whole of praying together and reciting Dua-e-Faraj as one gave me the feeling that the Imam heard our prayers. And Inshallah will be coming soon.
 
MuhammadAli Khaku from Vancouver


Day 7

Bab al-Ilm

Today it was back to work - yesterday we had enjoyed a day off because it was Friday. We woke up at our usual time of 3:30 in the morning and we went to the holy haram of Sayyedah Fatima Mausuma for fajr salaat. After praying and doing ziyarat we left and headed to a park for the twilight programme.

The twilight programme focused on us becoming better people and so we all were sent away from each other with no distractions to contemplate and think how we could become better people, what a better person looks like and how they feel like. I personally found this quite relaxing and interesting for I got to learn how to better myself and that is the point of this camp.

After twilight we had breakfast, which as usual was Coco Pops, milk and bread. After we had our breakfast we headed off for lessons this was the day in which we had our last Quran lesson. The lesson was teaching us more words that we all caught onto quite quickly and understood well thanks to out great Quran teacher. Before we left that lesson we took some pictures of the class and him together and we all thanked him for the interesting lessons.

Later that day we got our first chance to go shopping which was only an hour and a half long but we did manage to get presents for family and friends, most of us got rings with a lot of haggling and bargaining.

Overall it was a good day but I guess most of all the shopping was the most fun and so I thank who ever organised the trip for letting us have sleepless nights and packed days but I have to also thank them for enlightening us all spiritually and giving us this once in a lifetime chance.

Hussein Abbas Ebrahim

Day 6

Madinah al-Ilm

Adhan is loud and clear, calling to draw us closer to Allah and telling us that  its time for salaat.

We are fortunate enough to be in the shrine of Bibi Fatima Masuma here in Qum. It is amazing how many thousands of people gather here to pray. What an honour to be one of them and to be e part of the jamaat namaaz. The feeling was wonderful, a grateful feeling that no words could describe.

At the park

After the fajr salaat we went to a park to start the twilight program. It was fine, calm and green. We got a question: “what do I want in life?” that we asked ourselves.

The purpose of the twilight programme is to uplift ourselves closer to Allah by knowing the answers to those tough questions being asked of us. Continuing this is going to help us concentrate in our prayers and help us become closer to Allah. To be honest, this has not worked out for me so far but Inshallah I hope that I’ll learn the art of meditation to reach spiritually closer to Allah as the programme goes on.

In the evening we attended a moving talk by a survivor from the Iran-Iraq war. He had a manufactured eye and was one of those people  who were really positive about life. He was sharing his experiences, line by line, which was then translated. One particular line he said stood out:

“Although Allah helps us through difficult times, we neglect him. But He still offers us his mercy.”

That’s moving enough as it is but then he said:

”Three hundred people (or so) fought for the Prophet in the battle of Badr and they secured the future of Islam in 2 A.H.

“Seventy-two people fought for Imam Hussein in Karbala and secured the future of Islam forever.”

Although there are always two sides, Allah SWT only supports the one with the Truth.

M. Rajpar from Trollhättan, Sweden

Bab al-Ilm

Today is the day of Jumah, which started out with a fajr, a twilight programme and then some football. We were fortunate enough to attend Salaatul Jumah in the haram of Bibi Masuma. The sermon focused on the reappearance of the 12^th Imam (aj) and how it was of the utmost importance that we prepare for the coming of the 12^th Imam in that we must not lose faith in his reappearance. During the explanation of the sermon I pointed out that “If the 12^th Imam is going come anyways and is guaranteed victory, why should we worry about it?”. I realised that we need to worry because the Imam is the one that is guaranteed the victory, not us. We need to prepare ourselves spiritually so that when the Imam does come, we find ourselves on his side fighting for the truth.

That evening we had an inspirational talk with a survivor from the Iran-Iraq war. He spoke in a manner that awakened our souls. He mentioned some of the things that he saw and experienced during the war. Throughout his account, he emphasised the fact that the soldiers who fought for Iran in that war and in the revolution faced enormous odds but were successful only because they fought for the sake of Allah and were prepared to give their live far his cause. He told us an account of a youth that promised his mother that he would come home on the day of his sister’s wedding. His sister however was far too young to get married. Ten long years later, on the day of his sister’s wedding, his remains were returned to his family. These moving words made me wonder that if the Imam was to reappear right now, would I be willing to sacrifice my life for him?

