Reflections from the Deen Intensive 2011 by Asme Fahmi

Before attending this year’s Deen Intensive, I thought I had known what to expect – having been lucky enough to have a few Deen Intensives under my belt – I thought I had it all figured out…

Being a devout Sydney-sider, it troubles me exceedingly to admit that the Victorian location was absolutely stunning. My friend Shakira said it best when she remarked: “Masha’Allah, look at how beautiful this place is; listen to the sound of the natural world in perfect synchronicity…this is the sound of the earth as Allah (swt) intended it. She then poignantly added “how mad is that?”

The location was a perfect setting for the purpose of this year’s retreat in which we had to pack our bags metaphorically and literally for our journey to Allah (swt). We travelled towards reassessing our goals and intentions with Ustadh Afroz Ali, we followed the footsteps of the beloved Messenger’s road to mercy, love and compassion (toward all human beings) with Ustadh Usama Canon and we made the hijrah to realising the greatness of God with Sheikh Faraz Rabbani.

It was an incredible honour to be in the presence of such esteemed scholars. The beauty of our surroundings coupled with the beauty of the knowledge being imparted made for a very special experience that will forever live in my memory insha’Allah.

In such special company and surroundings, I was not surprised to be witness to a couple of miracles on this spiritual adventure…

The first of these miracles was witnessing students defying their innate Muslim Standard Time complex and actually turning up to class on time. The second miracle was witnessing a programme run by an Islamic based organisation that lived up to its name and was quite well organised. This is testament to Ustadh Afroz and the amazing team at the al-Ghazzali Centre.

The volunteers were simply awe-inspiring. These volunteers were doing all the cleaning and maintenance and were sacrificing their time and education for our overall benefit and the effort they put in was seamless – all the while, they never removed those smiles from their faces. Insha’Allah these volunteers will be greatly rewarded for their efforts. And of course, the most important aspect of a spiritual retreat spearheaded by world renowned scholars is most definitely the catering. This was the best food I’ve ever had at a retreat and I feel their may be a gym membership in the horizon for me very soon.

I was also grateful to Sidi Nader Khan and the Singapore Haqqani Ensemble for giving this retreat a uniquely wonderful extra

dimension. You can tell they love doing what they do. I remember seeing The Singapore Haqqani Ensemble singing at the lunch table and having sing-a-longs with some of the participants; not too long after that, I found the Ensemble singing to the kitchen staff and having an impromptu concert in the kitchen, a few minutes after spotting them in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice the group singing around a tree with blissful joy and it was not long after that, I spotted them singing to the sisters in the musallah and then serenading Shaykh Faraz with ‘Tala al Badru Alayna’ as he walked in for the sisters Q and A session. Needless to say, I felt like these guys were everywhere and were defying the laws of space and time! It was just awesome to see these guys everyday, bring joy to everyone with their constant remembrance of Allah (swt). And Sidi Nader Khan was blessing to have around. His voice was a gift to us all amongst his many other gifts - not least of which was the gift of being in the pleasurable company of his wife Dr. Bano Murtuja. His songs were so touching and I couldn’t help but notice his song ‘Alhamdulillah’ made some of the brothers get rather emotional. No names mentioned…Adnan Sawan.

Overall, a retreat like this is a much needed iman boost. The environment was beautiful and so was the company. We journeyed from all parts of Australia to meet scholars who had travelled from all over the globe to be in our presence. We were transported to a time and place that felt just about right. There was such a great feeling of love between the students and a feeling of love for the shuyookh; though, more importantly, a greater love was fostered for Allah (swt) and His messenger (saw). I’m sure people have made life-long friends at this retreat and life-long connections to our honoured guests. And in this regard, I guess the journey is only beginning for many of us.

I’m going to end this reflection with some vintage ‘Rabbinisms’. I’m sure some of you have noticed Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s love for acronyms by now, so I’ve decided to compile a greatest hits collection (sponsored by Steve Jobs, The Appleism Ideology and The Attitudinally Divergent):

1. GTD: Getting Things Done
2. PME: Parental Marriage Equation
3. PDS: Parental Deflation Syndrome
4. NFZ: No Fly Zone (i.e. no tea and coffee over your laptops)
5. DSD: Desi State of Deficiency
6. PAT: Prophetic Action Test (what would the Prophet [saw] do?)
7. D4A: Do it 4 Allah
8. KRSC: Keep Regular, Sustainable and Consistent
9. RAD: Remembrance and Dhikr
10. FLAME: For the Love of Allah and His Messenger
11. NRA: Newly Religious Aunty
And of course, everyone’s favourite:
12. DSM: Desperately Seeking Marriage.


Thank you to everyone involved, it was an honour to be a part of this blessed journey.

By Asme Fahmi