SaqibSaab

5 Lessons Learned from Counseling at MMYC Spring Conference 2008 – pt. 2 of 2

[#3 - The Power of a Youth Camp/Retreat]

When the Prophet (SAW) grew up in Mecca, he would escape to the Cave of Hira to get away from society for a moment and reflect on life. After Prophethood, this practice of temporarily leaving life continued every Ramadan when the Prophet (SAW) made I’tikaf in the masjid year after year.

My wife, a Michigan native, has been attending the conference as a kid since it began in 2001 and continues today serving as a counselor. She wrote on her blog about the conference.

“I decided to come back again as a counselor this year at the conference, and it’s safe to say, that MMYC magic is still alive and well. I don’t know what it is about the conference that just *works*. Maybe it’s the speakers. Maybe it’s the hype of no parents + spring break + hotels. Maybe it’s the yearning to seek knowledge. Or maye it’s that all throughout the conference I was surrounded by a new batch of Muslim youth, soaking in the MMYC experience, making friendships, and being revitalized.”

I have attended just a few camps and retreats in my life, but every single time they change your life in ways you can’t while living life “normally” with school, work, and home. This is especially so for youth camps and retreats.

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5 Lessons Learned from Counseling at MMYC Spring Conference 2008 – pt. 1 of 2

I recently attended the MMYC 2008 Spring Conference in Michigan this past weekend. The conference is a annual retreat for high schoolers, and I served as a counselor for a group of young brothers attending. The conference is a success every year, and this year it sold out around 300 seats to high schoolers spending a weekend away from school and life to come closer to Allah.

It was my wife who convinced me to apply to be a counselor, and alhumdulillah I am so happy that I got accepted and went, as the event changed my life. I learned a number of lessons from counseling at the conference, and feel they apply just as much to anyone else involved in Da’wah. Read more »

White Palace Grill – Chilaquiles with Yasir Qadhi

Background

I woke up expecting to have some delicious Belgian waffles or fruit pancakes or something at Sweet Maple Cafe, but ended up going Mexican at White Palace Grill. The story of how this happened is quite roundabout.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi was in town for the weekend to speak at the American Oriental Society 218th Annual Call For Papers at the Renaissance Chicago. He had been attending the conference and its banquets, but wasn’t scheduled to speak until Monday morning. So Saturday, he called up Siraaj, who Emailed the Qabeelat Wasat volunteer team saying:

Ameer Qabeelat Wasat to wasat-leaders

Salaam alaykum,

Shaykh Yasir just called and said he would not be able to hang out tonight or tomorrow night. He is able to hang out for breakfast tomorrow, so whoever’s down for that, let me know, I’ll be heading out tomorrow to hang out with him, insha’Allah.

Siraaj

One sister from the team suggested we hit up Sweet Maple Cafe, a super busy and highly rated breakfast place by UIC on Taylor St. I had heard it’s awesome from lots of different sources but that it’s super packed on weekends. When I called they said they weren’t taking reservations for the time we were planning to get there, 11:00am. We decided let’s get there at 10:30AM or so and try to get in.

The whole crew of 10 showed up by 10:40AM and when we tried to get into the place, they said they had room for only 6 for now and the rest would have to wait. Bump that; AbdelRahman suggested why not go to White Palace Grill on Canal and Roosevelt by the new South Loop mall and Target. Some other brothers from UIC said it was solid, so we decided to go for it (after calling to see if they have availability!) Read more »

A NEW RECORD! Thirteen TONS of Biryani

[audio:http://www.saqibsaab.com/audio/a_new_record.mp3]
Indian chefs aim for record with 13-ton biryani

Mar 1, 2008

NEW DELHI (AFP) — Sixty Indian chefs on Saturday cooked a rice dish weighing 13-tonne (28,600 pounds) in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records, organisers said.

Three cranes dumped 3,000 kilos of Basmati rice, 85 kilos of chilli peppers, 1,200 litres of oil and 3,650 kilos of vegetables into a giant vat at a New Delhi sports stadium in the presence of a Guinness observer.

The steel vat was mounted on a three-foot high furnace while the chefs clad in fire-resistant outfits perched on a platform to stir the biryani — one of South Asia’s most popular dishes — with oar-like ladles.

The cooks threw “a pinch of salt” weighing 86 kilos into the 16-foot (4.87-metre) deep steel vat, organiser Gurnam Arora said.

The sponsors used a hose to pour 6,000 litres of water into the vat and sprinkled 10 kilos of exotic spices and aromatic condiments to prepare the tangy biryani, Arora said.

“This is a great activity to revive the feasting and celebration tradition associated with biryani in India,” New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit said.

Kaoru Ishikawa, a records manager from the British-based Guinness Book of World Records who was on hand for the 10-hour cooking session, said: “I’m here to certify them for preparing the world’s largest biryani weighing around 13,000 kilograms,” Ishikawa told AFP. Official recognition of the record is expected later in the year.

The dish would be divided and trucked to city orphanages once Ishikawa certified the weighing of the cooked biryani, garnished with carrots and 750 kilos of creamy yogurt, Arora said.

“This event is a one-of-a-kind endeavour unmatched by any other past culinary activity,” Arora said to the cheers of hundreds of spectators.

Currently, there is no listing for the largest biriyani in the Guinness Book of World Records, Arora said.

Source: AFP

The Rope of Allah (SWT) in Madras, India – Br. Umair Haseeb

Today’s topic is about The Rope of Allah azawajjal, faith in Islam.

Moving to India was a challenge for me. Nothing seemed to go right. Everything seemed to be out of place. I thought moving to India would be a cultural experience and it was, it just wasn’t Indian culture. It seemed as if I landed in a Third World America. Every one seemed to emulating the west. This was fine, but what bothered me is that they emulated the wrong aspects of the west. It was extremism to the evil light of the west.

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