So looking back I think today made me think about the reappearance of the 12^th Imam. I realised that this won’t be as simple as him coming out from Ghaybat, taking our allegiance from us, and then going on to solve all our problems and vanquishing evil from this earth. When he comes, only the most sincere of his Shia will be in his army and have the privilege of fighting and dying for the sake of Allah. So with that in mind, I pray that Allah allows both you and I to be in the army of the 12^th Imam so that we may we can please Allah and be successful in this world and the hereafter.

Muhammad Qays Dewji of Vancouver, Canada

Day 4  

Madinah al-Ilm

The day started with waking up at 3:30am. As we walk towards the bus, the streets of the Holy city of Qum were alive. We boarded and drove to the Haram for Fajr Namaz.

Mashallah, the haram was beautiful. The Haram was so alive!

Now inside the Haram, Mashallah, how wonderful is seeing the mu’mineen praying and others doing the Ziyarat at such an early time of the day. This enlivens ones dead soul. Much I can write, however, I feel that I cannot fully explain the liveliness and the strong faith expressed by the followers of Ahlul bayt.

After a few minutes of driving from the Haram we were at the park for the day’s twilight- the most interactive session. We were lead to think and discover several useful spiritual ideas.

Back in Hawza we have taken our breakfast and break for classes. We had been fed with knowledge besides enjoying the classes and by 11 am we were let free.

Group Discussions

That did not mark end the  of the day, at 6pm  we set out for the cultural events. First we went to Baitul-Noor where background information of the masjid was told. After we were through, we went to Haram for the Namaz –magharib and later dua-e-kumail. It was interesting  to see the big crowd of Muslims reciting the supplication.

At 10 pm we went back to Hawza , we took our dinner. It was very delicious and everyone enjoyed the chicken!

Hassan (Ngombeko) Nyawa of Kenya

Bab al-Ilm

On Thursday July 22, we had the opportunity to visit Baitul-Noor, where Bibi Masuma (a.s.) used to pray and where she stayed before she passed away. The campers had the opportunity to listen to stories about the life of the great personality of Bibi Masuma (a.s.).

After visiting Baitul-Noor, the campers where taken to Imam Khomeini’s residence in Qum. It was an excellent opportunity to see how a man who lived in such a simple place and lived in a simple manner could change the world. We saw the place where he used to converse with foreign dignitaries; in such a basic room, while sitting on the floor. This exemplifies the Imam’s integrity to not sacrifice who he was in order to please others.

Imam Khomeini’s house - Qum

The highlight of the day was the beautiful recitation of Dua Kumayl in the haram of Bibi Masuma (a.s.). The recitation touched the hearts of the campers; camper Nadir Ali Naqi Hussein from London said the he was touched by the powerful words of Dua Kumayl, while feeling peace and calmness in his heart. This is one of the miracles of the Dua and one of the miracles of the city of Qum. Clearly, the city of Qum is a blessed land that affects the hearts of believers.

Abbas Ali Kassam

Day 3

Madinah al-Ilm

After a never-ending night we managed to get three hours of sleep before waking up for Fajr prayers at 4 am. After a democratic vote, the group consensus was not to go to the haram of Bibi Masooma-e-Qom for salah meaning that Fajr was prayed in the masjid at Madrasah Imam Khomeini. After prayers, a handful of the group stayed on for the twilight programme.

The question posed in the previous session was “What is my purpose?” The group discussed each individual’s answer leading to the conclusion that the real questions to ask are “what do I want?” and “who am I?”

After the twilight session breakfast was served and the daily classes started until 11 am after which we all took the time to catch 40 winks just before Dhur prayers. After praying and eating a lunch of rice with a whole fish (with head and tail still attached) free time began in which most chose to catch up on more sleep.

5 pm arrived and this is when the day really began. We all got ready to climb up Khizr Mountain.

Preparing to climb Mount Khizr

We arrived at Mount Khizr and after setting up our trusted straw mats we sat down for Sheikh Nadir to begin an inspiring talk in which he said that Allah’s names are manifested in the mountain. For example the mountain was high, representing al-‘aali, the mountain is also strong representing the name al-qawwi, the mountain was also vast representing the name al-basit.

