Dow Medical College, DMC

Assalam-o-alaikum!

I checked the DUHS (Dow University of Health Sciences) merit list today at 10 am... Alhamdolillah, I was on the list at number 12! Finally, Alhamdolillah... years and years of education, from K.G. to seconday school, culminate in admission into University.

The medical colleges that come under the head of DUHS are Dow Medical College (DMC) and Sindh Medical College (SMC). Both has 219 seats each, under the category of 'open merit'. So, if your merit score (10% of lower seconday result + 40% higher secondary result + 50% admission test) gives you a rank of under 219, you get into Dow, and if you get a rank between 220 and 438, you get into SMC. That makes up the 438 seats for Open Merit.

The advantages of the Open Merit, or simple 'merit', category are multiple, most importantly, your tuition fee is greatly reduced... around Rs 12000 per year (Just $200 a year!) compared to the regular fee Rs 2 lakh for a government college ($ 3333) and around Rs 4 to 5 lakh ($6666-8333 a year) for private medical colleges. You can now see why everyone wants to get in on open merit into a government college!

Anum and Saima both Alhamdolillah, got a merit score that enabled them to be eligible for SMC! Both were obviously hoping for Dow, but if out of 4000 students, you are ranked on 266 (Anum) and 277 (Saima), I think that's worthy of a standing ovation!

The final merit list will be issued in a few days and during this time, any complaints brought forward by candidates will be addressed.

Alhamdolillah, despite various odds, we cousins now have a seat each in the medical colleges and as for the distribution of the seats, some in DMC and some in SMC, there will be, inshAllah, betterment. I may sound like the wrong person to be saying this, getting into Dow myself, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that, Alhamdolillah, all thanks to Allah, we have been spared the wait of another year... and should be thankful to get a place... where so many others haven't been able to this year. There must be so many girls and boys like us who wished so much to get admissions, and I know many too, and we must be sincerely and truly thankful to Allah for giving us this chance to make our dreams come true. As for our destiny, it will be for the better, inshAllah.

This is a stepping stone in our lives, another turn, another page... if you look at the true logic and reasoning behind this, you would realise that the goal remains as it is, even for those who failed to get admission... the goal of the Hereafter. Whatever you do, whether you eventually become a doctor, engineer, teacher, etc., you have to be a good Muslim, wherever you are!

Assalam-o-alaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatohu!

Freedom!

Assalam-o-alaikum!

Yay! I'm finally free with the medical college entrance tests! Even though I wasn't putting in concentrated effort, I feel like some big weight has been lifted off my shoulders and for the first time in years, I feel I am completely free - there is no guilt of wasting time and not studying!

The test for KMDC was on 30th October while the test for Dow Medical college (DMC), having being delayed three weeks due to the earthquake relief efforts, was conducted this Sunday, 13th November.

Alhamdolillah it went well! Jazak-Allah for your prayers and wishes! The tests were both Multiple choice... 100 questions each with negative marking of 0.25 for every wrong answer. I scored 90% and 88% in the KMDC and DMC tests respectively. The test scores make up 50% of the 'merit score' while the remaining 50% depend on your school results (Matriculation/O levels and Intermediate/A levels). InshAllah, I can hope to secure a seat in both KMDC and DMC, and then to choose where to go. The merit list for KMDC will be announced today while that for DMC on Monday, 21st November.

I'm feverently praying for my cousins, Saima and Anum, and my friends, Maria, Saira, Hira, Sarah to be able to secure their place in Dow as well! The fact is that we've, Alhamdolillah, only just realized that we need to direct ourselves for the cause of Allah and we really wish to get together for that. Being in the same medical college, meeting each other so often, would really help in strengthening our individual faith while being of some use to the community as well, inshAllah. Dow medical college is associated with a government hospital, the Civil hospital of Karachi and there are scores of poor people there in need. We've got a few ideas for how we could be of service to Allah and humanity at the same time - but we all need to be together for that! May Allah do what is best for us. Ameen.

