Exciting news…and the second list!

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Some interesting news for you all.

Firstly, there is a second list of accepted students. It came out about a week ago and comprises around 120 students in total, of which I think 29 are from Europe and the US. Unfortunately, the list is not published in its entirety, and the letters haven’t yet been sent out. I can confirm that there is one British student: ‘Abdi Kareem Saaleh, and one American student: Abu Bakr Ahmad Mas’ad (excuse any spelling mistakes), who have both been accepted as part of the ’second list’. To the best of my knowledge these two are the only two from the US and UK, but like I said, I had to fight a bit to see those names and the list was not complete, so no guarantees. Also congratulations to Buba Sulle Dicko from Cameroon, who was also accepted as part of the second list. Inshaa Allah, I’ll try to get the whole second list by the end of the week.

Secondly, To all of the accepted students from the US. It seems like you are all waiting for a letter to be sent to the embassy, detailing how many years you will be studying and your visa numbers. This information was faxed to the cultural attache on Wednesday night, so the university requests all students to contact the cultural attache and chase this up. I presume that they will forward this information to the embassy, who will then process all of the visas inshaa Allah.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I just signed up to work for the university in the Dept. of Admissions. This will inshaa Allah, help all of you in two ways. Firstly, I will be able to get information and answers to your questions promptly, since I will be there for at least an hour every day inshaa Allah and develop better contacts with the people who work there. Secondly, my first task will be to revamp the section of the university website which deals with admissions. That means a new fully electronic method of submitting applications (which is already under development), an accurate English translation of the website, and the most important and most frequent questions and comments from this site will inshaa Allah be incorporated into the official site, with the responses checked and signed off by university officials.

This is a chance for all of you to give your feedback and comments.

From the top of my head, these are some things I think we need to focus upon:

• The requirements, conditions, requested documents, and actions that are required from prospective students should be clear at all stages: before submitting documents, when you are accepted, and after you arrive. A google earth ‘map’ of the university wouldn’t be a bad idea for new students.
• The website should contain frequently asked questions based on this blog and others, and a means to effectively communicate with the university electronically.
• Accepted students’ names should be published on the website, even if it is that every student who applies is given a reference and has to enter the reference to find out. It would even be nice if they were informed of their acceptance by email.

Please post some comments with your ideas & suggestions, then I will collate them and present them, inshaa Allah.

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Muhammad

A couple of things that I picked up on

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Just a couple of things that I picked up on for accepted students.

In terms of the visa, you can inshaa Allah, go through a travel agent, as an alternative to going to the embassy yourself. This seems to be a third method, apart from the two that I mentioned in the previous post, on the front page.

In terms of the ticket/visa number, you can call the university for the number, on 009664847080, extension 128. There should be someone who can speak English.

Alternatively,  and this seems easier, you can send an SMS message to +966 533 053 702, with your name, passport number, and your reference number from your letter of acceptance (you can find it directly underneath “NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE For the Year 2009/2010 AD”) – it is written in Arabic as ‘Raqm At-Talab’. They will send you back your ticket number inshaa Allah.

Since the tickets seem to be the normal electronic form, you need to find an agent who knows how to use the Saudi Airlines computer system. They’re not technically supposed to do it, as far as I know, they’re supposed to send you to a Saudi Airlines office. However, they probably can if they want to (they do in Madinah in some places). Alternatively, you could call up Saudi Airlines in London, and tell them that you have a ‘Government Ticket’ and want to book a flight. This normally works, although you might have to call more than once. Their number is 0207 989 890 (I think).

Once again feedback is appreciated,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

News from the University about enjazit.com.sa

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

For those who have been accepted this year…

More than one of the brothers has asked about the website https://enjazit.com.sa which they are being told to register on by the embassies.

I spoke in detail with the people in charge today, and they were shocked when they saw it.

They say that it is totally unnecessary, since the university has already paid all of the relevant charges, and basically you end up paying twice for something you shouldn’t have to pay for at all.

They recommend the following procedure instead:-

Go to the Saudi Foreign Ministry Website here.

