ALBaseerah.org - AIAT Seminar: Educational Journey Of A Lifetime

October 16th, 2008, 14:53

Abu Jamiylah Abu Jamiylah is offline

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Join Date: Mar 2005

Posts: 5

AIAT Seminar: Educational Journey Of A Lifetime

Bismillaah

Was Salaamu 'alaykum
After travelling to many cities in the U.S. and coming back to rest in Brooklyn, NY, I was reminded of a flier I, myself had circulated all over the internet. It was for the Al-Baseerah.org (Al-Qur'aan wa As-Sunnah Society of NY) Ali ibn Abi Taalib Seminar.

I was informed by my Step-Daughter that she really wanted to leave the country and strengthen her deen. She wanted to go to the Seminar that I made her aware of. The problem was that she needed a mahram (that's where I come in).

Maa Shaa' Allaah walhamdulillaah! That was the beginning of a struggle that was followed by reward on top of compounded reward. Allaah is indeed merciful.

I believe were only about three weeks short of the deadline for the Al-baseerah seminar and I did not have enough money for the full amount of the trip.

The Shaykh Abu Sufyaan told me that there is no way he or Albaseerah wanted me to miss getting beneficial knowledge from the Scholars. He asked me how much I could afford up front and they could work with me from the second part. We came to an agreement of 1/2 the money up front. With that I needed to get the passport, menangitis vaccine and visa.

They walked with me through it from the beginning up until the night before the flight when Abu Sufyaan met me at the Masjid in Queens to give me the ticket package May Allaah preserve the Brother and reward him and everyone connected to al-Baseerah.org.

I will not forget the fact that actually, I had gotten past the time limits on a few of the matters with the trip and he worked with me to the last minute nonetheless.

A couple of times I had to call the Brother and let him know that I could not come up with the money and I would not be going and he insisted that I keep trying and to not give up. I am indeed glad that he pushed me with that.

That morning while I sat at JFK airport I enjoyed seeing all the Muslims who were showing up for the seminar. Some I had not seen in a long time the likes of Ibrahim Sales, and Brothers whom their efforts preceded them that I longed to meet like Abu Isa Hamzah and Aqeel Ingram and Rasheed Barbee.

The flight itself was beautiful and incredible. The reception we received in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was great walhamdulillaah. Then I saw another fine young Brother I had not seen since maybe 2001 Abu Essa Muhammad.

Al-Baseerah.org treated us very well and the three Buses they had for our convenience were airconditioned and very comfortable may Allaah bless and preserve them AMEEN.

The ride to madinah was itself a trip of a lifetime. To travel a road/highway where everything is connected to the Islaamic way of life. When you stop at rest stops there are Masaajid or musallas to accommodate the salaah walhamdulillaah.

We arrived at an excellent hotel in Madinah (the city of the Prophet salla llaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. We slept that night as we got in late and we rested the next day. And then the greatest experience in my life (second to shahaadah) happened. We had our first classes with the people of knowlege. There is no way and no matter how many of these testimonials you read, that anyone can convey to you how great it is to sit in the presence of these scholars. You have no choice but to be awestruck. And even more than that let me also say how good you feel and how privileged you come to know that your are to be in the company of the likes of Abu Sufyaan and the staff of Albaseerah.org. Every single scholar whom we took learning from began with these points:
1Bismillaah

2. Sending salaat and salaam upon the Prophet

3. Citing various ahaadith about the virtues, importance of and duty to seek knowledge

4. They commended us for being of those who would tread a path seeking knowledge

5. And every single one of them without exception made us know how fond they are of Brother Abu Sufyaan and there love and regard for AlBaseerah.org . (If you can make the journey to the two Haraam [Makkah and Madinah] you would do really well to make it with Al-Baseerah.org.

As I have to leave for a momentary errand, I will continue this post shortly inshaa' Allaah

October 17th, 2008, 19:42

Abu Jamiylah Abu Jamiylah is offline

Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2005

Posts: 5

Re: AIAT Seminar: Educational Journey Of A Lifetime

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Was Salaatu was salaam 'alaa Rasulihi Kareem wa 'alaa aalih wa sahbihi ajma'een wa ba'd

