Updated 5 December 2012
In the summer of 2012, The World Federation once again ran the world-renowned Madinah & Bab Short Courses in Iran. The Courses attracted 60 participants, boys and girls, from across the world.
Abbas N. Ali of Toronto, Canada, describes the inspirational effect of the Course:
As Shia Ithna Asheris we are truly blessed to have the opportunity to start a new year with the reminder of the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate stand against injustice by Imam Hussain (A.S) on the holy lands of Karbala 13 centuries ago. During these holy nights of Muharram, we are given a chance to reflect on how we have acted in the way of Allah (swt) over the past year, and how we plan to continue our quest to stay on Siraat-ul-Mustaqeem over the next year.
As I reflect over the past year, I am reminded of the amazing, once in a lifetime experience I had attending the Madinah al-Ilm Summer Short Course in Iran. The three weeks I spent in the holy cities of Qum and Mashhad are still crystal clear in my mind. From our daily visits to the Shrine of Bibi Masuma (sa), to our Tuesday nights in Jamkaran, to our intellectual morning classes, it was all part of a truly magnificent experience.
As we arrived to meet all our fellow brothers whom we were going to live the next three weeks with, everyone was anxious and nervous about the upcoming journey. We were all looking forward to finally visiting our Holy Imam and his Sister’s shrines, but we were also nervously-excited in getting the chance to spend this journey with new people from all over the world; bringing with us our own personal experiences.
One of my fondest memories of the Short Course in Iran were the morning classes that we had with various speakers including Shaykh Safdar Razi, Shaykh Kumail Rajani, Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan, Shaykh Abbas Ismail, Brother Ali Arastu, and Sayyid Ali Aqib Jaffry. During the first few days of the Course when we discovered we would have to attend classes on most mornings, most of us dreaded the task of having to wake up early to attend these classes. But as the days went on, and the topics of the Journey of the Soul, The Existence of God, and Tafseer of Ayatul Kursi went further in depth, we dreaded the classes no more. We came to realize how important and interesting these classes had become, and looked forward to them in the morning. We finally understood how important of a role these classes would play in how we shape our lives in the future. These classes enabled us to strengthen our roots and at the same time discover the true beauty of Islam. It prepared us for the challenging future that many of us face in our communities at home.
Adding on to the great lessons from the various speakers, we were also grateful to have such amazing mentors in Miqdad Rajabali, Qasim Gulamhussain, and Qasim Mawjee. The mentors were truly inspirational in everything they did and said, and were always there to lead the way. We were able to turn to them at any time for great advice and for any curious questions we had. Alhamdulillah, they were not just our mentors for the three weeks in the course, but will be our mentors for the rest of our lives, inshallah.
Our visits to the shrine of Bibi Masuma (sa) and Imam Raza (as) were absolutely jaw-dropping. The feeling inside the shrines is such that one cannot experience anywhere else. It was a chance for us to reflect on all our wrong-doings and ask Allah (swt) for forgiveness in the name of the holy personalities whose shrines we had come from far to visit. Offering salaat and duaa in the shrines is an amazing experience; an experience that cannot be put into words. We all felt humbled to be present so near to the Holy Imam and his sister along with various grand Ayatullahs who have been buried nearby.
Personally, for me, there were two memorable moments during this short course. The first was the recitation of Dua Tawassul in the holy Mosque of Jamkaran. Sitting under the open sky asking for the shafaat of the Ahlul Bayt (as) with hundreds of others is something I will never forget. I am still reminded, every Tuesday, of the amazing nights in Jamkaran. The second was the rare opportunity we got to pray jamaat salaat behind Ayatullah Khamenei. It was such an unexpected chance that we got and I am truly thankful to Allah (swt) to have given me the chance to pray behind such a knowledgeable personality.
We were also blessed to have been given the chance of spending parts of the holy month of Ramadhan in the holy city of Qum. It was surely a new experience fasting in such heat for fairly long hours, but Alhamdulillah there is no better city to hold these fasts in, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
I have so many great memories from the trip, and as I keep on writing they all come flowing back. I am so grateful to Allah (swt) to have been given the chance of being a part of this Short Course. It enabled me to look at my life differently, and enabled us all to get closer to our Almighty Creator (swt). I pray that each one of our youth, especially in the situations and hardships our young generation and our communities are going through today, is given the chance to experience this amazing once-in-a-lifetime journey that comes with attending Bab and Madinah al-Ilm Short Summer Courses in Iran.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the organizers who make this trip possible every summer no matter the circumstances. I would especially like to thank Shaykh Kumail Rajani who was working day and night to ensure that we were getting the most out of this amazing journey. I cannot thank him and the other organizers enough for an amazing job well done.
On an end note, let’s pray for the hastening of the reappearance of our Imam Mahdi (A.S) and recite a Surah-e-Fatiha for all the marhumeen of the participants, speakers, organizers, and mentors.