Choose the second link from the top “Search for visa issued from The Ministry of Labor \ Recruitment Agency \ MOFA“

You will be asked for two numbers, the first is the visa number. You have to call the university for this, if you don’t already have it. The second is the ID number, this is the university’s ID, which is 7000965068.

This should give you everything you need, without having to pay anything, or register anywhere else.

However, in case you are somehow forced to apply using the enjazit service, then the details which I mentioned seem to be correct:

Visa Type: Educational

Sponsor Name: The Islamic University of Madinah Sponsor Address: The Islamic University of Madinah, Al-Madinah An-Nabawiyyah, KSA Sponsor ID: 7000965068.

Fill your name in English and Arabic.

Arrival – By Air, Jeddah, Single Entry

Please post a comment if you have successfully got your visa using either of the two methods above, or if you know of a better way.

I ask Allah to make it easy for all,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

UPDATED!! Results for everyone who asked me to check

Here’s the latest update for the last group of brothers who asked me to check – I ask Allah to give them all tawfeeq, and to grant patience to those who were not accepted:

1. Mohamed Salum Rajab from Tanzania – Accepted
2. Rashid Ahmed Jashim from Bangladesh – Not Found
3. The brother from the UK who’s passport number has changed – No problem, proceed as normal, there’s no need to inform anyone inshaa Allah
4. The total number of students accepted from India is 29 not 26, but brother Abdul Aleem’s name is not on the list
5. The total number of French students is 8 not 9 as one of the brothers was told, and I couldn’t find brother nourredine ZEMMOURI on the list.
6. Saef Umar Barnett from malaysia – not found

Please see the post below for the disclaimer and further information…

Assalaamu alaykum all,

I’ve had a lot of requests over the last couple of days. Here’s a summary of what I was asked and you can find the information in bold next to the student’s name.

***DISCLAIMER: Myself and the brother Abu Abdullah have tried our best to check every single name that we have been given and to double check that the information is correct, however, checking names against the Arabic ‘version’ is difficult, especially since many people aren’t aware of how their names were written in Arabic. If it says NOT FOUND next to your name, that’s because we couldn’t find it on the list, even after we checked more than once. This means that it is very unlikely that you have been accepted. Similarly, if I have written ACCEPTED next to your name, it means that we believe that we found your name on the list, but it shouldn’t be taken as a firm guarantee – we are not an official university site!!***

AFRICA

SOMALIA:

1. All names if possible: There is only one student who has been accepted from Somalia, his first name is “Umar” and his last name contains “Sheikh”
2. Ahmed Hassan Omar Not Found
3. Daud Hussein sheik Not Found

SOUTH AFRICA:

1. Ryan (last name unknown) Not Found
2. mogamad amien jones Not Found

ZIMBABWE:

1. bulahani matola Not Found

KENYA

1. Abubakar Ambutsi Rajab Not Found

MOROCCO:

1. hamza haffari Not Found

NIGERIA:

1. Saidu Farouk Maigishiri Accepted

ASIA

MALDIVES:

1. Bilal Abdussaththar Accepted
2. Ahmed Mihsan Mohamed Accepted

SRI LANKA:

1. Nasheeth Mohamed Siddeek ? – A mistake seems to have been made. Nasheeth Mohammed was found on the list, but the last name is different. We are currently trying to get to the bottom of where the mistake was made. May Allah make it easy for the brother.
   

PAKISTAN:

1. Hafiz Syed Hassan Farooq Not Found
2. Muhammad Hasan Not Found

AUSTRALIA:

1. zahed hashimi Not Found

EUROPE

SWEDEN:

1. Daud Hussein Not Found
2. Abdirahman Hussein sheik Not Found

HOLLAND:

1. Liban Ashkir Not Found
2. Ibrahim hassan Not Found
3. Zakarya Abdulla Not Found

GERMANY

1. Ouasim Not Found

JAMAICA

1. Rafiq Abdulqadir Not Found

SPECIAL REQUESTS

1. Syed Bilal Shafi who is from Canada but might be on the UAE list: The brother’s name is not present on either the list for Canada or the list for UAE.
2. Check the total number of students from the USA: The total number of accepted students is 15.
3. USA Abdi Mohammed Haro – told accepted by Abu Maryam’s contact but not on hijrah.net list The brother’s name is definitely not on the list of accepted students. He needs to get in touch with Abu Maryam to find out whether his contact made a mistake…SubhanAllah!! May Allah make it easy for the brother.
4. There are only three names posted under Canada This is correct – there are only three students who are accepted this year and Allah knows best.

