Leaving Mostar

Beautiful city, friendly people. Nothing motivates us more to continue our journey to the glamorous Sarajevo, which is next on our list. We can't thank our new friends enough for the hospitality and tourist-guidance they provided. Above all, it was the mercy of God Almighty, which translates into a form we could appreciate most. The prayers and supplications we made before and during the travel were certainly heard and answered by Him, Who loses nothing upon granting His needing slaves everything.

Praises be to God, our short visit to Mostar was nonetheless very educating. We spent less than 7 hours there and have seen much of its beauty, culture and underlying history. That was not all- we saw, and were given lectures on other aspects which will not be apparent to just anyone, i.e. Islamism. Our brother Nurudin took us to their main Islamic Centre, Darul Kuran, within which the movement is organised. Classes of al-Quran and ahadith are held regularly to feed the growing need of Mostar's Muslim community. True, everywhere in the world, people are turning to Islam. And Mostar hates to be left out.

Despite the many occasions where Mostar has won my heart, I was still short of its dakwah experiences. I wanted to see for myself the type of circles and classes they utilise. I wanted to listen to the depth of Arabic they integrate into their learning, analyse the class of audience they attract, the extent of al-Quran and ahadith they cover, their approach to the holy sciences, their attitude towards men-women relation, their fraternity and love for each other, and many more. The nature of my visit steered me away from these, but I wasn't frustrated. It was all the will of God, and He knows what is best for everyone. Perhaps, for me, there is a 'next time'. Again, such matter is only within Allah's boundless knowledge.

Our tour with Nurudin started from Karađoz Begova Džamija, and it was at the same point where we ended. In the quick farewell, I promised to find a man from Malaysia, an Islamic activist, to help strengthen Mostar's Islamic propagation. The idea might sound big, but without trying, we can never test its feasibility.

Just before asr, the afternoon prayer, we set off on foot to the bus station. A simple city with several parallel roads, Mostar is a hard place to be lost in. It didn't take us long to reach there, and soon after that it was time to wave Mostar a goodbye.