ANNUAL
CONFERENCE REPORT
Our Lord, let not our hearts waver, now that You
have guided us. Shower us with Your mercy; You are the Grantor.
Our Lord, You will surely gather the people on a day that is inevitable.
GOD never breaks a promise. (3:8-9)
The 16th annual United Submitters International Conference was
held in San Francisco, California August 10-12, 2001. It was a tremendous
blessing for all of us who were in attendance.
As usual, it began with joyous greetings and hugs in the lobby
and the sense of keen anticipation. Everyone seemed in such good
spirits. It is always so special to see all of our believing family
and catch up on the past year’s events.
Friday prayer was led by Dr. Mahdi A. In his Khutbah (sermon), he
reminded us not to neglect the miracle of Quran. It’s a gift,
and those who reject it or conceal it are the disbelievers.
Accepting the Quran with all its revelations allows our souls to
advance, while denying it causes us to regress.
This is one of the great miracles. A warning to the
human race. For those among you who wish to advance, or regress.
(74:35-37)
You shall believe in what I have revealed herein,
confirming what you have; do not be the first to reject it. Do not
trade away My revelations for a cheap price, and observe Me. (2:41)
Abdullah opened the conference itself with his welcoming remarks,
thanking God the Almighty for giving us the opportunity to get together
to commemorate Him; congratulating all of the submitters who had
made the effort to strive in the cause of God by attending the
conference to be with their “real” family.
Those who believe, and those who emigrate and strive
in the cause of GOD, have deserved GOD's mercy. GOD is Forgiver,
Most Merciful. (2:218)
As all 250 people introduced themselves, it was wonderful to see
so many new faces, people joining us for the first time. The introductions
included people telling how long they had been in submission, and
it was great to hear so many of the youngsters say: “I’ve
been a submitter all my life.”
The speakers put forward interesting concepts on their understanding
of submission. The talks made us laugh and made us cry. They told
us of things we never knew and reminded us of things we need to
remember, and all in all they helped make us more appreciative of
God’s blessings and guidance. It was especially inspiring
to listen to the talks and skits given by our young people. The
depth of their understanding is remarkable.
The zikr and Quran recitation were beautiful as always. This year
the presentations included recitals of Al-Fatehah in several languages,
plus violin and flute music.
You shall sing the praises of your Lord, and be with
the prostrators. (15:98)
When it came time for Abdullah’s closing remarks, everyone
was energized and revitalized and ready for another year of spreading
the message. But it was sad to say our goodbyes. We were fortunate
to share a bus tour of the city and a cruise in San Francisco Bay.
We really want to thank the Bay Area community for their hard work
in putting on such a wonderful conference. May God bless us all.
O you who believe, you shall be steadfast, you shall
persevere, you shall be united, you shall observe GOD, that you
may succeed. (3:200)
Nargis and Lydia
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