Dear *******

By the Grace of MHI and with your prayers, I was most fortunate to be at the Deedar Ceremony at Al-Khawabi. I remembered you all very much.

I am giving here below a short detail of the ceremony, for your information.

Alhamdullillah, by MHI's Gracious Blessings, kindnesses and by all your prayers, I was most, most fortunate to get the Noorani Roohani Deedar of Sarcar Mawlana Hazar Imam this morning.

I am unable to write what I have experienced today the best, best Deedar that I have had in my whole life that I can remember. Who ever was present there it is a once in a lifetime that you get such a Noorani Deedar. Let me tell you in whatever words that I can to describe the most holy event in my life.

On Wednesday, we were working till 02:30 am in the morning (Thursday morning), sorting the table arrangement for about 160 guests for the dinner to be hosted by MHI on Saturday night, the 10th of Nov., but we could not finish our task.

Thus, on Thursday morning from 08:00 hours we started the work and could only finish the final seating plan by 3:00 pm. Though, we were supposed to leave Damascus on Thursday morning at 10:30 for Tartous.

We were able to leave Damascus by car at around 3:30 pm and we rushed to Tartous to reach there before 5:30 pm, as MHI was arriving at that time. The driver, an Ismaili was very kind and we were reached Tartous, Shahin Hotel at 5:25 pm. Since it was only 5 minutes Away when MHI would have arrived, I stayed at the lobby and was Blessed with MHI's Deedar when he entered the hotel at 5:35 pm.

After that I went straight to the Secretariat, which was on the mezzanine floor and worked till around 11:30 at night with just a cup of tea and a glass of water. During this time, MHI came down for dinner with the Local Council and world leaders and went up to his room, which I did not see but only heard.

After that went out to have something to eat, which I fortunately did with Mukhi Nadir, who was having dinner at a restaurant with his family.

The next morning, which is today (Friday), left the hotel at around 07:30 and oh! what is scene was there at the Deedar ground.

The Deedar took place at Al-Khawabi, which is very picturesque place in between the mountains just like Murree, but this was much higher then Murree (I think). Right at the top of one of the mountains, lie a big bunglow, which belongs to the Vice President of the National Council for Syria a lady. At the back of the villa, they have a very big ground, which of course was full of rocks and un-even ground but could accommodate a maximum of 10,000 people. The ground was leveled by volunteers and it was the most suitable place for a Deedar.

There were between 8,000 to 9,000 people for the Deedar which mostly constituted Ismailis, but also Druze, Alawi (Shia), Ithna Ashari and Christains. I was able to sit in the third row. The stage was very beautifully done with wood work on the back ground and full of white flowers. The stage was covered (overhead) and the Jamat was sitting in open air, on the carpeted floor.

We were over 3,000 feet above sea level, the sky was cloudy with just enough sun to have the warmth, no pollution, it was, I cannot express here, but it somehow had all the qualities of a very Holy Noorani Deedar.

Hazar Imam arrived at around 9:35, went straight into the villa, changed into his traditional white Sherwani suit and the Jhuba and black Jinnah Cap.

The Jamat, I am proud to say was very, very, very disciplined. The recitation of Salwat was just excellent, just excellent. Very loud and very clear and it had that hidden strength in it that pulled MHI to be amongst all of us there.

The Farman, which MHI himself approved at 05:00 am on Friday morning, was a pre-written Farman. It was written as it had to be translated earlier in Arabic. It was not the usual instant translation that we see in our part of the world.

The Farman was "general" not very specific for Ismailis only, as we had non-Ismailis amongst the gathering. Hazar Imam once again stressed the importance of Education for younger children and he spoke about the co-operation and AKDN's future activities in Syria. The Farman was not very long. Hazar Imam was amongst us for about an hour and then He went to the Villa, had lunch and left at around 1:00 pm for a place nearby where the Aga Khan Trust for Culture is doing some work on a site for restoration, from where He will go to Hama, stay the night there and Inshahallah tomorrow morning will give Deedar to Salamieh Jamat where they expect a gathering of at least 100,000 people, if not more.

This was the most historic event for the Syrian Jamats many of whom had their first Zaheri Deedar of MHI, and for the rest it was their second. The first being in 1959.

I could not see anyone without tears in their eyes. Tears of joy, tears of happiness at seeing the Imam for the first time in their life.

I must tell you that many of my new Syrian colleagues who have been working as volunteers at the Secretariat and other committees, they all said that they had seen Hazar Imam on more then one occasion, during this visit since Nov. 2nd, but when they saw Hazar Imam now in the Deedar, His face, His eyes, His expression, everything was so different, so Noorani. MHI had that "light" that "Noor" that people could see in Him.

MHI was very happy indeed with the overall arrangements for the Deedar, the discipline of the Jamat and he mentioned this to the leaders.

I said in my opening remark that I cannot express, what the atmosphere was there, I can only say that the sun was there, but not hurting the eyes, it had the warmth, there was breeze, which was not cold, but cool enough to wear a jacket, the air was sweet, the light in the sky was just enough that everybody could see everyone, there was no pollution, no traffic noise, we could see clouds and other mountains which some of them were higher then us and most of them lower then ours in the distant. You could feel that there was "Nooraniat" all over.

MHI gave Blessings to all those present there, to their Jamats and to their families and believe me, I remembered all of you very much. I missed you all very, very much.

I was fortunate enough to have lunch at this villa, after MHI left and left Al-Khawabi at around 3:30 pm, checked out of the hotel in Tartous and reached Damascus at around 7:00 pm.

I am now in Room # 835.

Hope to see you soon in Doha.

Regards
M. B.