God bless the Flight Centre

I walked into the flight centre with MD just to get a few quotes to work with. As
my usual sources of cheap tickets were failing me miserably and i was getting ridiculous quotes for Cairo which were heart breakingly expensive

So when the consultant at the flight centre looked at his computer and said NM British airways is having a sale which ends today at 6pm the ticket is...... basically £100 less then all the other quote our system is showing up (concurrent with the ridiculous qoute i was finding)

the only down side being you have to book your ticket before 6pm or it jumps back up. ermm let me think about that....NOT so I handed over my card and brought my ticket and to add to the sweetness of this ticket am going from manchester to london to cairo so no painful waits in any eastern european countries!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Its official inshallah i am off on the 26 of jan and i return on the 14 of july. The last two weeks i am going to be joined by the ladies and we are going backpacking around egypt!!

I can't believe the deal and the way i just woke up and thought it was any other ordinary day!!

Alhamdulillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Winds of change

The winds of change have taken residence in our household. All this because a certain sibling has done fantastically well in her A-levels (yippy) and is now of to study at Liverpool for the next 3 years (absolute pants).

My other baby sister, has also done fantastically well in her GCSE’s and is about to start her A-level.

I have made a few lives changing decisions of colossal proportions since I last blogged. Here they are:

One: I have handed in my resignation at work.
Two: I have decided to study Arabic in Egypt, starting in January (5months inshallah)
Three: I have decided that from sept 2007 I will be open to marriage proposals and actually consider them.
Four: I have taken up knitting (due to jughead) and with what I have learnt so far I can make winter scarf. Any one interested?

Oh and as always to mark a change in the world of Naima I am once again moving bedrooms since Ifrah is of to Liverpool Firdawsa and I will become roomies and study partners.

It’s with glee that I am planning the redecoration of what will be the hub of Firdawsa and I’s new centre of learning and of course partying.

From September I will be working mad hours trying to save enough for my planned 5 months in Egypt INSHALLAH, as well as trying to learn as much Arabic as possible during the weekends and mentoring in a school to gain teaching experience

Ramadan is going to fall in the middle of all of this! A sheer test of endurance am sure but inshallah the reward will be greater then last year.

Bosnia!! Well what can I say? Lots I assure but Mad cow has been keeping semi typed notes which she promises to post soon I will post a link to our memories then inshallah.

Suffice to say it was incredible and the sheer number of tears I shed the last night is testimony to how much I loved the place and the people. May Allah grant us the opportunity to meet again. AMEEN!!

Farewell (for now)

I don’t know what’s over come me but am sat here looking up first aid instructions, sipping a mug of coffee and making a mental list of the presents am going to take to our Bosnian hosts you would think that would be an easy job but am running low on inspiration. A last minute dash tonight on my way home I think, if it really is the thought that counts then they can revel in the knowledge that I have been thinking about what to get them for days now. Inshallah Khayr

I am debating about whether to pop into the MYF and say my salam’s to the usual crowd or run home and have a hot bath. Aside from all of these thoughts that are preying on my mind, there is one thought or emotion rather; I am brimming with love for all those am leaving behind. I usually just pack the last minute take off and return, but this time around its not a quick 3days work trip it’s a lengthy stay, that’s two jummahs that I won’t be prostrating at the MYF.

For someone who wants to travel and go from one adventure to another, I am really going to miss you all. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the prophet (SAW) said if you love your brother then tell him.

I leave you with lots of Love and the du’a of the traveller for those she leaves behind

“I leave you in the Care of Allah, as nothing is lost that is in his care”

We leave just after fajr tomorrow and return on the 21st of august inshallah

Tell I return, farewell mis amigos

ITN

When I woke up this morning all was well except that I was running a tad late. By about 12pm I was informed we would need to take part in an ITN interview, by 4pm I had done the ITN interview along with Genie (sleepyhead, jug). It’s viewing this afternoon at 6.30pm on channel 3. I am hiding tell people forget!!

World currency

I went to the future seminar held at Didsbury Masjid this Sunday instead of packing for Bosnia (looks like its going to be a last minute thing) and all the talks were fantastic and Shabir Ally did an excellent job of raising funds for the CCIS. After the large figure donations were collated the buckets came around, and since am not carrying my cards around anymore (learning to curb by spendthrift ways) I only had my bus pass and some change, the change I had already spent on food so by the time the buckets came around to us, after frantically fishing in the numerous pockets of my bag I had located

8 pence
25 cent
2 fronts (Hungarian currency)

So that’s what I gave to charity! This not carrying my Cards business really does have its down side. I must admit I did feel rather embarrassed and released the change from my grip at the bottom of the bucket. Not sure what this says about me except I can’t wait till I learn to use my money appropriately and I am able to walk around with cash and cards so as hopefully to never repeat this episode. The only plus is that my mum thought it was hilarious and said something to the effect of that will teach you… teach me what am not too sure, maybe to prepare

How I love thee

Oh man, I had a dream about Egypt last night, Cairo to be exact! It was beautiful, I dreamt about the death defying taxi rides, the call of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer, sitting in the court yard of Azhar masjid, the serenest of masjids I have ever been blessed to spend time in.

Particularly Islamic Cairo where everyone greets you with a heartfelt salaam. The view from the hotel, the staff who would try to teach us Arabic but never showed their frustrations at our inability. The wedding we accidentally stumbled onto as we walked into the Hilton to change money which was characterised by the sound of the drum and ululations of joy at their union.

I woke up with a cold, feeling miserable and blocked up and I wanted to cry! How is it possible to miss a mere place so much a year later to be so bewitched and captured. To have it hold on to your affections and imagination a year after returning home? We where only there for 14 days for the love of God, how is it possible to miss and long for a place so much when all my loved ones are here?

I miss the

The lulling effect of the Nile
The death defying taxis
The crossing the road with “Bismillah” just in case
The hospitably and sincerity of the locals
The cementing of life long friendships
The hypnotising call to prayer, especially for fajr
The brother’s unique way of making you buys 10 items when you went to the stall/shop for 1 item.
Tje haggling over a cup of mint tea

I need to go back and get Egypt out of my hair, I am sick with love (okay manly with a cold) for the country and the people.

We plan and Allah plans

Isn’t it strange how the most ordinary of arrangements can end up changing the life’s of so many! Take the instance of a sleep over, how many of those did I plan and carry out while on my annual leave, a good few but the last sleep over a few days ago ended up being a wake over! There was absolutely no sleeping.

The bradfodian and I stayed up till 8am discussing everything under the sun and her interest in becoming a Muslim and after a lot of talking, tears and hugs at 8am in my bedroom my bosom buddy took her Ashahaddah and in front of a very sleepy group of 3 witness proclaiming her faith with the same words that we have used for the past 1400 years!

“I bare witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger”

Subhanallah, we plan and Allah plans but untimely we realign ourselves with his plans.