In the evening, we had the honor of meeting with a great spiritual teacher, Sheikh Amini. The Sheikh talked about how to get close to Allah and how important it is to feel and believe in His presence wherever you are. Sheikh then went on to narrate an incident he was told by Ayatollah Behjat in which Ayatollah Behjat’s teacher Allamah Kadhi Tabatabai said “If we go to jannah and there is no salah there, what will we do?” This epitomizes the hadith which says that salah is the me’raj of a mu’min.

How is this relevant to us? The answer to that could possibly lie in contemplating on the following questions. How many of us actually pray in a way in such a way that we to ascend to Allah (swt) everytime we pray? How many of us feel as though our namaaz is just words and actions and neglect it to the extent that we would rather watch TV or go out with friends or play football at the time of prayers?  How many think that I’ll pray salah quickly today because the world cup final is on today and I have to watch it otherwise I wont have anything to talk to my friends about? How many actually bother to understand what we are reciting during salah and why we are reciting them?  As muslims we need to contemplate on these basic questions and address them appropriately so that we can begin to reap the benefits of salah mentally, physically and spiritually, but most importantly so that we can get closer to Our Lord and Creator.

A question was asked, how do we get to understand salah the way these great personalities did… the answer was straightforward and simple do your wajibaat and stay away from haraam and God himself will help you understand. Although it is easily said it is possible to do and the first practical step to approaching this statement is to read, understand and ponder the Islamic Laws set out by the marja’ one does taqleed of. We ended the night by eating luscious chicken wraps and falling asleep as soon as our heads hit our pillows.

Mehdi Abdulla of London, UK

Bab al-Ilm

On Wednesday we had the chance to visit Mount Khizr. The trip started off with a brief lecture by Sheikh Nadir on spirituality, which blew the mind of some of the students.

Lecture at Mount Khizr

The Sheikh talked about how all are actions have a spiritual effect. This allowed the students to really focus on how all our actions should be done with the remembrance of Allah (S.W.T.).

We also got the chance to have some group discussions, which were centered on some of the issues that Muslim youth face in the West. This is an excellent sign that the youth are thinking about these issues and how they affect them. Inshallah, using the techniques of contemplation that are being used in the Twilight sessions, these youth can contemplate on these issues and come to correct Islamic conclusions.

Abbas Ali Kassam, Bab al-Ilm mentor from Toronto

Day 2

                                          Twilight Session

After the Ziyarat, the students went to a nearby park for their “Twilight Session”: a time where one can contemplate and focus on the inner self and search for the answers to some very difficult and unique questions. The question posed to us during this particular twilight session was: “What is your purpose in life?” We were given several minutes to sit alone and contemplate on this matter. The group then reconvened to share their thoughts and receive some feedback.

The next event was an exercise routine outside our Madressa, where we went through ten minutes of running and about hundred squats – we were dead beat by the end of it. Light breakfast was then served with some laughter and friendly talks amongst the students.

The classes also began today and they all were successful. Subjects taught were Quranic Principles, Aqaid, and Akhlaq by different scholars and sheikhs. After the classes we had “Sleeping Time” then Salat-ul Zohr at around 1:30pm followed by white rice and spinach for lunch.

During the hours of 2:30 – 5, we have “Free Time” where the students are free to do anything they like in matters of sleeping, reading, relaxing, or surfing the net. Our room was indulged in a discussion about various topics including Shia-Sunni debates, the Value of Ziyarat, a summary of the classes, and just enjoying chocolates!

                                   Funeral of Ayatullah Kashani

At 5pm we had scheduled a guided tour of the Haram; however, this did not take place, instead, we all attended the funeral of Ayatullah Kashani.  Arriving upon the streets of Qum, it was packed with thousands of people all gathered for the funeral of this great personality. It took about two hours to complete including the Burial and the Namaz. The Namaz-e-Mayyit was recited by Ayatullah Khurasani, and by the grace of the Almighty, we got the opportunity to not only attend this funeral, but also pray behind this great scholar. Upon leaving the haram we headed to Masjid Jamkaran – the masjid built for, and upon the request of our Holy Present Imam Mahdi (aj).

We were all eager to arrive at this holy place. Reports suggest that reciting Dua Tawassul every Tuesday for forty nights will result in seeing the Imam. Just understanding the status and position of the place, and mosque, it is a real blessing to be present Alhamdulillah.

