Travels

Assalam u alaikum,

Today we went to play soccer, ka al-aada, and alhamdulillah as usual it was great. Mustafa and I have a kind of routine now: we leave at about six o'clock, arrive at the suq al-sayarat (car park where they sell cars; they just park their cars and I guess people just randomly select cars and then buy them? It's always packed but right after Fajr it's empty) and play with Turkmenistanians and Ramiz, an Egyptian who used to play soccer with one sock and one shoe (don't ask me why). We use that as a warm-up, getting our touches and passes flowing, pulling off a few dekes. Then at around 7:15 we leave and cross the street to the most beautiful pitch in the world; well, it is a car park also but we actually have NETS!

The people that we have met at soccer have been incredible. My favourite is Hamza, a Russian who has lived almost his entire life in Egypt. I could never have told from his demeanour, but he is studying Usul-ul-Din at Al-Azhar. I asked him about Russia, and he was saying that there are very few Muslims, but in Dagestan where he is from, there are lots of Muslims but in name only. I was amazed at the fact that his entire family left their homeland for a strange place just so their son could get the knowledge of the din. And I thought I was on a journey.

Alhamdulillah studies are going well. I have an oral test tomorrow insha'allah so please pray for me.

Ma'asalam,

~Ameer