Lulua Ikramova journey from Krygystan to the Dawat office in London makes fascinating reading.Born to Muslim parents in the former Soviet Union,this young Mustajeeba found solace and meaning while residing with a Mumin family in Hong Kong.Misbah asked her how it feels to be a Mumina.

Where did you live before coming to London? Will you tell us about your background, childhood, and life before coming to London?

I was born and brought up in Kyrgyzstan, one of the former republics of the Soviet Union, where main religions are Sunni Islam and Orthodox Christianity. Although Kyrgyz people feel attached to their respective religions, they are quite westernized and I think this attachment is more cultural than religious. I grew up in a family where we all considered ourselves Muslims, but our religiosity was limited to preparations for Eid feasts and to men from my family going for Eid Namaz to the local masjid. Right now, there is a lot of influence from Turkish academic and business establishments in Kyrgyzstan and I believe it is helping the Kyrgyz people to recover their religious roots which have been oppressed by the Soviet regime for decades in the past..

Where did you receive your inspiration? Will you tell us about the events that lead to this moment?

After graduating from the university, I joined a company, which imports goods to Kyrgyzstan from Russia, Turkey, China and Hong Kong. In summer 2001, the Hong Kong supplier visited with his staff and I was assigned to negotiate and finalize orders with them. Shortly after this visit, I received a job offer from this supplier. They offered me training in Hong Kong in order for me to set up and run their operations in Kyrgyzstan. I was very excited and grabbed the offer. It was the best decision I have ever made as this Hong Kong company - Cader & Sons Ltd. - turned out to be owned by a Mumin family from Hong Kong, who were the first Dawoodi Bohras I met.

When I arrived in Hong Kong, I received a very warm welcome from the Cader family. When I first entered their house, I had immediately noticed huge paintings of Syedna Taher Saifuddin ^(RA) and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin ^(TUS) in the living room. You could feel strong presence of the two Dai not only in the room, but in daily activities and family rituals. I was looked after by the Cader family with so much care that they made sure I did not feel homesick during my training trip, did not skip meals, did not stay alone during weekends and I was also invited to all family occasions. The more time I spent with them, the more I sensed that everything in their lives revolved around their faith, but the most fascinating and strange (at that time) feeling I discovered was that I felt at home with them. This trip was life-changing for me because it is through the impeccable example and love received from the Cader family and especially from Mulla Amena bai Shaikh Tyeb Abdul Qadir, that a year later, I made a decision to give my oath of allegiance to Aqa Maula ^(TUS). My misaq took place in Mulla Amena bai's house at the hands of Abdulqadir Bhaisaheb Izzuddin, who was Amil of Hong Kong at that time.

What happened afterwards, i.e. how did you go about searching for what you were searching for?

London is a good place for me to learn about my faith, our people and our customs because the Community here is closely-knit and a good amount of resources is available in English. For instance, I attend sabaq in English with a group of other Mumineen and I have a good friend in London who is a Jamea graduate and she has been there for me ever since I arrived in London. As for the sabaq, it helps me to not only learn about my faith but also to learn Dawat ni zaban. Every time, when partaking in the Barakat of Aqa Maula's ^(TUS) Bayan and Waaz Mubarak, I get thrilled when I understand more words and sentences from them.

What did you feel the first time you saw Aqa Moula ^(TUS)?

I first did deedar of Aqa Maula ^(TUS) in August 2004, when He made a stop over in London, returning from USA. I can hardly remember the details of the first qadambosi because it was so overwhelming and I was a little scared too.

I was also fortunate to perform qadambosi in Surat during Ashara Mubaraka 1426H. I was standing in the queue and when my turn for qadambosi came, Aqa Maula ^(TUS) held a handkerchief in his hand, then he asked for my name and when I answered, he put the handkerchief away and gave me a masallah instead. Then, he added that he will pray for me and he gave me a warm radiant smile. While every moment with Aqa Maula ^(TUS) is special, I felt that, on that particular occasion, I received official acknowledgment and acceptance by Maula ^(TUS).

Muminaat are required to wear a rida, what is your unique perspective on this modest dress code?

Rida is part of my identity and so I accepted it like I have accepted other things in our faith and culture.

Today you work in Dawat office, how has this changed your life?

Working in Dawat office involves a great deal of responsibility and it is the best place for me to learn. Sometimes people who visit the office don't know my history, so they address and treat me in a normal way and that makes me so happy.

I would also like to mention something very important; I had a few occasions, before my misaq, when I turned to Aqa Maula ^(TUS) for assistance and have learnt, from personal experience, that you do not have to be a Dawoodi Bohra in order to receive guidance and blessings from Aqa Maula ^(TUS), but you need to have full faith in him and his spiritual power and that's good enough for a start.