SOCIALISING AT STANMORE
06 September 2009 14:09
Monday 31st August by Feisal Salemohamed
What’s better than organising an event where brothers in Islam meet each other and share common beliefs?
On Saturday 29th August, Stanmore Jeffery’s held the event that passes by every Ramadan which many youths look forward to attending and it is the event where the youths become closer to each other and Islam by expressing their inner feelings.
We start with the organisation as it is the core base of any event that can take place thanks to Ali Hassam, Kazim Pardhan and Bilal Sheikh from Birmingham who were in charge for collecting all the forms and names of the boys participating in this very exciting event. The organisers worked very hard in making sure everything was going to plan, they organised two minibuses which comfortably took us there and back with the help of two very kind and generous drivers, Mohamed Uncle Kassamali and Uncle Azeem bhai Jetha who gave up their time and were willing to take us without any hesitation. The minibuses left Birmingham at promptly 6:30pm and we reached Stanmore at around 8:30pm in the evening where we started with Iftar and having a rest, waiting for the fun social event to start.
Many groups were formed within many different communities one of them including Watford. Each group had a mentor from the hosts Stanmore to take charge of that particular group and make sure behaviour is up to a high standard.
How did the event go then??
Firstly my peers and I who were all from Birmingham met our mentor and we had a discussion circle which included simply introducing ourselves and getting to know each other. This included saying your name, where and what you are currently studying and what you want to achieve in this holy month of Ramadan.
A lot of positive answers were said, some including, “I would like to change and become more spiritual” and others like “I would want to recite the Quran more and keep up with fasts.” These are good answers not just for the present but seem that the youth also want to be consistent in the future too, the future looks bright!
After this useful introduction, each mentor then took the groups to probably the best meal of the night, some burgers and chips! All the youths ate, some relaxed and some caught up in the premiership action that day!
Next was the more enjoyable and popular activity of the night in my opinion, football! Many teams were made and we got the matches started, the most important and positive factor of this activity is that many youths met other youths and worked together to achieve a goal! Many brothers introduced themselves to each other and communication skills were at its peak within the teams, a lot of respect and courtesy was shown to each other which is something parents should be proud of.
Next on the list of this event was the chance to face off your rival in a game of your choice on a PS3 or Xbox, something we all love! There were many games to keep you occupied, big names such as Call of Duty 4 in HD on the Xbox 360 and not to forget everyone’s favourite Pro Evolution 09 and Fifa 09 in HD on the Xbox and PS3. Some other less hardcore games were played on the fun Wii.
Furthermore, the next activity was a more serious and a more mature group conversation. Each group including mine were taken in a room where we met a senior youth scholar within the Stanmore community and we talked about topics which youths are normally stuck with or would like to consult an experienced youth for their enquiries. Some topics included the 3 types of nafs that we have and how we can control our inner desires.
The discussion was very positive and inspiring, there was real understanding between the teacher and students. There were also a lot of mature, wise questions from the youths within the group which also got the teacher thinking!
In addition, after this wonderful, inspiring talk, the group were in freedom in participating in any activity they wanted, others including light boxing and table tennis. Reciting the Quran was a suitable option too.
The night passed very nicely with a lot of positive and mature behaviour with all ages from youths in different communities. Fajr dawned upon us and all the youths did their wudhu and with the help of the mentors, we prayed outside and not in the mosque! There were prayer mats laid outside the mosque at the car park where we prayed in front of nature, mashallah. The reason for this was viable, we learnt that it was mustahab to pray outside where we see nature and we recognise how beautiful it is to pray under the sky. Although it was freezing, we were told by the leader of the congregational prayer that we should all make sacrifices sometimes and that sometimes a little bit of cold does not harm anyone but in fact is good for our souls. As much as I was cold, I personally thought it was a good idea to pray outside, it gives us the chance to glorify Allah and his creation and we also feel closer to God spiritually.
After the Fajr prayers had taken place, many youths began to feel tired and many relaxed and talked about how the event had gone for them.
My peers and I sat in a circle with the main organiser of Stanmore Shuayb Ismail and we discussed what we benefited throughout this fun and religious event and there were yet more positive comments from youths such as, “We were happy with this event because I gained more religious knowledge” and “It was perfect, could not have been better” coming from one of the youngest ones. There was one present that groups received from their mentors which were wristbands that said, “What would Imam E Zamana do?” This band was a symbol to make us recognise that before any act, what would the Imam of our time do and how would he act? I thought it was something very important to have as a reminder before we carry out any act in our day to day lives.
What did I learn and what was achieved?
I personally thought that it was a good experience for me and my peers. I not only learned about the rulings of Islam but also learnt how important it is to keep a good relation with another brother in Islam no matter what their differences are because one day our brothers will come to our aid when we most need them. Many things were achieved such as respect, trust and also feeling the inner spirituality within you. The most important act of the night for me was praying outside, it is not something we normally would do which made it more amazing, it made me realise how important is it to pray underneath the sky and how incredible Allah has created nature that surrounds us every day of our lives.
Would I recommend it?
I would definitely recommend it to youths of all ages because not only do you meet other people but you also achieve a lot of spirituality which is something good for the Akhirah.
“Article from Abbasi Youth (of Birmigham): http://www1.ksmnet.org/20090903337/Abbasi-Youth/Event-Reports/Socialising-at-Stanmore.html
