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.

Read more »

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 »

The Best Lens

Last night was a full lunar eclipse, and alhumdulillah, I was able to pray the two rakah from the tradition of our Prophet, sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for it. It was an interesting night and turn of events.

It started with a post on MuslimMatters.org that reminded me of the eclipse and the prayer that goes along with it. Last year, the eclipse was on March 3rd, 2007, and I was unable to pray the prayer due to a dawath at my house during the time of the eclipse. So I remember making the intention one lunar year ago that I would do my best to catch the lunar eclipse and pray the two rakah from the Sunnah for it, bi’ithniAllah. Thanks to the MuslimMatters.org post, I was informed of the eclipse to be at 9:00pm and got myself hyped up to pray. Read more »

Meeting Umar Lee at MAS-ICNA Conference 2007 – Final

After we left the bazaar, we met Tariq Musleh, Omer Hedroug, Omar Maktabi and some IFS boys, then went to go pray Isha with Ahmed Mustaffa. Then we headed back to the hallway to meet Umar.

Umar was chilling and helping out at a booth that was set up right outside the bazaar for an-Nisaa Woman’s Shelter. The plan was to take him on the “welcome to Chicago” Muslim standard: drive down Lake Shore, hit up Devon, etc. But we ended up going across the street to Aldo’s Restaurant for some broccoli cheddar soup and cake using Umar’s $20 stack of Rosemont food tickets. Read more »

Meeting Umar Lee at MAS-ICNA Conference 2007 – pt. 2

We stood outside the bazaar exit and exchanged salaam with Umar Lee. He was helping out with one of the charity booths that poured out of the actual bazaar area. “You guys are a little early.”

“Yeah, we’re here to check out the bazaar and stuff,” AbdelRahman told him. One of main reasons we wanted to hit up MAS-ICNA that night was to make some purchases. AbdelRahman wanted to buy some itthar, I wanted to buy the Pray As You Have Seen Me Pray DVD by 1 Islam Productions for a sister who accepted Islam.

I had only heard about the DVD and seen it on online Islamic shops, but actually found out it was a great prayer guide when a brother who recently accepted Islam from ICN told me how beneficial it was for him to learn how to pray. AbdelRahman told me he saw it for just five bucks from one of the vendors at MAS-ICNA so I was really excited to run in and pick up a copy before they sold out. Read more »