Sataesh Khan : My Journey That Has Just Begun
End of 2011, I find out Sarah is coming back to Pakistan. She invited me to this event, where she’s giving a speech and some other scholars & researchers are attending too. I and Mariam (My friend) had planned to go see Sarah to Islamabad few hours’ drive away from Lahore.
As we reach to the venue Faisal Mosque, my heart sank. The first tear dropped by just looking at that Masjid (Mosque) it looked so spiritual and peaceful. We walked across the corridor and I see book stalls left & right. Boys and girls are standing smiling selling Islamic books. They were so welcoming unconditionally Alhamdulillah that I almost forgot that this is the same world we live in. We entered the first Hall when I found out that the event was organized by Al-Shifa medical college. I was really excited because I was experiencing it for the first time.
The first hall we went to, all girls were sitting there and a fashion show was going on. Lol before you jump into any conclusions this was an ISLAMIC fashion show of Obaya’s (veils) and appropriate dresses for Muslim women. But I was probably expecting a little too much so for me it was almost inappropriate fashion show. As all girls were screaming out loud and they played this ugly music for the runway. Anyway after the show this lady walked up on stag, she wearing a beige coloured veil.
As she starts to talk, She said “Assalam o Alaikum, with the name of GOD here I am today to talk about the most important thing that our youth (especially girls) go through “The void”. Instantly my jaw dropped and I thought for the first time in my life and I MEAN IT (the first time) I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt like GOD is communication with me directly. All these years the questions I had on my mind. She had answered so easily in 20 minutes.
I and Mariam were in tears. As she kept giving examples of Hazrat Mariam R.A (Merry) Hazrat Ai’shah R.A (Aisha) Hazrat Khateeja R.A. Everytime She says Mariam, she says ‘Listen to me carefully’ I would look at my friend and we just didn’t know what was happening to us. That feeling can’t be described in words. That woman said this repeatedly ‘Build your connection, build your connection’
As we walked the second hallway I see this man preaching standing on the stage. He is a researcher named Adnan Rashid. He was talking about women in Islam. For an hour, I was listening to him. I was so involved that I didn’t know where I was and who were with me. I was in a state of shock and couldn’t see him clearly; he was a blur as tears wouldn’t stop rolling down my cheeks. My shawl was gone wet.