Was Salaamu 'alaa man itibiaa'al hudaa

A quick note. Contrary to many of the names that have been given to the Muslims in the west, you need to know that in the Lands of Islaam there is an old man who is diminutive in stature, about 5 feet even if that tall who is a Giant among the Scholars. He is 'Abdullaah al Ghudyaan. He is the Mashaayikh's Shaykh wal hamdulillaah. And the jewels that he imparted to us regarding Usool of Fiqh give strong clarity on the workings of this deen walhamdulillaah.
When we were beginning our courses there was a series of comprehensive workbooks that Al-Baseerah made available to go with certain classes. When I went outside to check on them, instead of letting me go across the street to change dollars to riyals, The Brother Zaahid remembered my struggle in getting to make the trip and told the Brothers to give the four Books to me without charge and again may Allaah Bless these Brothers.
They has displayed by example, not mere rhetoric that nothing is more important to them than the Muslims gaining knowledge (from the people most qualified to give it to us -- the schoars) of this deen.
To be continued.
I want to share my full experience but I want to make it easy reading so I am submitting short continuous posts inshaa' Allaah
Was Salaamu 'Alaykum
Abu Jamiylah

October 28th, 2008, 23:12

Abu Jamiylah Abu Jamiylah is offline

Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2005

Posts: 5

The Meningitas Shot

Bismillaah
Was Salaamu 'alaykum
I would like to back track a little and share another experience before going to Saudi Arabia for the Ali ibn Abi Taalib Seminar.
As I said, everything that was required was handled in the last three weeks before the seminar. I just got the shot three days before leaving.
When I shopped around for physicians to do the shots the fees were astronomical. I told Zaahid I did not see how I would be able to make the trip in light of this. He said: "Let me call you back this afternoon inshaa' Allaah and we will see what we find out." He called me back within the next half hour and gave me the number to the Noble Dr. Siddique in Woodbridge, NJ. I spoke to the Dr on the phone and told him the situation and he told me he and his family were going as well, so he told me he would not charge me the fee for his services only the shot.
It took three days to get to him. The first day I missed a connecting bus to get there and missed my appointment. The second day I caught the bus on time and the bus ended up in an accident with a tractor trailer truck. On the third day I finally got there and afterwards the Dr. refused to accept my payment for the shot.
Just wanted to share with my Brothers and Sisters this detail about the continuous support Brother Zaahid showed me and the nobility and generosity (Ikram) of Dr. Siddique May Allaah Bless him
was Salaamu 'alaykum
Abu Jamiylah

November 27th, 2008, 14:25

Abu Jamiylah Abu Jamiylah is offline

Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2005

Posts: 5

Knowing Who Is Who

Bismillaah

Was Salaatu was Salaam 'Alaa Rasuwlillaah wa ba'd

Was Salaamu 'alaykum

I am entering these posts as the memories come to me. I remembered something connected to my earlier post about the Noble Scholar shaykh Ghudayaan hafidhahullaah.

One day we were sitting waiting for the next Scholar to conduct a session (as we were applying the correct etiquette of not making the Scholars wait for us) and we saw that the speakers' chairs had been changed to a higher quality. There were two "flags" on stands, one white and one green.
We were not told at that time who was going to be speaking.

I remember a couple of my Brothers there saying:
"Uh oh. You know what time it is." Judging by what seemed to be a grand preparation, we knew it must be someone of high stature, since this spread was not made for any of the many scholars we had already sat with.
The Brother continued: "You know who's coming now. It's our Shaykh ..... "

I sat and appreciated being on this trip even more after that. I felt certain our Brothers were about to learn what we had been getting the privilege of learning from the weekly Albaseerah lectures and conferences online (through al-baseerah website, phone and paltalk).

That the people whom we are given from a certain level in the west, are not necessarily perceived on the same level by the Scholars themselves.

That is not to take anything (I dare not do that) from Shaykh but to point out that some people have exaggerated and gone to extremes in their positions regarding the Shaykh.

However, it turned out that the grand reception was for the Grand Mufti, the noble Shaykh Abdul 'Aziz Aali Shaykh hafidhahullaah.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we saw the regard the people there have for the Shaykh by the numbers of people who worked in the hotel and how distracted some of them were from their regular duties because they wanted just to have even a glimpse of the Shaykh.

I sat there humbled by the fact that in my lifetime, thanks to The Qur'aan wa As-Sunnah Society (Al-Baseerah.org) I was in the direct presence of and in the same room with the leading Scholars from Among the Scholars of this deen.

Allaah allowed me, a revert, who used to think it a "high honor" or big deal to see a movie star or famous musician in person on a stage, to see and actually love the idea of meeting the inheritors and preservers of this deen in person.

was Salaamu 'alaykum
Abu Jamiylah

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