This Ramzan, I read online about the Afterglow Light the Soul retreat and I was immediately intrigued. Firstly because I had never ever heard of a religious retreat happening for women in Pakistan, secondly, this seemed more structured in some way with an agenda, speaker lineups etc. So, I decided to register and check it out.
Before the retreat started, all the participants received the Ramadan legacy planner, which is a journal designed to help you make the most out of this holy month. It tracks your prayers, your taraveeh, helps you keep track of your good deeds etc. The journal got me even more excited and I couldn’t wait for the retreat to start.
Day 1, all participants were handed a name badge and a lovely taraveeh tote bag. It included a beautiful Quran, a janamaz, a wonderfully designed reflections journal for the entire retreat with sections and dividers for each session and a gift box by Dotte Parcels that had a beautiful tasbeeh, a morning and evening azkaar handbook, afterglow tea coasters and a wonderful lavender cream. The setup inside the main hall was incredible and made me feel at ease instantly. So bright, so colorful – it almost looked festive. Floor seating, corners for ibadat and resting, books for reading, audios to listen to – it was a dream.
Day 1 started with a welcome note by Ms. Sumika Farooqui, the brains behind Afterglow. All participants were introduced, we went through the agenda and then we had the honor of listening to a beautiful recitation of the Quran by Mr. Shahbaz Mirza. Followed by a 30-minute yoga session, which put everyone at ease and we were all ready to start the day. Day 1 had 2 main sessions plus these small NAK Vitamin sessions where small 2-3 minute clips of Quran Tafseer by Noman Ali Khan were played throughout the day.
The 2 main sessions of day 1 included Islam a way of life by Mr. Wajihuddin, a trainer at the youth club and a renowned Islamic scholar. His session revolved around the subject of integrating Islam into your life in small ways, one step at a time. The second session of the day was Salah and patience – the cure to all by Ms. Mehwish Sarfaraz who is a homemaker and runs a Facebook community for counseling mothers by the name of Mommy diaries.
During her session, she talked about not just the importance of namaz but also how we can make it a part of our daily lives, how to prioritize it, how to make it a habit and how it is a beautiful way of communicating with our creator Allah s.w.t. Day 1 ended with an interactive reflection session with Sumika followed by iftar.
Day 2 again started with the recitation of Quran and yoga session. Then Sumika took everyone over the agenda for the day and the speakers were introduced. The first session was Islam and significant others by Ms. Aaisha Aamir. It would be safe to say that this was the most emotional session during the entire retreat as Ms. Aaisha talked about the rights of our loved ones, the weight these relationships carry from a religious perspective and how to manage religion and relationships side by side. There was not a dry eye in the entire room as we discussed parents, partners and even random strangers and how they will stand as a character witness for us on the day of judgment. Ms. Aaisha is a renowned Islamic scholar at the Al Ilm Institute.
The next two sessions were by Mr. Shahbaz Mirza called A Productive You and Self-care. Mr. Shahbaz is the founder of the world’s no 1 app for Ramadan, Ramadan Legacy. Both his sessions revolved around how you can take deen and duniya together. Also how you can take time out for yourself and indulge in self-care activities while being a good Muslim. He talked about managing your time more effectively to ensure that you perform your worldly duties and don’t compromise on religion either. Day 2 ended with a reflection session with Sumika and iftar.
Day 3 started off with the recitation of the Holy Quran and then kick off by Sumika. The first session of the day was The Extra Mile by Mr. Raja Zia ul-Haq who is the president and the CEO of the youth club. His session was about making an extra effort, not just in terms of your religious commitments but also in your everyday affairs. He discussed identifying your own strengths and using them to aid your community.
This session was followed by The extra mile – in action by Ms. Noha Mahdi who is the founder of The Mawada project (TMP). During this session, all the participants made toys from scratch for the children at the HOPE foundation. Ms. Noha and her partner Ms. Shirin Mehri talked about the importance of giving back with more effort, attaching sentiment and meaning to every bit. All the mothers attending the retreat were requested to bring their kids to this activity too and the kids seemed to thoroughly enjoy it!
After the session, Sumika individually took feedback from all participants, everyone shared their learning and their plan moving forward. Then Sumika thanked and acknowledged all the partners, donors and volunteers. The afterglow team handed some souvenirs to all participants and that concluded the retreat.
All in all, the retreat was very refreshing and enlightening. In our busy lives, we tend to forget about religion and find it difficult to take time out for pure ibadat and this retreat helped all participants take a break and reflect. Kudos to team afterglow, speciallyMsSumikaFarooqui for pulling off such a great and much-needed event!
