The Long Road Ahead

This Aint No Ocus Pocus

Today we would like to share an amazing experience with you. We were initially going to write about our first day lecturing at the University of
Ain Shams, but that can now wait a few days insha Allaah.

Anyways, so the story goes like this: Its time for Maghrib and we head of too the Masjid, the imam has already began the prayer and we can hear the Ayaat from Surah Ar Rahman “Which favours of your Lord do you deny?”

In front of me stood an old man who we see regularly in the Masjid, he struggles to get up and down from Sujood but still makes the Jam’aat Alhamdulillah. Half way through the second Ra’akaat he bows forward, and I really thought because he was tired he was going to sit down, but all of a sudden he makes a grunting sound and from going down in front, he flies off his feet and head first into the Saff behind him and all I could hear was a “THUMP”. I thought his head had smashed open, Subhan Allaah I found it so hard to keep my concentration during the rest of the prayer, the people directly behind him got up and took him to the back of the Masjid.

The Amazing thing was, how could an old man lift himself off his own two feet and do a half summersault backwards? When we finished praying an Egyptian brother told us, the old man was possessed with a Jinn, and when the Jinn heard the Verses from Surah Ar Rahman he just flipped. (No Pun Intended) Subhan Allaah. The old man is well and lives to see another day with the Grace of Allaah Azza Wajal.

Every so often it takes stories like this to make us reflect and maybe it will make one of YOU reading, reflect on the creations of Allaah and remember life is precious, make the most of every second you have. As, things change and change quickly, so keep at the forefront of your mind the words of your lord, detailed in Surah Ar Rahman, Ayaat 14 – 18; 

He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery,
And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke: 

Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?                                                                                                                                   (He is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests: 
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

May Allaah keep us upon the Haqq. Aameen

The Journey Continues

Tehseen & Azim

One Down… 

By the grace of Allah Azza’Wajal today we completed level one of Kitab Al Assasi. We did this in five weeks, and Alhamdulillah Shaikh Majdi feels we are making good progress and we got 75% + in our exams. However you may ask, hasn’t it been eight weeks since you went to Egypt? And you would be right in saying that, however we have only had five weeks of study due to a series of holidays, first our own, then that of Eid Al Adha and then that of our teacher.

Regardless though this benchmark means, Our Long Road Ahead has got that little shorter Alhamdulillah. Cairo is actually becoming to feel like home, the first few weeks were really difficult but with the Grace of Ar Rauf things have settled and we have established a routine and inshAllah we are stronger from the experience.

Its really weird in England, you call PK back home and you shy away from being British. However, here the story is really twisted. England has become back home, despite a burning desire to put in place a plan on the return ‘home’ to make Hijra, probably to Misr or Pakistan. And the whole British thing is bizarre, as when you see a British brother (which for anyone who has spent time here, Britishers stand out, and its not only because they have long beards) it really cheers you up. You are genuinely pleased to see him. You share the sadaqa; exchange smiles and walk on, never stopping to speak. Its like an unwritten rule, lets not stop and chat, you know there is always someone listening here, and you do not want any unnecessary attention.

Hence, many brothers keep themselves to themselves and don’t really associate with other brothers from the west, which is fair enough with the reputation of Egyptian Police, just check Al Jazeera. However, Cairo is still full of foreign students mainly from the UK and the US, and Subhan’Allah when you ‘meet’ each other, it really is heart warming.

Anyway for anyone planning to come out here, prepare to see and exhibit such strange behaviour.

With that We sign off and Continue Our Journey and ask you to do us a small favour. The favour is can you please make dua for the person who inspired us to start this journey. There is a brother, who between you and ourselves will go by the qunya, MC, and he called last week and gave us some encouragement for the journey which we are taking and he himself has taken and continues on. Therefore if you can, remember him in your dua, and pray that Allah keeps him firm, just, and with the ability to continue to carry the responsibilities he does.

Fee Amaanillaahi

Azim & Tehseen

 For Allah is with those who patiently persevere

Chapter 8, Verse 46

Those that have been waiting, please click on the tab above (Quran) and download the files for your patience has been rewarded.

Jazak Allahu Khayran

The Journey Continues…

The Eid of Al Qahira…  

 “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”              

[Al-Ahzaab 33:59]   

Alhamdulillah in this past week we enjoyed our first Eid in the African Peninsula. And it was one of mixed emotions.  After we prayed Fajr we put on our new thobes, atur and Shimag and set off to the car market. Yes the car market. The car market or ‘Souk As Siyaraat’ as it is known in Nasr City, is where many of the Muslims were to gather for the Eid prayer and it was a great experience.  As we brought our freezing bodies to the extensive open plane, (which to visualise, is approximately the size of three full size football pitches), our hearts were warmed by the several thousand people that had also gathered. Yes, the several thousand people, who were raising their voices to the Taqbir of Eid, which is rarely heard in England.     

As the decibels rose, the time for the prayer set in and we prayed the Eid prayer on the concrete of the souk and then sat down to listen to a most unexpected but fantastic Eid Khutbah. The Imaam, Hafiz Ullah brought our attention to holding firm to Al Islam and then followed this up with an all encompassing and moving Dua. One of those you used to hear before the War on Islam, sorry, Terror started. 

After this, we set of to the butchers, where I awaited Number 7 to appear. Number 7 was my goat, I didn’t seek to give it a name, otherwise I may get attached to it and you know well…it may have been spared. Anyway, number 7 appeared and I stepped up and took my knife and after starting with Allah’s name started the process of cutting the throat of my sacrifice for Allah Azza’Wajal in the footsteps of many before me on the sunnah of the Khalil of Allah. 

After this experience, which was surprisingly easy, we set off back home, and it was on the way home, that the Eid experience began to change. And the ayat I opened with became all the more frightening. As we were informed that apparently on this day of blessings, many of the young sisters of Al Qahira remove their hijabs. Ergo they add the following three words to the ayat…   

….’except on Eid’  

And subhanAllah over the forthcoming three days we found that this horrific news was actually true. Despite many of the sisters in Cairo being confused as to the reality of Hijaab throughout the other days of the year anyway, this delusional state is further exacerbated by the 10^th Dhull Hijja. Please watch this video to appreciate what I am trying to say;     

http://ummahfilms.blogspot.com/2006/11/thats-not-hijab-ummah-films-season-2.html                                                       

(Don’t Worry, This is a brother explaining the issue) 

Therefore I seek to sign off now again, and pray that Allah accepts our good deeds that we have done this month, and announce that very shortly InshAllah we will be bringing you a true gem of Cairo, a gem who leads us in pray every day and has won a permanent place in our hearts….