Updated 7 March 2012

In the summer of 2011, 57 lucky students participated in the journey of a lifetime and joined the excellent Madinah and Bab Summer Courses run by The World Federation.

One of these participants was Brother Abbas Kazim-Ali Alidina of Dar es Salaam Jamaat, Tanzania. He recounts his experiences as follows:

I begin in the name of Allah (SWT), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Alhamdulilah, by the grace of the Almighty, I was given the golden opportunity to visit the holy shrines and various other landmarks in Iran. For this, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to Allah (SWT), my parents and the organisers of this fruitful camp.

The trip, which lasted roughly three weeks, was a great learning opportunity in terms of Islamic knowledge, meeting new people and experiences that will never be forgotten. Surprisingly, a sense of unity and brotherhood developed very fast amongst us campers. Alhamdulilah, this feeling of comradeship is very strong, to the extent that it still exists within us today, despite the fact that we live in different parts of the globe.
 
Over the course of this trip, we were blessed with numerous learned and renowned scholars; Sheikh Komail Rajani, Sheikh Ali Arustu, Sheikh Mohammed Khalfaan, Sheikh Ali Hemani, and Sheikh Murtaza Alidina amongst others. These scholars enlightened us on various Islamic-related topics, such as Misconceptions about the Shiite Faith, Tafseer of Surah Yusuf, and Comparative Religions. Alhamdulilah, we managed to grasp a lot of knowledge regarding all these topics, and we are wholeheartedly thankful to these scholars for accompanying us and spreading their knowledge to us. May God bless them in this world and in the Hereafter!

It was great pleasure to offer Salaat, to supplicate, and to perform Ziyarah in the sanctity of the holy locations in Qom and Mashhad, especially in the Haram of Bibi Masuma Qom (SA), the Haram of Imam Ali Ar-Ridha (AS), and not forgetting at Masjide Jamkaran. Offering prayers and just communicating with the Almighty was the only thing we could concentrate on near these Holy personalities. Just being in the presence of these holy personalities, and Late Grand Ayatollahs, lead us to having this spiritual state that made us always longing to go to the Haram. This feeling resulted in genuine and sincere contemplation and reflection.

This year, the participants were blessed and fortunate to observe a number of fasts in the best of months, Mahe Ramadhan, in the holy city of Mashhad, near our 8th noble Imam! Fasting for long hours was truly a challenge; however, we enjoyed every single minute of it. Fasting in this holy city left us with a different feeling; a more spiritual and godly feeling that accompanied us throughout our stay in Mashhad during Mahe Ramadhan.

Apart from the Holy Shrines that we visited, we also paid our respects to the martyrs during the Iraq-Iran war. Moreover, we visited the prison of Savak, today a museum. This visit touched the heart of each and every individual, as the torture, which the Iranians had to undergo for the Iranian Revolution to be successful, was indescribable and unbearable to even listen to. Truly, God was with these revolutionary visionaries. May Allah (SWT) bless their souls!

Furthermore, we were lucky and privileged to meet several eminent and distinguished scholars. We met Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari and Grand Ayatollah Saeedi. In spite of having tight schedules, these prominent scholars welcomed us to Iran and answered our questions and doubts on a variety of issues.

There is so much more to write about. I can write pages and pages about this unforgettable experience. However, the experiences that this trip had to offer could never be justly described through words of speech or writing. One must experience this for themselves.

Lastly, this trip has provided a strong foundation for spiritual upliftment and development within us. I pray that every youth gets this extraordinary chance to attend a Bab or Madinah-ul-Ilm course in Iran. If you ever have an opportunity to attend these courses, do not decline the chance, for it is a memorable and exceptional course that will definitely benefit you!

For further information on this year’s courses or to apply as either a mentor or participant, please click here