Travelling to Dubai

in March 2001 I became a Muslim and on September the 11th of that same year my life changed. It didn’t change for the reasons you may think (knowing the date), it changed because that was the date I began my travels to India and Pakistan to learn about the Deen of Islam.I began my journey with such excitement and in such anticipation of what was to come. Indeed this was the time I learnt what it was to be Muslim, I learnt how Muslims lived, behaved, dealt with each other and how Islam really is the whole of someone’s life. Coming from a Christian background I was very impressed how Islam impacted on everything from personal hygiene to business and to social activities.

I remember I made a du’a soon after I became Muslim, the Du’a was “Oh Allah , take me to India and Pakistan so I can learn about You and Your religion” I had no reason to specifically request India and Pakistan, I mean, why not Saudi Arabia? Why not Malaysia? Why not any other Arab country? This du’a just seemed to come out of my heart. Subhanallah, it wasn’t until months after I returned that the memory of me making this du’a came rushing back in an amazing moment. The realisation of Allah ’s Favour and Mercy upon me by answering that specific Du’a gave me goose pimples!

So there I was a white guy in India, a white guy that hates chilli…in India….ouch! I lived amongst the Muslims for months and learnt so much (I learnt how to avoid the deep evil that is chilli…! I learnt that you can’t) But this was a defining period for me, it was a period that shaped my life and a period that I am still reaping the benefits from. Alhamdulillah.

But India isn’t a Muslim country is it? So I was looking forward to visiting Pakistan like a child would look forward to his birthday. In hindsight I was naive, but I thought that Pakistan (being a Muslim country) was surely the best place in the world, it was Muslim after all therefore populated by people with the character of angles who all lived in a perfect society. I thought how lucky I was to visit a country that had Islam as its religion, that had men in full beards and women in hijab, the masjid’s packed full of devout, God fearing men who would do anything for you and do it all with a smile.

I had no reason to think otherwise when I crossed the boarder between India and Pakistan, we drove underneath a massive iron construction with an arch that stretched over the whole road. I looked up and read the kalimah.

“I’ve come home, It doesn’t get much better than this” I exclaimed.

It took no less than 60 seconds for my first disappointment. It was Asr time and as soon as we crossed the boarder we saw a mosque and decided to pray. As we rushed on foot to catch the jammat I noticed men just sitting around outside the mosque, kicking stones, twiddling their fingers with what seemed like no care in the world.

I couldn’t understand how people, upon hearing the adhan would not go to the mosque. They were still there when we left the mosque; one of the brothers had to break the news to me that unfortunately not all brothers here in Pakistan pray.

Devastated I left…. only then to pass a church….A Church….?! In Pakistan? huh?! A tear drop moved down my cheek and my heart was broken. I could understand why people would not practice their religion in India (there were many Hindu’s and Sikh’s and Christians) but there is no reason at all for them not practice their religion in Pakistan I felt.

During my time in Pakistan I began to realise that I shouldn’t have such high expectations of Muslims because in most cases I was disappointed. Women without Hijab, men without beards, mosques empty, People not praying, boys and girls intermingling like Britain (in Karachi) and a desire for the material pleasures of this world that was so obviously consuming them. Obviously I saw areas in which Islam was practiced strongly but the overwhelming feeling was that in fact people didn’t give a damn. This realisation hurt me so much.

So 5 years later I am totally aware of the state of the Ummah, I see the painful reality everyday and somehow I have become numb to it. Not numb in respect of the Ummah because I hurt everyday for the Ummah, rather I have become numb for the individual. In other words, I have lost that pain and hurt and heart stopping worry for the individual when I see him or her fail to act upon their Islamic obligation.

So I have chanced upon a trip to Dubai, a place, I have been told, that is just waiting to be destroyed by Allah (swt) because of the filth therein. I have asked for an opinion of Dubai by people who have been and even lived there and this place sounds as if Shaytaan has moulded it into everything his heart desires. Alcohol, gambling, prostitution, interest and bags full of dunya, dunya and dunya.

That naive, innocent new born Muslim who travelled to India and Pakistan to earn his Deen is now completely aware of the reality of Islam and how it is practiced in the world. Dubai, it seems, is everything that a Muslim society shouldn’t be.

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