Dreaming?

The reality of me leaving to Egypt has just hit me. I am going to Egypt tomorrow at 7. What will I be doing there, studying and trying to get my basics down for Arabic, maybe a tajweed course. I also want to see another country how people act, the different culture. I want to know how am I going to react to being independent. I am going by myself and staying with a roommate (I have no idea who it will be). I have to provide my own food. I have to learn how to travel. I need to learn how to ask for help, how to present myself. This sounds I dunno cheesy but a major reason I want to go, is to hear the Adhan for Fajr, to wake up and walk to mosque everyday. I believe when u travel you get a new insight on things, I believe me traveling to Egypt well make me realize how lucky I am to have a family and friends to help me out every step of the way.

Ask Allah sincerly for Forgivness and He will listen.

"I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all."

Marriage is the union of two souls, two families, two different ways of thinking, the union of a community, that when you get married within your community it strengthens it.

Farewell Party

Yesterday was my 18th bday and what can I say, I am still speechless. Over the past 18 years I have never done anything great on my bday nor did I ever want to. Sometimes I would forget my bdays on purpose because I would revaluate myself and see how I haven’t benefited the world to my full potential. This year though, it was different.

I walk in the school, around 9 in the morning, my eyes barley open because we had relatives over and they left around 2 30. I walk into the Harry Ainlay hallway, in a see a huge banner on my locker written “Happy Birthday Brother Nawid”. I read the comments, smiled, remembered the memories of those inside jks, Then I went to the library and again totally forgot about my bday and thought about my upcoming Eng exam. I studied hard for two hours and then went and I think AllhamduiAllah aced the exam.
Lunch was next, I was walking around waiting for Youcef and Yawer, so that we could go out and eat at subway. During the lunch people where acting kind of strange and I thought maybe something is up. But I was like nah probably not, so we should just go eat. Yawer was like okay lets go but lets get Hammad he in this room. We where walking to the room and the door is lock and the lights are off. It just totally didn’t occur to me, that there could be people they’re waiting for me. I was like Yawer no Hammad’s not there and started walking the other way. Until Yawer opens the door and Youcef chucks me into the classroom. I was astonished, speechless, and I looked at all my friends and bonds I have made over the past year. I didn’t say anything, I tried saying thank you, but my voice wasn’t loud enough. We had some cake and then a couple of close friends of mine, gave me gifts. I got a basketball ball, Colon (I wonder what kind of msg they are trying to give me), Gel and I also got a travel guidebook, I loved all the presents, and none of them needed to get me a present. The travel journal gift was the best, I want to go to a village sometime and just live with them, learn from them, that’s why this journal is priceless, but I don’t want to go by myself I want a companion to travel with me. I want my companion to see the world with me. For that I need to get Married, but yea that’s another post.

I know the rulings for Bday parties, and I have my own decisions after doing a little research, but I never once felt this as a bday party, it was more a farewell party, that I was leaving them and I think they wanted to thank me. The card they choused for me was priceless it says

“Sometimes we may not realize that everything we do affects not only our lives but touches others, too. A little touch of thoughtfulness that shows someone care creates a bit of happiness for both of you to share… And every time you offer someone a helping hand, every time you show someone you care and understand. Every time you have a kind and gentile word to give, you help someone find beauty in this precious life we live.”

The day went on, I began getting more and more emotional and realizing I am leaving this school and like a week, and I guess feared and understand some of the bonds of friendship are going to be broken. Everyone though everyone was telling me that you going to get better, that changes is not bad and I understand that but I am bad with departing, that’s probably why I want to stay in Edmonton with the ikhwan boyz, but I understand the older we get some of our paths might converge and some might diverge that’s life.

It was Jummah time, my last khutbaa. I forgot my paper that I had the format and evidence for the speech at home. My last but first khutbaa, I was nervous of speaking. I stood up in front of everyone said the intro of the speech, than paused. Looked at everyone, my heart started racing, and I just wanted to say thank you to all of them, some of them think I changed there lives but they don’t know the affect they had on my life and the affect they had on their own life. My khutbaa after that was terrible my mind was shut off; my heart went through a day of emotional ups and downs. My message was to tell them to believe and themselves to follow their principals and change the world for a better place.

After that went home and slept I was exhausted. Halaqa was at 7 45 went an listen the speech was good, the msg I picked out from it that we shouldn’t try to always discontinue other ppls hard work but instead to continue it and make it grow to new levels.

Then the brothers went out to Mona’s, I really didn’t feel like talking, just something on my mind, something that I wanted to do on that day but never had the opportunity to do, and when I did, I would have looked really bad. The brothers did have interesting talks and I enjoyed listening to them, and learning from them.

That was my day, kind of busy but enjoyable


So much more to write about, to little time, I got catch up with eng.
Salaams

Had no idea what to say but Thank you

History book

Salaams, today i had a semi like interview with one of the history teachers, we talked about the book in my segment in the book. I also convinced him to put a segment about Breaking Borders. It was funny he showed me my first draft which was written four-five months ago and asked me if i wanted to change anything. I looked at and saw how relevent it was to whats happening these days. I am open to any advice about my first draft.
The First draft:
I feel that Muslim students are being afraid to express who they are. They are beginning to try to hide their identity in order for them not to be a target in today’s society. They fear that if they, express who they are, they would lose many opportunities in life. I feel. The religion and those who follow it correctly should not be labeled as those who claim they are Muslim but yet, don’t follow the rules and guidelines which Islam has laid down. These days there are stereotypes on Muslim in the challenge for every Muslim student is to prove to them that those stereotypes are false. That instead of assimilating in forgetting who we are or isolating and taking violent means to insure their security or that they don’t get oppressed we teach, We give awareness to the community to what Muslims are really like. Muslims student’s challenges are not the negative comments or people being biased to them. It’s about spreading awareness to the community and teaching the world what Muslims are really about. I believe that stereotypes, negative comments and actions toward a group of people come through fear. Fear comes through lack of knowledge. So in order for Muslims to make differences they have to spread knowledge to the world what Islam is all about? This could be through many means, starting a club, dialogues or even an individual not being scared to of expressing his/her identity and showing people of how he is not a threat to society. It’s amazing to be in a multicultural school because it’s like a mini world. Where you have different nations under one roof, wherein in order to have the school flourish, you need to learn about the people around you. There’s so much potential in a multicultural school to change the world, because when something outrageous happens in the world in its blame on a religion, a person well say well that’s not true because I know so and so and he’s apart of that religion and he would never do such a thing.

My last Jummah Khutbaa of the year is coming up this Friday, coincidently the same day as my birthday. When I prepare for jummah khutbaa I look at my faults and how I can change them, and then write a khutbaa on that. Hence this khutbaa I look at the past year at Harry Ainlay high school, the toughest year of my life, I know it’s only my 17th and almost 18th but this was the toughest year. I did something different though instead of looking at the negatives of this year, I looked at the positives, and saw of course with Allah’s help, how much we accomplish as a school, as our mini Ummah. Therefore I realized this dream, these accomplishments, would have never succeeded if we didn’t believe in ourselves, if we didn’t have hope. The last khutbaa of mine is going to be about “impossible is nothing” (thx addidas). I want to tell the brothers and sisters that whatever you want to do in this life you can achieve, The only obstacle and barriers u have, is what u set. When u began thinking and believing in yourself then the next step, is what ur going to devout your time to, what are u going to take to new levels, and that’s when my brother sheriff steps in. Two khutbaaas left, I am actually going to miss Ainlay, I am going to miss how we are so tight, that we had an Ummah. Khair Inshallah, U of A, has a bigger Ummah more brothers to spread the love with.

“Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”