| Student's Report After First Week at Islamic Institute of Postgraduate Studies - Damascus, Syria |
Alhamdulillah! Allah (SWT) has indeed blessed me with the opportunity
to be a part of this experience. It has been a full week for me here in
the city of Sayyida Zainab  , and what a week it has been. I
have experienced everything from the beauty and magnificence of the
Haram, to driving with a driver on the wrong side of the road! Coming
from the west it has been a quite a culture shock, however every minute
of it has been an eye-opening realization and experience. I arrived a
few days before classes started and so had the opportunity to get
acquainted with my new surroundings. Shopping in the bazaars was
definitely very different from walking around in Orange County,
California, however it was extremely refreshing. One quality that drew
my attention right from the beginning was that the people here are all
very content despite the hardships they face. They are happy with what
they have, despite sitting in the same crowded alley selling the same
fawakeh (fruits) as the person beside them day after day, they are
still always smiling and content with their lives. Another big
difference that I'm really getting to love is that everywhere we go
instead of greeting with 'hi' and 'hello' we greet everyone with peace,
'Salamun 'Alaykum.Being in the proximity of Sayyida Zainab has been absolutely
amazing. My husband Jaffer and I have been able to walk to the Haram
every night for our maghrib prayers. We can even see the minarets from
our room at home! It's hard to believe after less than a week of Arabic
classes with our Mu'allims, I was able to hold some sort of a
conversation with a lady at the Haram. Granted a conversation that
would take 5 minutes took us 15 minutes, due to all the hand gestures
that were needed, but it was exciting to be able to communicate with
the few words and expressions we had learned in class with someone. We
were able to talk about everything beginning from where we were from to
what brought us to Syria, and also about our families back home. Mumtaz
(excellent) indeed!Our Mu'allims here at the institute have been extremely patient and helpful in using several different interactive methods in teaching us. All four of us first year students come with no Arabic background and have Alhamdulillah grasped quite a bit in the week that we have been in class. It is hard to pick my favorite class, as all of our Mu'allims have different personalities and therefore different styles of teaching. I benefit from each class differently and InshAllah I have no doubt that I will continue to do so. Twice a day we have 1 hr tutorial sessions set up where we review our previous classes, that is extremely beneficial and helps us constantly review the material we are being given. In the week that I've been here, we have already had the opportunity to meet two representatives of the highest ranking Maraaje', Sheikh Haleem, the representative in Syria of Ayatullah Seestani, and Ayatullah Husseini the representative in Syria of Ayatullah Khamenei. When we went to see Sheikh Haleem, we were pleasantly surprised by the presence of Syed Mohsin Hashemi from the office of Ayatullah Seestani in Qum! We were also blessed to be able to each ask a question to Ayatullah Husseini, and each received an in depth response to our questions. They all gave us their blessings and du'as to succeed in our endeavor and encouraged us to come back and visit them if we had any questions and also to let them know of our progress.  IIPS Students with Sheikh Haleem and Syed Mohsin Hashemi  IIPS Students with Ayatullah Husseini It is evident that we have experienced and learned quite a bit in just the week that we've been here. InshAllah there is no doubt that we will have a lot to share in the months to come, and of course with our communities when we return! To everyone that has been supportive of this journey and is praying for our success, 'shukran jazeelan'! Sabihabai Jaffer Damascus, Syria. 14 September 2007. |
Google Translation
Sayyida Zainab as
