My Trip to Iran
(August 99)
Click here for the Slide Show for Tehran
Click here for the Slide Show for North Iran and Qum
Click here for the Slide Show for Mashad
Why did I go to Iran?
I joined the Short Vacation Course (SVC) with the intention of doing a short Islamic education course in Iran. I also wanted to do sightseeing, learn about the Iranian people and their culture and also visit the Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S). Once in Iran, I joined the Group of Islamic Scholars (GIS). They had a three week intensive course in religious studies.
How did I get to Iran?
It took me about three days to get from Ohio to Iran. I took a Greyhound bus to Toronto and connected an overnight flight to London Gatwick Airport. I spent the night in London. The next afternoon, I boarded Iran Air for a Direct Flight to Tehran. We reached in Tehran at 2 am and went through immigration and customs. We were at the residence by 6 am. Full three days of travelling.
Where did we go in Iran?
We visited various places throughout the North and Central Iran. We spent a week in Tehran visiting various Museums and Holy places. Tehran is the capital of Iran and is the main city in Iran. The city is surrounded with mountains and is very hilly. Tehran is a fully developed city and it has highways similar to the United States. Evething is modern and the structure is like any other big cities. Tall buildings and lots of offices. Although Iran has sanctions imposed on them, the progress of the country towards the 21st century is really good.
From Tehran, we travelled to North Iran near the Caspien Sea for few days. There are huge mountains between Tehran and the Caspien Sea. You have to travel through them, up and down the mountains to get to the Caspien Sea which can be very tough. We had a strong bus that was going at 5 miles per hour up the hill for about 4 hours and 20 miles per hour down the hill for another three hours. The ride was very scenic as we saw many waterfalls and rivers with rapids. We spent few days in Ramsar and Chalus. From North Iran, we came back to Qum where we spent the next 10 days. We also went to Isfahan for a day trip.
Our final destination was visiting the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali Reza (A.S) in Mashad. We spent 7 days in Mashad. It was amazing to come to this religious city of Mashad. We stayed at a hotel 15 minutes from the shrine and we would go there two to three times a day. The atmosphere was very Islamic. You could here the Adhaan 3 times a day and the crowd for prayers was just unimaginable. When I first saw the Zarii of Imam Reza (AS), I had fear in my heart. Although it was very hard to touch it or kiss it ( because of thousands of people), I made a point to go between prayers. While the salaat is going on, they shut the door leading to the Zarii. During that time a limited amount of people stay behind you have a chance of holding the Zarii and kissing it.
After Mashad, we returned to Tehran for a day and it was time to return home. If I wasn't in the university, I would have stayed longer but I had my commitments here alreay.
What subjects did we learn in Religious Studies?
We would have about three classes a day, a visit to a learned person or an Islamic school and have discussion for two hours about relevent topics. In the evening we would have a reflection time with the teachers and among ourselves. This time was used to write our journals too.
Subjects:
Aqaid Students are given a clear picture of Aqaid in terms of Tawheed, Adl, Nabuwwat, Immat and Qiyamah with logical reasoning. Lectures usually contained references from Western philosophers.
Qur'aan Commentary on the Quran and the philosophy behind it. A deeper study of this Holy book
Acklaaq Islamic dicipline through the Qur'aan and teachings of the prophet. An idea of a Mumins's personality and how he can live a perfect Islamic life.
Islamic Laws Basis of Islamic Laws discussed with reasoning. Information about the practical aspects of Masumeens
West Toxification - Brainwashing of the West. How can we be contianed from their ideas.
Discussions Topics included need of Islamic schools in the west, temporary and parmenent marriages. Problems faced in our community (drugs, AIDS, etc), what our community can do to get the youths back to listening lectures. Also how can we get the community to move away from ritua
Would I visit Iran again?
Oh yeah, anytime. I learned alot from this trip both educationally and culturally. I would recommend the trip to anyone who would like to increase their faith and renew his religion.
There are two choices for a trip. You can join the European Council group in conjunction with the Group of Islamic Scholers whereby you'll get to study deeper about your faith. Or you can join the Short vacation course whcih is basically for sightseeing only. My recommendation is first choice.