ISNA 2007

AA

Well, ISNA weekend has come and gone and “gone” being the operative word here for Chicagoan ISNA goers. Unbeknownst to me, ISNA has decided to alternate city locations for the annual ISNA convention. Next year it will take place in O-hi-fricken-o, which means that there is a 0.00001% chance that I will go. The only thing that could possibly compel me to go is if I finally decide to reserve a booth promoting my blog.

Anyway, allow me to give you my ISNA highlights of 2007: (I’m writing to you, by the way, live from an airplane en route to Denver for work. I thought you should know that because I am convinced that my legion of blog readers often wonder where I write and what I am wearing. Please text me privately regarding my current attire.)

Friday night: No ISNA activities largely due to Huss not calling me back and Taha being with his new BFF Faisal Raja. Regardless, I at least enjoyed a phenomenal AJ-Pac Day and the excellent company of my relatives in the evening.

Saturday night: Totally dissed again by AH and his “hunny bunny," Zareen (as they like to call each other for ridiculously silly, mushy reasons). AJ ditched me for his second wife, Sofia. And Taha ditched me for his family – the only valid and excusable excuse here. Saturday, however, was an exceptional day for me as I got to spend a large part of the day and evening with my shaykh, mashaAllah.

Sunday: ISNA day. Ali and I roll through and we first check out the bazaar. The bazaar for the most part seemed pretty typical. Lots of places for chicks to buy clothes and jewelry. Companies selling properties in, for example, Medina. The CIA and Dept of Homeland were recruiting (clearly, they’re no longer hiding the fact that they’re closely monitoring ISNA). Many beautiful art booths. Many beautiful girls walking to and fro. And so on. So we rendezvous with AJ who mA introduces us to Imam Zaid Shakir (May Allah protect him). AJ, doing it big as always, buys me Seasons (Zaytuna’s quarterly journal) so that Imam Zaid can sign it for me. We were also fortunate enough to have Imam Zaid make dua for us personally. By the way, I have to say that Imam Zaid's eyes were very captivating. They had the nur and look of a person preoccupied with Allah. So, yeah, he's on another level. May Allah grant him success.

Almost immediately after that, we had the distinct privilege and honor to meet Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – founder of SunniPath.com and someone I have been emailing for many, many years questions ranging from fiqh (jurisprudence) to the spiritual. Shaykh Faraz remembered who I was after a brief intro and even mentioned my blog! The fact that he is aware of my blog (most likely because I have it as a part of my signature in my email) is both momentous and embarrassing. Momentous because it’s Shaykh Faraz; embarrassing because I really hope he avoids reading the more…err…thamasha-like entries. Shaykh Faraz also has a blog and is listed as a link on my blog page (see Seeker's Digest). He usually has really interesting links up there ranging from education, technology, best practices (in things like time management), and of course Islam. It was also great to know that Shaykh Faraz met with Shaykh Amin, too, and advised me to benefit from him as much as possible. InshaAllah.

Not too long after meeting Sh Faraz, we also saw Sh. Hamza Yusuf at the Zaytuna booth. He was really nice to everyone he met - giving each person as much time as they wanted. AJ said that I had to do it big myself and strike up a long coversation, but by the time I got to him, they were trying to rush people because some brother before us seemed like he was telling Sh. Hamza his entire life story. Regardless, it was a blessing and great opportunity for us to meet these scholars.

Look, I know it sounds like I’m talking about these scholars like they’re rock stars, but the reality is that they are much bigger than that. They are pillars in our deen in our time, mashaAllah, and their guidance is inshaAllah inspiring...

Ali and I (though Ali slept through much of it) also attended Dr. Umar's - of the Nawawi Foundation - Meet the Author event where he discussed his book A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb. Russell Webb's life and time in which he lived is pretty amazing. One day, I'll have to read his book (don't laugh). Yep, it exited me that much. Webb knew people like Mark Twain and others like Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas attended the same talks he attended. Pretty unreal if you think about it.

Moving on...so of course we run into a buncha people. Highlights would include meeting Zareen’s twin sister, Samar, and Masuma at the Embassy Suites lobby. Unlike her sister, Samar was skinny and didn’t ask if I wore designer clothes or accessories. But, like her sister, she asked if I could write her an ode on my blog (which I have since been considering). The epic meeting between Samar and I was simply an inevitable cornerstone that had to be reached in my previously exclusive virtual relationship with her. I had only known Samar through pictures and through random Gmail chats where she got freaked out that I wrote about my love for her on my blog prior to meeting her. It's a long story, folks...

As for Masuma, it had been our one year anniversary, but all I got from her was a very nice smile (which I'm not complaining about). I even mentioned how I wrote an ode - no small feat - to her a year ago, but I got nothing more than a I'm-smiling-because-I'm-just-being-nice-to-you-you-freak look. Maybe she didn't talk to me that much because I didn't get her anything for our anniversary? Maybe she didn't talk to me because of the fact that I did write an ode to her (and her sister)? I don't know. I don't get women...

My ISNA experience for 2007 ended by attending the main lecture of the night – the MSA’s guest speakers which included the Yasir Qadhi, Imam Zaid and Shaykh Hamza with a couple others. Shaykh Hamza was good as usual, mashaAllah, but ISNA’s coordination of when his talk started was terrible. We sat there forever before he got up there to speak. We had to listen to the over zealous MSA president - whose passion was not contagious but totally obnoxious - talk about how great the MSA is and our youth and blah, blah, blah. Needless to say, the MSA president is a girl and they're generally pretty excitable. Yes, I did just say that!

Lastly, I’d just like to conclude that the real success of ISNA were fun, pleasant conversations with AJ’s wife, Sofia. Apparently, the gifts I’ve gotten them worked. Even Sofia said jokingly (I hope), “Keep the gifts coming.” Sigh. Women. No matter what the relationship is, they always want stuff. Be it chocolates from Belgium or odes on a blog.

Until ISNA returns to Chicago (or goes to someplace like LA, Miami, NYC, etc.), I'm out.