Classes at Dow will most probably begin around mid-December after completion of various formalities. So I've got about a month of free time... it's a fantastic feeling! There's also the excitement of leaving for Hajj, inshAllah, on 25th December... ours will be a three-week trip to Saudi Arabia, and we'll be arriving in Makkah, inshAllah, by 3rd or 4th of January. The trip from Tabuk, in the north, to Jeddah will be by road in our own car inshAllah - an added bonus as I always love the prospect of driving through the beautiful Saudi Arabian desert. From Jeddah, we'll join a local Hajj group towards Makkah and on, inshAllah.

Hajj is indeed a great blessing and I hadn't thought I'd be called for it so early in life! I'd always maintained that one must go for Hajj as soon as possible - for a girl, after marriage - this was quite unexpected... but welcomed, Subhan-Allah! My parents already know how to go about it, having done Hajj already and my father knows the region like the back of his hand, Alhamdolillah, but being something entirely new for me (in the matter of rituals, not the area), right now, I'm just asking lots and lots of questions.

The prospect of beholding the Ka'bah again and the powerful Makkan landscape, the palpable serenity, the sweet-smelling air, the spirituality cascading towards the valley from Heaven... it's very, very uplifting. My soul is having the time of its life these days, getting a lot of nourishment so Hajj should be a long-awaited feast, inshAllah!

I'm getting to know lots of family and friends will be performing Hajj this year, like Faraz bhai's brother and sister-in-law, my Zoology teacher's sister and brother-in-law... great, alhamdolillah!

Now to move on to the next activity on my "Freedom list" ... probably writing for the local newspapers and an Islamic Magazine, Hiba.

Wish us cousins and friends lots of luck for the DMC list and please pray for us to be together, inshAllah!

Assalam-o-alaikum!

Much ado about something!

Salam alaikum!

The past two to three days were quite difficult to go by… my mother, younger sister and I were terribly ill, all together! Cold and high fever together, so much so that we were all in bed with damp clothes on our faces. It was irritating, to an extent, because it’s the third time we’ve fallen prey to a flu-like sickness in a month – twice in Ramadan! This time, we suspected it was viral Malaria due to the high fever but then it was diagnosed as a very bad case of flu that’s been ‘around’… why does flu always seem to be ‘around’?! Anyway, alhamdolillah, we’re all quite well now, though continuous high fever for a day and a half has left a sour taste in the mouth, lack of energy and aching limbs.

The test for Dow Medical college, this Sunday, was not a major cause of concern to me during the illness, alhamdolillah… though maybe not because I did well in the KMDC test but because I was occupied with something much more important!No long suspense. :)

I said in my last post about my budding interest in Da’wah activities. Well, would you know it, that very same day a Brazilian Christian, Rene, at Orkut (a site where you can exchange messages with friends and join communities according to your interests) I’d only just started to message, asked for my MSN ID.

I found this person at an Islamic community and thus thought he’d probably be more receptive to our religion. He also had an interest in spirituality, though not any religion associated with it. Anyway, I left him a short note thanking him for being polite to Muslims at the community, and asking him about his interest in Islam. Well, he didn’t turn out to be very interested, only a tiny bit, and not with good intentions, I can assure you.

Still, I let him add me at MSN. Initially, we made small talk… in fact, right away, he asked me how I was so tolerant towards him. All other Muslims had been infuriated with his occasional taunt and mockery of Islam. I have to admit I hadn’t known he could be very frank in his statements of Islam – sometimes, it hurt. I also discovered later that he was extremely rude to other people in his messages (messages between people at Orkut are not allowed privacy) and he actually incited them to hate him in return.

According to Rene’:

'I'm at orkut mostly to be an unrespectful ass***e than anything. So I do disrespect muslims. Not just muslims, but also jews and even christians, like me. But you were so kind and sweet at my scrapbook, so I couldn't be disrespectful with you.'

I told him a Muslim is tolerant and doesn’t have to resort to verbal abuse (like Muslims had been doing with him at Orkut) to get his point across. I also told him that no matter what I say to you, I couldn’t change you on this if you didn’t think it was wrong yourself. So, it was wrong to scream “you’ll rot in hell!!!!! Allah will burn you allll... you’ll never be guided to the truth.. Muslim win you are hell people! Allah will never guide you 2 da truth!” like Muslims at Orkut were doing, and were very pleased with themselves (half my time at Orkut is spent on messaging Muslims to correct this crazy behavior).

