Updated 25 January 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 Sister Fatima Siraj of Karachi, Pakistan. She recounts her experiences as follows:
From attending thought provoking twilight sessions in the haram of Bibi Masuma Qum(a.s) as the rising sun streaked hues of red, yellow, and orange in the sky to forming lasting bonds with like-minded people from all over the world, the Madinah al-Ilm and Bab al-Ilm 2011 Short Summer Courses in Iran were undoubtedly the best experience of my life. What could be better than visiting our 8th Holy Imam (as) during the blessed month of Ramadhan? Not only did we get this privilege, we were also lucky enough to be taught by amazing lecturers on a daily basis.
Whether it was because of Sister Najiya's thoroughly brilliant lectures on the philosophy of Islam or Brother Ali Hemani's interesting takes on the life of the great Imam (as) we had come to visit, we left Iran at the end of two and a half weeks, more enlightened than before. We left with tearful goodbyes but with a renewed spirit; a resolution to change our lives for the better. The highlights of our time in Qum would be the lunch at the dastarkhan of Bibi Masuma (a.s), the visit to Ansariyan book store where we unleashed the readers within us and bought lots of books and the time spent at Jamiat-uz-Zahra. The remarkable university had become home to us and the people studying and working there became family. I would love to go study there sometime in the near future!
Mashhad was a whole different experience altogether. Just being in the city where a masoom is buried had its own importance. The daily ziyarats at the haram during the early hours of the morning can only be described as beautiful and special. Memories from Mashhad that I have taken with me are many. There was the Juma Namaz at the haram followed by the famous takbir that we all had learned by heart at the end of the trip. Then there was the trip to the graveyard where all the martyrs from the Iranian revolution were buried; it was a very moving and inspiring experience for all of us. We were even taken to the prison where leading activists of the revolution including Ayatullah Khamenei were kept for days on end and brutally tortured. It was an immense eye opener for us and we were made to realise how important standing up for Islamic beliefs is.
The best experience for me from the entire trip would have to be Dua-e-Tawassul at Masjide Jamkaran. Just sitting there under the open sky, listening to Brother Asim tell us about the importance of the place and feeling the presence of the twelfth Imam (ajfs) around us was surreal. The heartfelt cries of 'ya wajeehan indallah,ishfa'alana indallah' still echo in my ears at times and I'd do anything to go back. It was a trip that spiritually awakened us and made us realize what truly matters in life i.e. living up to the standards expected of us as followers of the Ahlul Bayt. The mentors, organisers (I can’t thank Sheykh Kumail enough for his patience, dedication and humility) and volunteers who helped us throughout and made sure that this trip was one we'd always remember. A big thank you to you all. Jazakallah.
To register for the Madinah and Bab Summer Courses in 2012 email madinahbabcourse@world-federation.org
For more information email madinahbabcourse@world-federation.org
To help a student participate on this course click here to donate