Day 3 – The Bay Area

 

Peace and Blessings to All,

This is Hamza Abdullah checking in for the Abdullah Brothers. Wow. What can I say about Day #3 on our Ramadan Tour.  MCA in Santa Clara, CA, was one of the first communities to extend an invitation to us and we wanted to know if NorCal had love for us even though we were from SoCal. It took all of 1 second to realize, they had more love than we’d ever imagine. The bar has been set. And Husain went as far as to say, the MCA Youth, may be the best youth group in the country. The challenge has been issued, and I’m anxious to see who the other challengers might be.

The welcoming parade began with a Quran teacher from the Masjid, punching us in our stomachs to see if we had 6 packs. Alhamdulillah (All Praises are due to God), he didn’t hurt us. He was probably in his late 40s but he wanted to see if he still had IT, and if his IT, could match ours. Then a brother came and gave us the biggest hugs, because we were out of towner’s, and he loved our Clothing. We are blessed to be outfitted by Kamani for our Tour. I’ve never worn a Thobe (Traditional Islamic Garb for Men), to hoop, but I think I could with these. As well as walk down the Red Carpet. Then came the Youth Group.

The Youth Group had great facilities, great programs, but even greater individuals. Abdullah, AbdarRahman and his brother Abdullah, Usama, Ahmed, Osama, it truly was too many to name here.  But we appreciate your hospitality. I apologize for not being able to name everyone, but know we appreciate you. One of the best gages of a good organization, is how they treat their women. Alhamdulillah, MCA had it laid out for the Sisters. It was a testament to their knowledge of Islam, and their moral obligations. We were in a huge room, and it was standing room only. The room was split, with sisters on one side and brothers on the other. But it was tough to say, who were the bigger football fans. The younger children were directly in front of us, accompanied by their picture taking parents. The atmosphere was crazy, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Well almost every minute.

I was asked about a Madden 12 game that AbdarRahman and I played in earlier, and I had to give him the Drew Rosenhaus, “Next Question”. I’ll just say, both teams played hard. LOL. It’s always great to get that one-on-one time with youngsters. I remember when I was a youngster. And anytime someone that was older than me, took the time to sit with me, I cherished it. But now being that older person, I realize, we may cherish that time even more than the younger one. Isn’t that what relationships are all about? Mutual benefit? God willing, we all can benefit from the relationships that we have, and make them long lasting. I thank all of the brothers and sisters who invited us to the MCA, and made our trip memorable.

I had a great time at the MCA, but we had to skate out rather quickly. We were scheduled for our first #TeamFajr appearance of the trip. We headed to the Salam Center, in Sacramento, CA to begin Day #4. The youth discarded their blankets like used paper towels, and rose to the challenge. And some other brothers and sisters even drove from Stockton, about an hour and a half away. It was great to see such youthful vibrance in the Mosque for the Pre Dawn prayer. It pushes us to be better. It pushes us to wake up and share in the blessings and reward of praying in congregation. Like the “Street Sheikh” taught us, Fajr in the Mosque, is better than that sleep you’re missing.

So again, NorCal, We love you, and we appreciate the warm welcome we received. You are the standard. Now we’ll see if anyone is willing to take the challenge. Thank you again for your time. I know how valuable time is, and I pray we spend every second doing something that is pleasing to God. We are off to Oregon, God willing. Please keep us in your prayers, and God willing, we’ll talk soon.

Peace and Be Blessed

Hamza Abdullah

@AbdullahBros

#30Masjids

#GetOnTheBus