Asalaamu alaykum.

Nearly a month since Ramadan already? Subhan'Allah. FOSIS work has taken a back seat this month due to ISoc presidency, studies and some personal issues, but alhamdulillah, my mind has been slowly mulling over the next step in development for the Conference and Freshers Packs.

The Freshers Packs were quite successfully delivered, due to the hard work of some nameless individuals (may Allah bless them), although as always there were a few problems. I ask Allah to help rectify the mistakes we make and to help us overcome our faults.

Fresher Packs 2009 is the next big endeavour, as is the Conference.

One thing that struck me this month is the extent to which admin can sometimes take over our lives. The need to keep our work organised, on top of countless emails, to document, plan, prepare and delegate, to minute meetings and record actions.. it can all sometimes make it difficult to have that 'vision'. It's also difficult to mine such work for spiritual benefit. That said, its also essential to making a project successful.

As a reminder for myself, I often consider Khalid bin Waleed (ra). No doubt he's remembered as the 'Sword of Allah' and his epic battles defending Islam and Muslims against two huge superpowers. Yet, he was in charge of an army that at times numbered 100,000 men, plus their wives and children. This army, when spread out across a battlefield, sometimes had a width of nearly 25km. Add to that the goods, weapons, animals and food that must be carried along with an army of such size - you have a huge logistical challenge. No doubt Khalid bin Waleed (ra) spent much time doing 'admin', how else is it possible to mobilise the huge army, to ensure its being and has access to water, to train and prepare for combat, to arrange them into units with a command structure? This example has always been my source of strength when faced admin work. I pray that Allah helps us face whatever challenges are coming.

Salaam

Abdul Azim

Head of Members Relations