Well, Rene’ was surprised, and impressed. I have to say, alhamdolillah, he has never once said anything rude to me or abused me in any way! I’ve told him I had my own views, I didn’t agree with what he did at Orkut, but I couldn’t possibly abuse him for it. At this he called me 'wise' but I pointed it out to him that it wasn’t wisdom – it was the way of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and all other Prophets before him... tolerance and patience.

We chatted randomly about Brazilian people and South Asians... a few jokes here and there. Rene, aged 24, turned out to be studying Economics but he’d lost a job recently so he’d had to give up his University for the time being due to lack of finance... but he didn’t sound very depressed about that.

Before I signed off, I mentioned it to him that if he had any questions on Islam, I’d be pleased to provide him an authentic answer, inshAllah. And so, my first chat with Rene was quite exhilarating, as I was really not prepared to talk to someone like him! I mean, he’s quite a weird person... the typical anti-Islam Non-Muslim in some respects but totally unexpected in others! For example, at Orkut, he’d inserted two Arabic words with his nickname so I asked him about their meaning. He didn’t want to translate them for me, as, according to him, it wasn’t something good. I asked him anyway, and really, it was far from decent. He expected some anger from me probably but again, I told him I was bound by tolerance.

‘Truly hope you have no hard feelings at all with my disrespect to others
Muslims,’ he said.

What do you make of a person like that?

Well, I wish to write more but a blog entry shouldn’t become cumbersome to read. I’m definitely going to be posting a lot more about Rene’, inshAllah. This was just the beginning – I’ve chatted with him two more times and we entered the topic of Islam with a big bang... not really how I’d hoped but I suppose when you talk to young Non-Muslims, they’ve got typical questions on Islam that, like it or not, have to be addressed.

I’m thinking of posting our chats on a geocities personal site constructed for this very purpose, what do you think about that? I would have to edit them, though, to keep them decent enough to read. Then, you can give in your ideas too, to have a share in the Da’waa process, inshAllah! (This is so exciting!)

For the next post on Rene’s very interesting chats, stay tuned! Salam alaikum!

Eid Mubarak!

Salam alaikum!

This post is a bit behind the times but you can blame all that on my computer! The power switch has some electrical problem and lots of random jabbing and tampering might occassionally turn on the computer. I know, I know! I should get it fixed and inshAllah, I will, as soon as the Eid holidays are over...

...which reminds me - Eid Mubarak! May this blessed Eid brings lots of joy and peace at heart to everyone! This Eid was celebrated with solemnity and less dash than usual because of what happened in Pakistan on Oct 8. Nobody really was up for even preparing for Eid this year... the markets registered only 30% sale compared to the previous year. I could vouch for that! When I went to the bazaar across the road, a week after the tragedy, just a few quiet shoppers were visible while the shopkeepers themselves made no attempt to invite you to check out their displays. Much later however, the shopping picked up (sadly, it did develop momentum) and eventually, I could see that the Bazaar finally closed for Eid holidays at 4:30 am on the night of Eid!!!

All we did this Eid was attend two family get-togethers/parties at my Mamoos' (maternal uncles') homes. My maternal relations here in Karachi are such that our internal gatherings are frequent while the interactions with friends, etc. are fewer. This means that you'd usually find one Mamoo visiting the other, one Khala (maternal aunt) visiting some Mamoo, etc. My point is that we cousins get to see each other so often that the special occassions aren't very extra-ordinary! Ofcourse everyone's all dressed up and the food is great! Another plus point, there's no formality, and that means we have extra fun! :P

I've been wondering about this a lot lately - I haven't been writing enough at my blog! And I also feel now that I'm defeating the purpose of a blog by not writing what is on my mind... by writing less and on restricted topics, I feel like I'm setting limits for myself. It isn't fulfilling. Thus, you'll see more posts from now on, inshAllah.

Lately, I've become very, very interested in Da'waa (invitation to Islam)... so much so that I've decided to make it my ultimate goal, inshAllah, after Medical school. I know Da'waa for a Muslima cannot be taken up in the way men do (visiting far flung areas and full-time interaction with the Non-Muslims) but interactions on daily basis with colleagues or through the internet are very convenient. These days, I'm trying to understand the logic that atheists come up with! I've been asking them questions online to learn about what makes them believe that their "existence just IS" (according to one atheist from Germany).

