Khan Khalili Bazaar and Ataba Market in Egypt

So I promised you guys that I'd post pictures of Khan Khalili Bazaar and Ataba Market. Here they are... Enjoy!

Ataba Market

Khan Khalili Bazaar

Becoming a Haafidh of Quran

The first part or maybe the whole part of becoming a haafidh of Quran is ALL about intention. As we all know, actions are only judged by intentions. Today it is common for some parents to force and even beat their children to memorize Quran, thus causing their children to develop a hatred for memorization of the Holy Book. This does not mean that parents should not do their best to encourage their children or that they should give in to their children's demands because very often in the end a child will appreciate being forced. What is necessary is that parents figure out a way to help their children understand that this is the greatest gift and the greatest wealth for the Prophet (saw) said in a hadith which is translated as, "The best amongst you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it to others. " One way that helps children not to detest the memorization of Quran is by teaching them the virtues and creating a love of Quran in their hearts from a very young age, before the love of worldly things corrupt their hearts. Sometimes parents also forget that it is equally important for they themselves to learn the Quran and memorizing along with your children can be a good way to encourage them. It is always best to lead by example. Memorization can even become a game as the child and parent compete with each other to memorize more than the other. I myself started memorization of Quran at the tender age of 5 at home with my mother. When I was 13 years old I enrolled into a school of memorization. At first I struggled everyday as I felt nothing stuck in my head. I harbored ill feelings toward my parents for making me attempt this difficult task. Then I met a teacher who taught me how to memorize and who taught me the virtues of memorizing this Glorious Book. After 2 years and 10 months, I finally completed my memorization and Alhamdulillah it is the best thing I ever did. I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me this gift and I hope that Allah rewards them for all they have done for me and I hope that Allah allows me to understand all that I have memorized and helps me to practice all that is in it. Ameen.

Living in egypt

It's been one month and i'm all settled in with my family. So for any of you who might be coming to Egypt to stay for a while, here's some advice. If you're planning to stay for just a few months, you should probably get a furnished apartment because you don't want to buy a lot of stuff and when you're ready to leave you have to try to sell everything. Depending on the area you stay in and the size of apt, a furnished apartment ranges anywhere from 8 hundred to 3000 Egyptian pounds a month. Which is far cheaper than the equivalent in Trinidad or the States. In a remote area, you can get a very nice three bedroom apt for 850. There are some places however that are like gated communities. These places have free buses, special cab services with a set price of 5 pounds as long as you're traveling within the community, every store and food place you can think of, 24hr doctors, amusement parks and much more. Rehab is an example of one of these places. A furnished 3 bedroom apt here is about 3000 Egyptian pounds, but if you're planning to stay in Egypt for a few years it's definately worth it for the comfort and the convenience. Luckily my wife and I only live about 5mins away from here. So we hang out a lot here. We're big Cinnabon fans and they have a particularly big one so here are some pics from our last visit.