Thursday, August 2, 2012
Nineteen Years in the Making
Before I met my husband, in 1992 he had this dream of buying land in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His initial vision was 140 acres of land, in an area known as Canyon Milagro. The years passed but the dream remained. In 2002, we married and he shared his dream with me and I greened the dream. We didn't know exactly how we could make the dream a reality with the hustle and bustle of the American lifestyle.
In 2003, out of sheer necessity, we turned our back yard into a natural/organic garden as we were both poor and hungry. This was one of the first steps in preparation to learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Over the years we went on camping trips, visited Native American museums, Energyfests, Plimoth Plantation, and other historical places that would teach us about the simple, homesteading life.
In 2009 we left the United States so my husband could take a position at Taibah University, Madinah al Munawarrah, to put us in an environment more conducive to our spiritual well-being. In two years, the blessings of Allah brought us 51 acres of land located in Roy, New Mexico. The price was within our grasp so we began the process to purchase the land. On July 18th, 2011 the next stage in our dream became a reality...we were now land owners.
It is our plan to continue to reside in Saudi Arabia and return to America to develop our land during the summer breaks. We hope to have a final transition to the land by 2019, inshaa'Allah. On this blog we hope to share with you the steps we've taken and continue to take to make this dream a reality.
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Alhamdulillah, sending du'a upon du'a for you and your family. I look forward to reading more, insh'Allaah, as you travel closer and closer to realizing your dreams.
ReplyDeleteAnd those du'a are multiplied hundred-fold for you and yours! Barak Allahu feeki.
DeleteSalaam!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very nice story, wish you all the best, iA!
I don't know how I ended up on here, but I was looking at info on living in madinah, and somehow....
Anyway, it seems you may have some experience? We have three children, boys:7th & 4th grades, girl: toddler.
We are entertaining the idea of a move to madinah, from the US.
I am thinking the only option for us is homeschooling. That being said, are there any type of recreation facilities, like "al nady" type of clubs that offer various sports and activities?
FYI: This potential move would be beneficial financially, however in no-way does that supercede the quality of life factor for our family.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Lulu
As Salam alaikum,
ReplyDeleteActually i was looking for infos on life in madinah when I realised that you are actually leaving. I was thrilled to read that you appreciate a green living and look to live an independent life. I thought you would establish such a life style in a muslim country or even madinah. When i realised that you are moving back to the states, i was shocked. Leaving volontary the best place of earth for moving back to the lands of disbelivers. I am sure you are aware of all benefits madinah has, like not the dajjal entering it, that one should try to die there and many others.
But thats not all. Its being considered a major sin when Allah favors upon you a living in the centre and one chooses to move outside to live alone.
What about being favored to live among the muslims, in a muslim country, in one of the most blessed cities upon earth and moving back to the land of the disbelievrs in the middle of nowhere, no shuyukh, no knowledge, no mosques? Did you ask ahl ilm about what you are going to do?
Its not my wish to put my noise into your life, but since I passed through this page and read most of the articles,i just felt like having to leave you my thoughts. I sincerly advice you to ask ahl Ilm before making your final step. May Allah bless you and your family
Fi amani Lah
Umm khadidja zahrah bin jamal
Wa alaikum as salaam wa rahmatullah. I will try to answer your questions one by one. Firstly, you said you were shocked we were moving back to the US. It was our intention from the beginning to go you Saudi to live in a better Islamic environment where our children would have a strong foundation. We always planned to return to the US to teach those not fortunate enough to travel to Muslim countries. Islam isn't restricted to Muslim countries. In fact, many of the sahabah left Madinah to spread Islam. Today, the Saudi government educates brothers from all over the world so they can return to their home countries to teach. Perhaps, you've attended some of the lectures in your country by the alumni of these universities.
DeleteAlso, there isn't an immigration policy for Saudi Arabia. So, people just can't move there. I was clearly told, "you were brought here to work."
Many call non-Muslim countries, "the land of disbelievers." How will these lands become the land of believers if everyone leaves them? We have a duty to give dawah to everyone, especially our non-Muslim family.
You assume that we don't have contact with the scholars, have no knowledge, and no masjid. I am in contact with the students of knowledge daily, and contact the scholars when the need arises...I just did 3 days ago. As for the masjid, we have established one here with the help of good brothers (some of them students of knowledge) and sisters from the UK, US, and Saudi Arabia.
Yes, we did ask before we embarked upon this journey of returning home to the US. The students and scholars have agreed with this return to the US.
Barak Allahu feekum for your concern; however, we've checked these points you mentioned, and have been told our actions are correct and praiseworthy. We ask Allah to accept our actions, and to make them purely for His sake.