Side Note: Thulumah....

Subhana'Allah! I was going through some old disks with photos on them and I found pics of Thulumah... Allahu Akbar, I had such a great time and the memories all came back to me seeing the pics so I just had blog it now instead of later.

So I am in yemen and I am talking to a friend of mine complaining about not being able to swim and being tortured by the kids, having to watch them swim in the beautiful blue Arabian Sea, while I stand there. She told that a few times a year, her and the women of her family pack some food and drink and head for Thulumah, a secluded beach outside of Mukalla.

Really!?

So, one day we have some house guests and I suggest tha we find this hidden treasure. My husband calls the sister's cousin who knows the way, and we load up the kids and guests and head out. It was lovelier than I expected. Below are the photos I found of the excursion. We headed out after fajr and stayed until maghrib. Next time, I would love to bring a tent.

** Okay, I wasn't able to figure out how to order the pics or put the words in between so bear with that and enjoy the pics.

Sharjah, UAE

The first place that I looked into was Sharjah, UAE. I had heard back in 2000 that it was an up and coming Emirate that, unlike Dubai and Abu Dhabi, was religious based. I had heard many good things about it, but some of the turn offs were:

• Expense- This is one of the most expensive places to live with rents comparable to living in the US.
• Employment- I understood that most jobs were filled according to race and ethnicity, domestic jobs going to phillipinos, computer jobs to indo/pakistani people, teaching jobs to caucasians (mostly from Canadian or British) so where do the African American Muslims fit in. And this all may have been heresay but it definitly shaped my decision not to go there.
• Visa- My understanding from that time was that you could only get a 90 day visa with sponorship by a UAE national. Other visas are non-renewable unless you leave the country and re-enter which seemed like too much of a hassle to do every three months.

Some of my friends did end up going to one emirate or another but we by-passed this as an option. Although it's a beautiful place, it just didn't seem like you would have the ability to stay. Here's a video tour of Sharjah:

Location, Location, Location!!!

When we decided to leave, I couldn't be more excited. I immediately started to look into different locations. I remember being so obsessed with it. I asked countless people about hijrah destinations, I joined countless e-groups and forums (Muhajir, Hijrah.net and sisters4hijrah to name a few). I finally, after several months narrowed it down, in my mind anyway, to 3 locations. Sharjah, UAE; Cairo, Egypt; and Da Gambia, West Africa.

I should mention that all the stress and obsession was mine alone. My husband on the other hand was like, "Allah is sufficient and he has control over every situation. Wherever we are meant to be, has already been written." I'm like you are absolutely right, sweetie. So I'll only stay up all night researching 5 days a week instead of 7. I needed information and I needed it now. I actually had the opportunity to speak with a few families in each location and gather some info from the horse's mouths, so to speak.

Notice I said that in MY mind we would be going to one of these places. The next few posts will consist of the info I gathered and the pros and cons of each place. In the end, my husband was right and Allah, the best of planners had it already all figured out.

The Scope of This Blog...

As I mentioned before, I left the US and lived abroad for about 3 years and returned 2 years ago , for various reasons. When I left before, I didn't have the chance to record the whole hijrah experience which I regretted later. So now, I've started this blog with the hopes of recording the memories of that time and future adventures, insha'allah.

We do plan to go back, hopefully sometime this year. My husband already left a few weeks ago. So this time, I want to get it all on tape, so to speak.

I'm trying to "go back" from the begining, but it's hard because there are so many things I want to say. But bear with me if things get a little confusing or if I ramble. Thats just me.

Hope you enjoy!

Keep Calm!!

When hijrah becomes a reality, you become bombarded with negative thoughts. Doubts about whether or not this is the right move to make, worries about cultural differences and you also start to get cold feet about leaving everything you know to enter a world you know little about.

Don't panic! This is a natural reaction to change. And of course shaitan is going to place doubts in your mind as well. But keep your resolve and know that you are making the right decision for yourself and your family.

Some reasons behind feeling this kind of panic could be

• Too Much Information: If your asking alot of people alot of questions the answers can make you feel panic. Everyones experiences are different and people tend to exaggerate the negative and over-simplify the positives. Make your questions concise and to the point and take everything you hear with a grain of salt.
• Afraid To Take The Plunge: What we call regular cold-feet here in America. I'm sure you felt that way before you got married, too or before you made the decision to become a Muslim, but for most of us, our decision turned out for the best.
• Low Emaan: The best thing you can do for yourself before making hijrah is to increase yourself in worship, studying the qur'an and du'a. This will be essential to help guide you to make the right moves. Purify your intentions and make istikhara and things will be more clear for you in the end.

Wa Billahi Tawfeeq

Mental Prep For Hijrah

When you set your mind to making hijrah, everything else falls into place. In order to mentally prepare for it you have to do some research. To start, look up any ayat or hadith that deal with the importance of hijrah. Alot of authentic material can be found here. This is an excellent site and it has a rather large section that deals with the issue.

Also, have a plan on how you intend to make money wherever it is your going. If teaching english is your only option get your ESL certification as soon as possible. If you have a degree already, an ESL cert may not be necessary. Even if you don't want to teach, it's good to have the ESL cert available if you need something to fall back on.

Understand that if you are able to leave, you are not going to Paradise on earth. People are people no matter where you go. Same problems and same issues. So be objective and be prepared to get over alot of hang-ups you may have. You will have to deal with dirt, dust, bugs and heat depending on where you're going. You will have to deal with many inconveniences, but the benefit will outweigh the hardship, trust me. Especially with the proper intention and positive outlook.

How It Started...

Thinking back to the point when I started thinking about making hijrah isn't easy. I guess the furthest back that I can think of, had to be when I got out of the army. I was enlisted for 5 1/2 years and actually accepted Islam in the military. When I was "processing out" I started looking at jobs in Saudi Arabia, don't know why exactly. It wasn't like Hijrah was a topic being discussed back then, but I had heard of military members who had "got out" and stayed over there so I guess you could say I was curious.

Then a few years (about 6) later a girlfriend of mine was preparing to go to Egypt to study. A few other sisters had went the year before, so there was a buzz through the masjid about it. It just so happened that my girlfriend's husband had been speaking with mine about going along with them. We started crunching out the numbers and the money it would take seemed impossible. This is the first, no-no of Hijrah planning; worrying about money and adding up how much money you will need. It can make you feel extremely disappointed and like Hijrah is a far-away dream. Stop it. The only numbers you need initially are how much for the passports. That's step one. Take all the other steps one at a time. If you look at a buffet, you would collapse at the thought of having to eat all of that food. But start with the salad and make your way to the main course, step by step.

My husband got his passport first and we started thinking about the possibilities. We started thinking of locations and purifying our intentions. This is another important point. Make sure you are going for the right reasons. Hopefully, your intent is to fulfill an obligation to Allah, as this is an obligatory act for those who can find a way. To better practice and learn about your religion. If your reasons don't go along these lines you will have a hard time.

So this is where we started. The thought and desire came first. Then the passports. After my dh got his, he applied for the rest of us. The next year we were on our way by the grace of Allah.