My first adhan in a Muslim country...

[DanyalSAC]

Asalaamu alaikum my brothers and sisters in Islam.

A bit less than 24 hours ago I returned to California after a 10 day trip to the UAE and Kuwait. It was an experience that I won't forget.

I was in Dubai from the evening of the 17th until the 20th. Though my host tried my patience (couldn't hear adhan nor would he set an alarm, I slept through fajr while there...had to pray in his home, no masjid nearby, and he spent most of my visit sending txt messages to friends not there instead of visiting with the friend who was) I did enjoy the city. I took a rather expensive tour, got off the bus near the beach and walked to a masjid for dhuhr. After salaat I met a Russian brother who took me in his car to many of the sites and after picking up his children from school he dropped me off at my host's apartment. Unfortunately I've lost this brother's email address so I've been unable to write to him .

I arrived in Kuwait the evening of the following Monday. My good friend from KSA and a local friend of his met me at the airport. I wore a thobe on the flight from UAE to Kuwait...figured it would be safer to do so than if I were going to/from the US!

My friend from the KSA took me to our hotel and when the evening ended & we retired for the night, the last thing that went through my head was the Qibla indicator on the wall in the hotel room...

...but then I heard it...for the first time...

..the Fajr adhan coming in from my room's window. Qul alhamdulillah. Allhamdulillah. First one masjid...then another...and another...soon it was a chorus of Allahu akbar.... I almost started crying. Ok, I lie...I did start crying. I woke him up, he sat blinking sleep out of his eyes saying "What!??" All I could do was point to the window and say "adhan". We sat quietly for a moment and he said "You can HEAR that?"

We made wudu and asked the front desk for the closest masjid, which was basically half a block away. I prayed Fajr next to my good friend, in a masjid in a Muslim country and I felt totally like I was at home.

For the rest of the week my life was dictated by the adhan. I sit here at home and try to explain to you that feeling and I just can't do it.

I will tell more about my trip later inshallah, to those who wish to hear it.

Ma salaama
D.

 

[Karima80]

Very nice of you to share and I understand that feeling. You made me think of when I this spring visit a muslim country and could hear the adhan, and as you described all the different masjid calling out.

 

[sister herb]

:salam2:

Thanks for sharing this beautifull and touching story. It sended memories to my mind too.

:shake:

Please, tell more when you have time.

 

[BrotherInIslam7]

Salaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi beloved brother Danyal,

Alhamdulillah that you have had a safe journey and peaceful stay in UAE and Kuwait.

To hear the adhaan 5 times a day from all directions is certainly a great blessing from Allah Almighty. I am overcome by the same emotions when I travel to visit my family who currently reside in the UAE as well.

I wish you had a chance to visit Abu dhabi which is a more well planned city and beautiful. At the same time, the environment is slightly more Islamic than in Dubai.

I hope you enjoyed your trip and found the people kind and welcoming.

Please do share more about your experiences if time permits you.

Glad to have you back on TTI. Take care.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

 

[thariq2005]

Wa `alaykkum salaam wa rahmatullaah. After reading that.... I just feel like...maaaaan, I soo miss Saudi

 

[al-fajr]

Assalamu'alaykum,

I'm really pleased to know that you felt at home in a muslim country where you didn't speak the language nor share the culture but you had Islaam in common and that was enough.

MashaAllaah.

 

[Tabassum07]

To hear the athan from several masjids at the same time is bliss Like a heavenly chorus.

I try to replicate that sometimes by putting the athan on my laptop and on my phone, but its not the same.

 

[AllahHelpMe]

You are very lucky to hear that.

When I went to Malayasia early this year.
I stayed at a masjid for 3 nights, Al-Humdulah.
So I always woke to the Adhan. It is one of the best ways to wake up.

Now back in Australia. I dont get to hear it from where I sleep. Maybe it is because I live 100km/60 miles to the closet masjid.
Even if I was close, they are not aloud to use the microphones to do the Adhan in the morning. So you have to be at the masjid to hear it anyway.

Salam Alikum

Haroun

 

[a_stranger]

:salam2:

Brother try your best to keep the call Allahu Akber alive in your heart This is the best gift Allahu sobhanahu wa taala grants his servant .....sorry to say that many born muslems don`t understand or feel this great call : Allahu Akber :means our creator is the Greatest', means that nothing can supersede God or be better than Him. When this truth setle in a heart then light will be within.

 

[arzafar]

mabrook! that was an inspirational story.

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

:salam2:wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu...

Beautiful!!masha'Allah,i'm happy to read you had a nice time.i understand when you say "chorus of adhaan".we got about 6 to 7 mosques around my place.It feels best in the fajrdifferent styles,different voices,different timings all calling towards Allah.it's wonderful masha'Allah.takes about 20mins.our muadhin is usually the last.lazy may be!!but good one.If i can i'll record it sometime and see if it feels half as good.

Good to have you back akhi.

 

[Ibn Uthaymin]

Asslamu alykum

You should go Cairo, the city of a 1000 minarets. Its amazing.

 

[aslamjiffry]

Masha Allah!!! Jazakallah Khairah for the story...

 

[saima abdullah]

asalam o alykum wr wb
jasakAllah for sharing your feelings very inspiring .. alhumdulillah we have this experience everyday ...i like magrib time most mostly i get upstairs to hear Ahahan of magrib its wonderful ,,,there are about 20 musjids around my home ,,(far or near),,mashAllah,, sometimes its hard to answer a Adhan in middle someone else starts new adhan in more loud voice (i catch up that in this i answer two or three adhans ....lol)
few dayz later i was asking my brother how would it feels like when there is no adhan ,,, ppl in the west have stay very alert about the timings of salah ,, my sister when she was in usa they had alarm for salah ,,, but alhumdulillah we have this blessing and m really thankful towards Allah SWT for this, May Allah give this blessing to all muslims ameen
wsalam

 

[IHearIslam]

Assalaamu alaikum,

Your posts are always inspiring dear brother!!!

it might seem like you cannot describe your feelings now....but you've done a pretty goood job in showing us how it felt!! subhana'Allaah.

