The students spend their first day in Qum and are officially welcomed to the course by the organisers. In the evening they perform thier first ziyarat of the great lady, Bibi Masuma of Qum (as).
Shabistan Peera from Arusha Jamaat, Tanzania, says, "I feel very lucky to be here, especially during the month of Rajab, and feel very special to be one of the few people picked from 182 applicants."

Zahra Bachoo from Stanmore Jamaat, UK, had the following to say about her first visit to the haram:
"Being a part of Jamaat namaz for the first time in the haram of Bibi Masuma (a.s.) was an amazing experience. It was only after entering her mosque and praying Maghrib and Isha salaat for the first time that I truly felt I had arrived in the Holy city of Qum. I could really feel the presence of Bibi Masuma (a.s.) and the blessed atmosphere of the mosque could definitely be felt".

Najaf Shah of London, UK:
"As we walked inside it was like being transported into a different world. As I approached the Zareeh, I could feel the presence of a great personality. Being there standing in front of the Zareeh, I felt spiritually uplifted. We recited the Ziyarat as a group led by Br. Assad Dharsi, our helper from Canada.
"To try and describe the place or how I felt, it would be doing injustice. However, all I can say is that it felt like heaven on earth."

Our Sri Lankan brother, Ashroff Jallil shared the following thoughts:
"... we went to Bibi Masuma's haram to perform our first ziyarat and the experience there was unexplainable by words. It was a tremendous feeling that I encountered and it was a relieving feeling that gave peace to my heart. This was the first time I saw so many people in a mosque and this gave a tremendous experience to our first day."

Sajjad Panju of London, UK:
"Praying Jamaat namaaz with thousands of our Shia brothers and reciting the duas together filled me with a deep sense of unity and brotherhood. It was something totally unique in its own way and gave me a level of achievement.
"Inshallah I pray that may the Almighty accept our Ziyaraat and fulfill our wishes, Ameen."

Iran 2008