Texas Dawah Day 1

Note: I have been pulled into organizational activities, so my blog will be weak at best... I'll try to pull info. from other people... see the following links for more blogs/tid-bits:
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18785
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18781

The highlight of today was the khutbah that we went to at the ISGH-SEZ mosque. The khateeb was Ibrahim Dremali. And he did not disappoint! All the major Mosques of Houston hosted speakers of TDC... Yasir Qadhi was the Main Center, Dr. Mamduh Mohammed (a surprise last-minute showing) at the El-Farooq, and so on. Houston had a real treat today!

So Sh. Ibrahim's Khutbah was full of gems (as our AlMaghrib brothers call it). He captured each person's attention and never let it go till the last words of the Khutbah. He talked about living with Taqwa, not just talking about it. He urged people to live for the akhira, not for the duniya. A funeral prayer was supposed to follow the Khutbah, and he used this opportunity to remind the folks that today we are praying for someone, tomorrow others will be praying for us. Every person will depart. He reminded people of the 4 things that afflict us, that will make our life miserable and not something Allah desires for us: (1) Consistent worry about issues in life (2) Work that never ends, (3) Fear of poverty, and never feeling satisfied, (4) Hope in worldly things that is never quenched.

Registration was pretty active, but tomorrow will be the big explosion inshallah of pre-registrations, and new registrations.

The only session today was the open session on 1st Amendment, and the place of religion in public life. The discussion was interesting, and touched many subjects of public life. Sh. Waleed mentioned how the Prophet never prohibited freedom of expression, and how he worked with the Jews of Madinah when he came there. Other people with more detailed notes can comment inshallah.