Hope you go back there sometime soon......

it's such a great blessing...

 

[DanyalSAC]

My first "public" adhan was right after I went through customs in Dubai. I was heading to the exit to meet up with my host when the Isha adhan started.

When I left Dubai for Kuwait, the adhan came for maghrib just after I had checked my bags but before I went through security. I asked the lady if there were a prayer room on the other side of the security check point, and she said no but I still had 2 hours before my flight and since I made sure I had wudu when I left his apartment, I just went into the prayer room right there.

Well, I have a full beard and was wearing a thobe & topi so when it came time for iqama I had several brothers indicate I should be imam. As my Qur'an knowledge is very little I would've made a poor imam, so I had to decline though it took them several tries before they got the hint.

I was amused by the Burger King in the airport, it had "HALAL" all over it. I wanted to take a photo for my brothers here in the US, many of whom stopped eating fast food when they took shahadah.

The first hotel in Kuwait was not what they promised us. We were expecting a small apartment style unit with a kitchenette and a washer/dryer for the clothes, but instead what we got was four walls, two beds, a TV and a bathroom (oh yeah, I had to learn all about THE HOSE!). We stayed there in Salmiya for 2 nights. My friend from KSA - who was sharing the room with me - had a Kuwaiti friend who hung out with us but he couldn't speak much English and I couldn't speak much Arabic but we managed to get along fine. He and I found another more suitable hotel, this one with 2 separate bathrooms and bedrooms, along with the kitchenette with the washer & dryer. The kitchenette had a very faint smell of old sewage.

The closest masjid was less than a block away, unfortunately at 4 AM the guy in the lobby couldn't speak any English and for some reason couldn't understand the word "masjid". I finally had to pantomime salaat (did the takbir and crossed my hands on my chest) and he finally understood.

The first full free day we had (errand free, that is) we went to the Al Mubarakiah Souk to get me "thobed up". I gotta say I love Kuwaiti style thobes. I got measured for two white and one cream colored. He - my friend - had to get something for a friend so we wandered into yet another tailor shop a couple corners over and I had yet another thobe tailored. This time the tailor had a clothier across the way so I went and picked out my own fabric. I picked a grey pinstripe, and the resulting thobe turned out awesome

ALLAH answered several of my dua during this trip. He let me salaat with two friends I've known since shahadah. He let me hear the adhan in a Muslim country. He let me take back a huge jug of zamzam water (my friend brought it from KSA) on the plane, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to.

I've decided I really want a job there in Kuwait. I've got my feelers out, placed a few CVs (resumes) and made traveler dua. Now its inshallah.

 

[Yusuf 66]

Asalaamu alaikum my brothers and sisters in Islam.

This thread brought back so many memories, alhamdulillah........

The fajr adhan in Indonesia is what brought me to Islam. I arrived in that beautiful country as a non-muslim, and did not even know what the adhan was when it woke me up on my first morning there !
But it touched something in my heart, and like someone taking my hand to show me something amazing, that first adhan led me on to the path to investigate Islam and, as a muslim of 18 years now, I still look back on that event as one of the most amazing experiences of my life....

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

The closest masjid was less than a block away, unfortunately at 4 AM the guy in the lobby couldn't speak any English and for some reason couldn't understand the word "masjid". I finally had to pantomime salaat (did the takbir and crossed my hands on my chest) and he finally understood.

The first full free day we had (errand free, that is) we went to the Al Mubarakiah Souk to get me "thobed up". I gotta say I love Kuwaiti style thobes. I got measured for two white and one cream colored. He - my friend - had to get something for a friend so we wandered into yet another tailor shop a couple corners over and I had yet another thobe tailored. This time the tailor had a clothier across the way so I went and picked out my own fabric. I picked a grey pinstripe, and the resulting thobe turned out awesome

I've decided I really want a job there in Kuwait. I've got my feelers out, placed a few CVs (resumes) and made traveler dua. Now its inshallah.

Sobahnallah that's how almost everyone conveys the message when it comes to questions about salahraising hands and then placing then on chest.sooo muslim

mabrook,new clothes!!i don't kno if it's sunnah but my gran(rahimAllahu) used to pray two rakah nafal whenever she used to wear something new(clothers,shawl,shoes etc).hope it's not a bid'ah

May Allah grant you what's best for you akhi.if a job in muslim country is good for you then Allah will choose you over all those kuwaiti brothers,if not then He know best for us..

jazakallah khair for your experience.

 

[ansari]

Asalaamu alaikum my brothers and sisters in Islam.

I was in Dubai from the evening of the 17th until the 20th.

brother

You left Dubai on 20th sep and I came to Dubai from Pakistan on 20th sep :lol:

 

[omahmed]

How beautiful. I live in Abu Dhabi and we have a small masjid right near our home, so we hear all five adhans - please don't get the impression that all the UAE is like that!
Masha'Allah - I was watching a video today on Youtube of a non Muslim journalist hearing the adhaan for the first time in Jeddah, and crying. I was watching and crying too! It's so special, but also easy to sort of take it for granted when you hear it every day. Al hamdulillah that you experienced all these things. And good luck with your job search, insha'Allah.