The program started with a beautiful recitation of the Holy Qurʾān

Blessed Days in Luxor

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

By the grace of Allah ﷻ, I was able to attend the Egypt Ḥadīth Convention, made possible by the noble efforts of Cordoba Academy, from July 27 to August 3 of 2024 in Luxor, Egypt. It was a blessed convention as we finished a complete reading of Sunan Abī Dawūd, a partial reading of the Muwaṭṭa of Imām Mālik, and covered various works in Naḥw, Adab, Sīrah, and more.

Three aspects stood out during my time at the convention: the suḥba with scholars, the deep respect for knowledge shared by the members of the Sāḥa, and the inspiring examples of service to others that I witnessed.

Cordoba Academy generously covered all costs for accommodation, food, and transport to and from the airport for students who came from abroad. This allowed students to focus solely on their studies during the convention. The rooms provided had air conditioners, which proved invaluable as temperatures reached near 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were provided daily. As for the daily schedule, we started with the reading of Sunan Abī Dawūd from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. We would then have a break until ‘Aṣr, which was at 5 p.m. Lessons would then continue until Maghrib around 7:40 p.m. Students had time to themselves after Maghrib ṣalāh.

With such a packed schedule, it was easy to get overwhelmed. Shaykh Mohammed Daniel (حفظه الله) took students outside to restaurants or sightseeing on multiple occasions. This not only served as a great way to relax within such a demanding schedule, but to also spend time with scholars and learn from their character.  Shaykh Abdul Waḥīd (حفظه الله), a student of Mawlāna Zakariyya Kandahlawī  (رحمه الله), had also joined us during one of these trips to a restaurant. He was constantly making dhikr unless someone spoke to him or he had closed his eyes to find moments of rest. This was the first time I had seen such an adherence to dhikr as described in the books that I had read. A group of students were also able to visit Shaykh ‘Alī Sāliḥ al-Azharī (حفظه الله) with Shaykh Mohammed Daniel after the lessons had ended. During the visit, Shaykh ‘Alī mentioned that he had read over 60,000 books and that he read the tafsīr of Imām Qurṭubi more than 60 times, cover to cover. I believe this without a doubt due to the way he would teach us texts pertaining to the Arabic language. Texts were chosen at random during the afternoon classes, but Shaykh ‘Alī Sāliḥ taught them on-the-spot as if he had prepared to teach them beforehand.

The students at the Sāḥa were another important part of this trip. They had the utmost respect for scholars and were trying to take pictures with those visiting. When asked why they were taking so many pictures, they answered that they love scholars and wanted to remember them. Kids as young as five years old were a part of the group of kids who were taking pictures. They truly regarded scholars as superheroes, much like how most kids admire famous comic book or movie characters. The locals also shared this sentiment. During a visit to a local store to get ice cream, the shopkeeper tried to prevent us from paying for whatever we were ready to buy. Her excuse was that she had already stopped taking orders and only wrote ṣalawāt upon RasūlUllāh ﷺ on Fridays.  Service to others was a common characteristic of those at the Sāḥa, from the teachers to the students. Students would serve us during all meals, taking offense at our attempts to stop them.

These are but a few experiences from the many during this blessed trip. I have deliberately chosen not to delve into the learning experience at the Convention and our studies there, as they merit an article of their own. The surrounding experiences, though easily overlooked, offer a vivid illustration of how the knowledge we are acquiring profoundly influences those around us and becomes woven into the fabric of society.  May Allah ﷻ reward Shaykh Daniel, Shaykhah Umm Ibrāhīm, the visiting scholars, everyone at al-Riḍwāniyya, and all those who made this Ḥadīth Convention possible. Āmīn.

قيمة الأدب

مَنْ عَاشَ صِفْرًا مِنَ الأَخْلَاقِ والأَدَبِ
يَـحيَا فَقِيرًا وَ لَو يَمْشِي على الذَّهَبِ

مَا قِـيْمَــةُ الـمرْءِ إلَّا طِــيبُ جَـوْهَـرِهِ
لا مَا حَوَاهُ مِنَ الأَمْوَالِ و الـحَسَـبِ

- جهاد جحا الدمشقي -

نصيحة لمن يعيش في الإمارات

لقد قامت شركة الكوزي بصنع كولا حلال, وكذلك بضاعتها ممتازة الصنع وبسعر مناسب جدا، وعندهم عرض رائع بمناسبة هذه الأيام الفضيلة وهو منحها هدية -القرٱن الكريم بحجم كبير ومذهب كتب بيد الخطاط عثمان طه موضوع بصندوق جلدي- لمن يشتري منها ب١٠٠ درهم إماراتي، وكذلك إن كنت تشتري منهم لأول مرة يمكن أن تحصل على خصم ٢٠٪ استعمل كود (FIRST). ونسأل الله أن يجزيهم عن الأمة خيرا.

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Heal your heart with The Holy Qur'ān

Ibn al-Qayyim (ra) said:

“If you read (the Holy Qur'ān) with contemplation, even if over a (single) ayah, it is a key to healing your heart. Even if repeated a hundred times and for the (whole) night. Reading an ayah with contemplation and understanding is better than reading to completion without contemplation and understanding. It is more beneficial for the heart and ensures gain in faith, and in tasting the sweetness of the Holy Qur'ān.”
مفتاح دار السعادة (٥٥٣/١)