I ask Allah to make everyone’s search for knowledge easy and I advise the brothers who have not been successful to keep on seeking knowledge and try to apply again – many students are accepted the second or third time they apply.

Update on accepted students for 2009: new countries!!

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Update: Here are the answers to all of the brothers who asked me to check their names.

Here are some more countries, courtesy of brother Abu Abdullah Ar-Radadi.

If I haven’t already posted your country, I’m not going to post any more whole country lists. Just give me your name and country and I’ll confirm if you were accepted or not. I just can’t ask the brothers to type up names all day…it’s too much for them when they have families and work. If there’s an important reason why I need to publish all of the names for a country, inshaa Allah no problem. Otherwise, I’m going to take the following approach inshaa Allah:

1. If you have already given me your name, or asked me to check up on a problem you do NOT need to post anything else, inshaa Allah I will do it on Saturday.
2. If you have asked me for all of the names from a particular country, and I haven’t posted it, such as the brother who asked me about Kenya (there were 35 names), then please add a comment here with your name and country. Bear in mind that I might take a few days to respond.

In the meantime, here are the accepted students for:

Mauritius:
حمزه دار ماجي
محمد زهب لنعت
ألماس هاستمي
محمد ياسين موهنج
نوفل سلامات
محمد ياسر محبوب
مجاهد بن رجب
ثناءالله محمد عادل
محمد عمر سائب كريم بخش
محمد ارشاد محمد خان
Madagascar:
ماها نياك جوستين مارتلي
رانيما حافالي جيوميري
اندر نيبلسون ديدوني بترك
زيدين انطونيو
دكتور ديها ماتر نينا ابراهيم
مانغ زكريا
Mozambique:
خطيب شيو
احمد محمد عيدو
عيسى لويتس سبريان
جمعه سعيد جمال
محمد شعيب مومبا سايبا
داوود ابراهيم محمد
منصور سليمان عثمان
سليمان متلاجي

This year’s list of accepted students

The list is out, Jazaa Allahu Khayran all of the brothers who contributed to the site over the last few days and weeks and especially to Abu Salah, Abu Maryam, & Bilal for posting the names. You can find the list here.

Latest Update: There is definitely some confusion here. I spoke to a Saudi contact of mine who has a cousin in the university admin dept. and they have heard nothing about the list being released. The same goes for a brother who studies at the university and went today, but found no list. At the same time br. Abu Maryam Abdullah Sales got an email confirming certain students who he asked about were accepted. The Saudi brother is going to go tomorrow and find out what’s going on and if the list is out, he’s going to get us the names inshaa Allah. One explanation might be that the list has been released to some of the staff but not published internally yet. Allah knows best. Inshaa Allah I’m hoping for an update by 13:00 Saudi time on 11/08/2009, as to what is going on.

Important Update: It seems that the list has been released. We are working to get the entire list online inshaa Allah in the next couple of days.

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu.

There has been a steady stream of questions about this year’s list of accepted students. The university sent the list of students which they want to accept to Riyaadh a number of months ago. Riyaadh needs to approve the list and perform additional checks. In past years the list has come back from Riyaadh around June. However, last year it was late July.

The administration department have confirmed that they are expecting the list any day now. It may be that some countries have their names released before others.

I tried to convince the university to send me the list when it comes out, but they are concerned that certain students may not want their names to be posted and may suffer problems from their local government if their acceptance is made public. For this reason, the names are only published internally.

My latest strategy is two-fold:

• I will call the university maybe once a week, inshaa Allah, to see if the list has been released
• If any of the brothers hear that the list has been released, or find it posted on other website, please post a message/link here.

As soon as I know that the list has been released, I can send one of the brothers to the admin dept. to confirm the names and post them here.