I also bought a basic book on Judaism to begin my library on Comparative Relgion! Also, to equip myself with the Quran as my basic guidebook, I've started making notes of references and categorizing the various ayaah to make it easy for me to quote them to anyone, anywhere. These are not even the basic steps, I know... formal education will have to follow but till that, I'd like to use my time effectively in these activities. I'm very impressed by the likes of Dr. Israr Ahmed, Dr. Zakir Naik and I hope I become a doctor and follow in their footsteps, inshAllah!

The fact is that the rewards a Da'ee (person who invites to Islam) reaps are so blessed and wonderful that I think the only reason I'm eager for Da'waa is because I'm being greedy here. :S Still, true peace of heart, I feel, would be such that comes from knowing someone's heart has turned to Islam, inshAllah! Please pray for me that I may be successful in my endeavours!

We keep forgetting that time is just whizzing by (I no longer like to use the term "slipping by", it is obsolete considering the current speed of time) and that very soon, teenagers would become adults and this middle-aged people... and finally the elderly. Already I am nineteen! Nineteen years of life gone away, most of innocent youth behind me... there's this horizon of possibilities and precious time to use with care. It's like I'm about to invest a big amount of money and I need to be careful where to I do it - there's one chance, one life, one test and one result.

My increasing turn to Islam and the spirituality that is immersed in it also comes from being exposed to so many un-Islamic things. The state of the world and the related state of Muslims is tightening like a noose around my neck. On the night of Eid, I was actually depressed that Ramadan was over! It was because I knew that most Muslims would have now abandoned their five-times prayers ("Ramadan is over!") and the religious atmosphere would dissipate entirely for the whole year! It pains me most to see my immediate relatives - my maternal Uncles and most cousins completely care-free in matters of Salaat/prayer but quick to debate and argue over simple aspects of religion. The so-called "Modern Muslim" feels it sufficient to say "Ma'shaAllah" or "Insh'Allah" and secure his or her Hereafter. Would that Allah would make all my relatives mindful of their five-times prayers and offer them in congregation! That would be such a sight for the eyes!

I could go on and on on that topic and no doubt, you'll hear more from me about that in the coming times. I've got to mention one thing here... my father gave us a BIG BIG BIG Eid gift on the day of the last fast during our chat on MSN. He asked us whether we'd be ready to perfrom Hajj together this year?! Alhamdolillah! My head has been occupied with that ever since! We had planned to visit S. Arabia in the last week of December anyway and since we'd be there we could easily go off for Hajj in the first to second week of January. We'll go by road insh'Allah from Tabuk to Madinah, and from then onwards, join a Hajj group for the pilgrimage!

My parents have already performed Hajj but I was only three at that time so I remember nothing about it. Hajj was always this thing I'd go for one day, probably after marriage. But Allah opened this little window of time right in the first weeks of Medical school, in the year that we plan to leave S. Arabia! SubhanAllah! The winter season is a big plus point. I've started gathering practical tips on Hajj to make my Hajj, inshAllah, the best I can manage!

About Medical school, well, I gave one admission test for the Karachi Medical and Dental College (KMDC) on the 30th of October, last Sunday. Alhamdolillah, with the little time I had spent preparing for it, my test was very good and I got 90% after negative marking. I attribute this success to Allah and to the peace and calm He bestowed upon me without which I wouldn't have been able to keep my head. Again, it reaffirmed my belief in the notion that the more time you spend for Allah, the more you benefit in every matter! You've just got to be patient and tolerant. To reduce study time and take up the Quran, some people might say I should speak for myself, but that's our problem! We hesistate to try it out! Believe me, it's 101% true. I actually realise now the meaning of the Dua "Allah, make good for me my wordly life and made good for me the Hereafter". They go hand in hand.

The merit list for KMDC will be announced on 14th November. That's for Dentistry but my focus has shifted to MBBS suddenly so now, the test for Dow Medical College (DMC) is very important. That's on the 13th of November, it was pushed forward by three weeks because of the nation-wide relief efforts for the quake. I have a week to complete my preparations. Wish me success in which is best!

Loooong post but I had many things to write about.

May Allah bless your life with peace and prosperity!

Salam alaikum!

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