We arrived at Masjid Jamkaran at Maghrib and the place was beyond full. The mosque had no space inside, and there were more then two hundred or more people outside praying. Further back, people had set up mats and blankets facing the Masjid preparing for Dua Tawassul. Similarly, we set up our mats and went to pray. Then we were briefed on the history of the masjid, some miracles that have occurred and how our Holy Imam is present and always helping us. After completing the Am’al, we all gathered back and started Dua Tawassul. Dua Tawassul infront of Masjid Jamkaran on a Tuesday night in the month of Sha’ban was just a miracle in itself. Shortly after we had dinner and left the Masjid at around midnight.

The last stop was at the house of Marhum Ayatullah Kashani - the personality we buried this evening. We were invited and we went to pay our condolences to the family members. During our visit there, we were introduced and provided with information regarding the life of this holy scholar by Sheikh Nadir. Alhamdullilah, all of us learnt a lot and hope to implement some of these lessons in our own lives InshAllah. After that it was Hawza-Sweet-Hawza, and we slept at 2am. Not forgetting we have to be up by 4Am for Fajr!

Everyday is not as busy as this but the events are in similar time frames. Going over all the events that transpired, one truly can appreciate the blessings we all receive from our Creator. With that I pray to Allah to grant all believers the experience the holy city of Qum including the holy Ziyarat, Masjid Jamkaran, the presence of so many renowned scholars, and much more – ameen. InshAllah, if and when opportunity strikes, I will write another diary.

Irfaan Bhimji of North America

Day 1 – 17 July 2010
 
Madinah al-Ilm
 
On Monday 17th July, 16 young men (and a mentor) from around the globe descended on the Imam Khomeini Madressa in Qum to take part in the 3 week Madinatul Ilm course. We arrived at our accommodation to find blankets laid out on the floor and Eastern toilets in the bathrooms, which should be an interesting learning experience for all of us accustomed to Western luxuries.

After having napped, prayed and eaten a generous portion of Iranian rice and meat, all of us gathered together for introductions and a brief overview of the timetable for the next 3 weeks. These include 4am starts, morning classes, mini-excursions, swimming, football, as well as trips to Tehran and Mashhad.

After another ‘short’ nap, we had the opening ceremony in the very posh auditorium at the Madressa packed full of all 65 boys’ and girls’ students. We found out about the immense amount of work that had taken place behind the scenes to arrange our trip and how incredibly lucky we all are to be here at epicenter of Shia thought.

                      Opening Ceremony at Madressa Imam Khomeini

However, as with most things in life, the highlight of the day was saved till last. At Maghrib time, we headed off to do our first ziyarat of Bibi Masuma-e-Qum. The Ziyarat, along with an inspirational introduction by Hussein Baxter, evoked a deep sense of emotion and willingness to make the most of the next 3 weeks to better myself, gain an insight into life at the Hawza, and meet fellow brothers who are also striving on the path to perfection. I would love to say more but lights went out half an hour ago and that leaves only 4 hours sleep until Fajr and the beginning of a new journey.
Qasim Gulamhusein – London, UK

Bab al-Ilm

Arriving in Iran with a group of boys, many of whom have never been away from their parents for too long, inevitably lead to some anxiety. It seemed that these young men were questioning their decision to leave behind the comforts of home and head half way across the world to a place with few luxuries and a very hot climate. However, amongst the anxiety there was some hope: hope that this trip would force many of the boys out of their comfort zones allowing them to grow spiritually and allow these boys to turn into men. As Imran Ladak from Vancouver stated that he hoped this trip would allow him to increase his knowledge of Islam as well as allowing him to gain a sense of independence.

After landing in Iran early in the morning and using the afternoon to get some rest, the boys headed to the Haram of Bibi Masuma-e-Qum (sa) for their first ziyarat. As the ziyarat was being recited, the looks of anxiety seemed to disappear and were replaced with looks of love of the Ahlul Bayt (as).
 

                            At the Haram of Bibi Masuma (sa)

This love is the driving force that will keep the boys going when Allah decides to test our patience during the trip. Inshallah, all our ziyarats will be accepted and all these boys can take a step closer to Allah.

Abbas Ali Kassam of Toronto, mentor for Bab al-Ilm