I already know that we need the list for the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. If there are brothers from any other country who would like to see if their name is listed, please post your full name, as you submitted it, and the country which you applied from.

Baarak Allahu feekum,

Wassalaamu alaykum,

Muhammad

Important: Site updates and collaboration with the university

Assalaamu alaykum,

I visited the admissions dept. today and had a really good chat with one of the brothers who is responsible for organising the admissions. I showed him the site, and he has kindly offered to help answer questions and inshaa Allah, I plan to correct some of the uncertain issues, by referring to him. There is also a plan for a possible collaboration with the university, in helping them develop their new admissions procedure.

The process will no doubt take some time, especially since I have other things going on at the moment. However, once the process gets going I aim to include the following things:

• A full review of the page text, referring all uncertainties and outstanding questions to the brother
• Including the answers to comments in the main text
• Adding new information from the university, as relates to their upcoming changes in submitting applications
• I would like to add some pictures, and maybe some shots from Google Earth

For now there are two important updates:

1. The brother – may Allah reward him – has kindly given me the details of when and when not to come for an interview. The interview office is open througout the year, except at the well known holiday times, such as the last 10 days of Ramadhaan and 10 days after Eid, and a week or so at Hajj time. However, there is a period between 15th of July 2009-10th August 2009 in which they accept Saudi students. This time is very difficult for someone to come for an interview, so the brother recommends to avoid it. For brothers who are forced to come at this time, there may be one person available, but for those who have a choice, try to avoid it. Another very busy time is the middle ten days of Ramadhaan, when many students arrive. Ideally, the brother recommends those who come during the summer, to aim for a time between 10th August-10th September 2009. As for those who come during term time, they should be able to come at any time, apart from public holidays, as I mentioned. Note that the weekend in Saudi is Thursday and Friday, so the university is closed on both days throughout the year. Also note that the university is normally open in the morning from around 8am until around 12.30am (depending on Dhuhr time) – you might not find anyone after Dhuhr.
   
2. The university is starting a new admissions process, which will involve complete electronic submission, including scanned documents, photos, etc. This is under development and more information will be posted soon inshaa Allah.

Baarak Allahu feekum,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

A note to users of this site

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

A note to everyone who is using the site. As well as browsing the site pages, try to read the comments at the bottom of every page, since many of the questions are answered there. Every now and again I try to incorporate the most important questions into the site pages, however exams and other commitments often slow me down, so have a quick browse through the comments, in case your question has already been asked. If you don’t find it, or you aren’t sure, feel free to post a new comment!

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Muhammad

Small Correction

Made a small correction having visited the applications department:

“They do not advertise a cut off point for applications to start study in October, since they have quotas for each country – once they have filled their quota they consider the remaining applications for the following year. For this reason, it is important to get your application in as early as possible.”

I didn’t know about the quota system previously.

Also a note to the brothers who post comments – please read the site first!! Otherwise I end up answering the same question several times. If you don’t find the answer to your question having read the site pages, then feel free to post a comment. This will help me to improve the site. May Allah reward the brothers who have posted comments so far.

Wassalaamu alaykum,

Abu AbdirRahman

Important Update!!

A very important update has been added to the site, clarifying the meaning of ‘GCSE or equivalent’, and explaining when students are forced to enroll in the high school here. This information was previously incorrect. Apologies to the brothers for the mistake. May Allah reward the brother who was able to clarify this for me.

I have also updated several other parts of the site, although most of the updates aren’t related to new information.

I have incorporated some of the site feedback in the main articles, where I felt that the feedback related to something that wasn’t clear.

I also changed the approximate SAR -> GBP conversion rate, to reflect the massive drop in the value of the UK currency (which makes everything more expensive for British students studying abroad!) I also added the approximate values in USD, since we’ve had quite a bit of interest from brothers in the US.

About the site

This site is designed to help people who want to study in the Islamic University of Madinah, and other universities in Saudi Arabia.

The site is designed to help the following people:

• People who want to apply
• People who have applied and want to find out the progress of their application
• People who have been accepted and want to know what to do now
• General information about the universit(ies) in Saudi & life over there

Check out the pages on the right hand side of this page…you can start with About this site