As we approached the Rosen Shingle Creek Convention Center where the Diamond Jubilee celebrations were occurring, we saw hundreds of individuals who were blind. They were all attending the National Federation of the Blind’s annual convention. Some were completely blind, yet appeared very comfortable navigating their surrounding while others were partially blind and seemed to be struggling to find their way. Many used canes, while others had canine assistance or utilized echo-location to safely make their way around.
Observing the panorama, it dawned on me that we all walk through life experiencing various degree of blindness. Many of us are born with 20/20 vision, yet in times of adversity we become blind to all the beauty in our lives, focusing only on the difficulty that the everyday world inevitably brings. We are blessed to have a living Imam who guides us and lights our path. Immediately, I thought of Ayat al-Nur from the Holy Qur’an:
“Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, (and) the glass is as it were a brightly shining star, lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, the oil whereof almost gives light though fire touch it not – light upon light – Allah guides to His light whom He pleases, and Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah is Cognizant of all things.” (Surah al-Nur, 24/35)
Countless opportunities to serve are presented to us daily. One does not need an official appointment or position to serve. Service starts with a simple smile or a few kind words to another. We never know what people are going through in their lives. Sometimes, a smile and a few kind words makes all the difference.
Walking through the main celebration hall I saw hundreds of volunteers ranging in age, ardently working in their assigned areas while others were practicing their musical pieces as they prepared for the parade. Everyone was smiling and I couldn’t help but think of how our Jamat was this beautiful mosaic of people from all over the world, with such different life experiences and talents. Individually we are good, but together, we create this incredible tapestry that is beautiful, due to the diversity within our community. It is the guidance of our beloved Imam and the countless opportunities to serve his Jamat that unites us all. Seva has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives and it goes back generations. As I looked around me, I started to see evidence of this all around me.
I ran into sixteen year old, Alina Kurji, who was part of the “hype team” for the jubilee celebrations. Alina recalls being only six years old during Golden Jubilee but fondly remembers that both her parents were always serving in Jamatkhana. A uniformed volunteer in Tampa jamatkhana and a counselor in Camp Mosaic, she said, “Volunteering makes me happy.” Alina recently lost her 22-year-old brother, Tahir Kurji, in a tragic accident while he attended the University of Miami. She spoke lovingly about her brother as she said, “If he was here with us, he’d probably be helping out here and celebrating with the rest of us.”
Safira Barmanwalla, a nursing student at the University of Tampa, has been serving in various capacities including being involved in Camp Mosaic, Diamond Voyage and also being a uniformed volunteer. She shared, “Serving brings me closer to Hazar Imam. We have a choice whether to serve or not to serve, and I choose to serve. Bringing a smile to others just makes my whole day. I like the way it brings me joy.” Safira too comes from a family of sevadaris.
Nida Mandani a freshman at UCF was part of the One Jamat Dance performance. Nida who lost her dad when she was only eleven years old shared, “Losing my dad made me value my Jamat and seva even more and being part of this celebration is a dream come true.” Nida’s dad was an appointed member of Florida’s Council and Nida remembers going on the road with her dad as he drove to the various meetings from Orlando. “I’m celebrating, not only for my Imam, but also for my dad. Losing my dad was very hard, but it changed me for the better.”
I caught up with twenty-one year old Ijaaz Hirani while he was on a short break from marching band practice. He said that he prefers to serve behind the scenes. “Work no words,” he quoted Sultan Mahomed Shah as he went on to share that he knows the Imam is happy when we serve his Jamat.
I wandered across the hall to the Journey to Homage room and saw many volunteers setting up the various panels and lighting. I recognized Noor Valliani from Fort Lauderdale Jamatkhana. He was was working with Suleman Chandrani from Tampa, to complete the beautiful center pieces that displayed the individual tiles that the Jamat had created in the previous weeks. Noor recalls being a volunteer during the time of Silver Jubilee, Golden Jubilee, and now during Diamond Jubilee. “I don’t have much education, but I am blessed to serve and I am encouraging my children to pursue the best education and to be involved in seva as much as possible.” When asked what Noor would do if he was not able to serve in our Jamat, he said, “I would go out into my community and serve there.”
Suleman echoed that sentiment as he shared, “My relationship with my Imam is a murid-murshid relationship. I am who I am because of him. I can’t imagine my life without seva.” Suleman and Noor represent the thousands of other Ismaili murids who selflessly serve as an expression of their love for our beloved Imam and of the values of our faith.
Twenty-five year-old Karim Datu has served as a safety volunteer, a uniformed volunteer and in REC. He recalls his Golden Jubilee experience where he was assigned to vacuum the carpeted area where Hazar Imam walked.” He went on to say, ”It is an honor and a privilege to be an Ismaili. We have the best of all worlds.” Such faith and devotion is truly an inspiration to us all.
Yousef Surmawala from Miami Jamatkhana recalls coming to Miami in 1972 when the Jamat consisted mostly of students and a few families. He describes his 29 years of being able to serve in various capacities as being “the most gratifying thing. My professional and self growth happened while I was serving. Every step of my entire life has been effectively guided by the Imam’s spiritual guidance and Farmans. I have learned how to pursue success for myself and my family, and to then come back and give back to my community--- and that is the purpose of my life.” He went on to say, “If Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah’s Diamond Jubilee some 75 years ago has brought us here, can you imagine where this Jubilee will launch our Jamat?”
Indeed, powerful food for thought that, Inshallah, we as a Jamat will witness and experience in the coming decades.
