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Boarding
the plane in Cairns was rushed as my family drove me hurriedly
and dropped me in front of the terminal to run and pick up my boarding pass. I
was born in Sydney in New South Wales but I had been living
everywhere but there and this was to be my first experience of
the city of Sydney and the Shia community there. So my dua'a
implored the Almighty to help me. "Oh
Allah, I am in Your Hands. I submit myself completely to Your
Will. I do not know the place where I am going nor do I know
the people. Please help me Allah." I
noted the Ear Nose and Throat Doctor from Cairns was in
Business Class but I was directed to a seat in Economy Class. Thoughts
of expensive specialist Doctors visits passed through my mind
as I justified why he could afford the luxury of Business
Class, while us mere teachers were in the back of the plane.
For the most part of the journey, I wondered what Sydney was
going to be like as I went over the arrangements of who was meeting
me at the airport and where I was to stay on my Mother's
advice. Al-Zahra
College and the Bookshop Touching
down in Sydney, with no idea where to go in the huge terminal,
I decided not to stress about it, powder my nose, turn on my
mobile phone and follow the crowd who, I deducted, must be
going in the right direction. A voice mail message said Haji
was waiting for me, pacing the floor, wearing his traditional
'Arab Islamic robes. Haji Ahmad is the Chairman of the Al-Zahra
College in Sydney, and even though we'd had two years of
telephone dialogue of whether or not I'd work in Sydney, I was
finally to meet him and his colleague, face to face, and I wasn't
sure how I felt about that. It was so pleasant, however, to
find a quietly spoken, polite gentleman with a neatly trimmed
beard and crisp clean robes. A
quick phone call to Haji Mahmoud of the Al-Zahra Muslim
Association had him jumping in his taxi to open the book shop,
subhan'Allah. The much loved books of Victory News Magazine
and family have been a pivot point for all our personal studies
and references for work online for my Mother, my sister and
myself. It was to be half an hour before Haji Mahmoud would be
there and Haji Ahmad took me on a tour of the Al-Zahra College
in Sydney after passing through hectic traffic to get there.
The College is nestled beautifully in a quiet street near the
Al-Zahra Mosque and is the only Shia primary school in
Australia. Beautifully presented, all the rooms faced into a
central courtyard to a water fountain with no water. The
reality of life in Sydney in 2004 are water restrictions,
drought and looming expectations of importing water.
Alhamdulillah for Tayammum. Teaching
in the State School system in Queensland, I was unaccustomed
to such cleanliness. On the teacher's desks at the College,
there was nothing but an in-tray and clean surfaces, the
windows were shiny clean and there was not a leaf to be found
in the courtyard. An older gentleman came
toward us as we toured the school and a look of humility came
across Haji Ahmad's face. I guessed the older gentleman was
someone important, but he looked so grandfatherly, I just couldn't
stop smiling. He was introduced as the "Boss of
Everything", Haji Hassan Saleem and the Caretaker and
"Backbone of the College". So far, Sydney was
pretty impressive and my outfit seemed to go down well too. I
was praising Allah (swt) for my black jilbab with
electric blue cuffs and pockets that my sister had made me, sub'han'Allah,
after all, I felt as though I was under a microscope as Haji
Hassan said he knew who I was. Al-Zahra
Muslim Association The
relaxed wanderings at Al-Zahra College were interrupted by the
shrill sound of my mobile phone with the voice of a busy Haji indicating he was impatiently waiting for me on the
road outside the Mosque to open the bookshop. The bookshop
revealed an array of glorious books and a broken cardboard
cartoon with tasbihs pouring out the sides. The chosen
books were eventually decided upon and while I counted in my
mind how much it was going to cost, a quick phone call to Mum
I checked on a few of the books, only to be greeted by the
kindly Haji saying something like, "This is a gift and
is for an Islamic cause." Subhan'Allah. So far, the
only Shias I had met in Sydney had delightful
manners, kindly smiles and a great desire to be of
assistance. The
Majlis Meanwhile,
the Sisters were waiting for me at the Majlis while I
informed Haji where I needed to go, who in turn instructed
the driver, Hussayn. Finally delivered into the hands of the
ladies on the Friday, I was astonished to find at least 80
women in one big old rambling house. Hajjah came running down
the stairs with open arms and a bright face, embracing me with
hugs and kisses, and I instantly felt at home and loved as a
true sister in Islam. Ushered
upstairs to the gathering of women, with the recitation
through an amplifier, I was directed to sit near the Hajjah
giving the recital and I became overwhelmed and emotional to
be in such a gathering of Shia women. A myriad of different
faces, all intensely listening to the recital in remembrance
of Imam Hussayn ('a), Lady Zaynab ('a) and the family of
the Prophet (s) at Karbala. During the Ziyarat of Imam Hussayn
('a) everyone stood to face Qibla, which was
explained to me as tradition. The most emotional experience I
had was during the recital of the Dua'a for Lady Zaynab
('a) whereby the ladies gently patted their chest on the
left side, with their right hand, in unison. There were women
and children of all ages and many ethnic groups, but I think I
was the only convert Australian amongst them. The
Majlis Topic Discussion
during and after the Majlis was on the topic of
marriage, the duties of a wife and the high station held by a
wife and still looking for
a husband myself, I was keen to pick up any tips and take as
much knowledge as I could from these experienced Shia
wives. One older Iraqi sister boldly said to me, "You have to
serve your husband even if your back becomes bent," as
she curved her hand like a bent back. I wondered how many
younger sisters would agree with that. She added, "You must
respect your husband and take care of him, but you must think
of him as if he is a child. A wife holds a very important role
in the marriage. She has to keep the harmony. We
are stronger than men." Al-Zahra
Mosque  My hostess, the following day,
took me to the beautiful Al-Zahra Mosque, where we prayed.
Once again, gave our salams to Haji Ahmad and took some
photos. After a whirlwind shopping trip around markets and Muslim
shops, I established a nice rapport with a lovely sister in a
shop called Behind the Veil. So, now only one day into
the journey, I was heavily ladened with books, turbas,
clothes, hijabs, abayas, scarf accessories,
henna and bonnets. I was thoroughly excited about presenting
these to my family back home in Cairns.
More
socialising and meeting more Shia ladies and families and Shia
Muslim teachers, I was so exhausted that I was looking forward
to the flight back home Sunday morning so that I could sleep
on the plane, insha'Allah. Invitations came flooding in for
Muharram, Haj, and to stay for another week and I thanked them
all so kindly and praised Allah (swt) for giving me such a
wonderful experience and then flew home. May
Allah (swt) reward all of the kind souls of the people I
became friends with, who so kindly extended their hospitality
beyond expectation. Insha'Allah great rewards will come to
these Shias and one day we may meet again and keep in contact.
Amin. |
