Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah, Everyone,

The entire Islamic Network staff (except one developer) have all traveled to various locations (Austin and Arlington/Dallas) due to the evacuation of Houston (our headquarters) with the oncoming Rita.

Alhamdulillah, everyone is safe but the journey was very long (12 hours and up for a normally 4 hour journey) due to traffic and gas/facility shortages.  But alhamdulillah none of us had to endure some of the things we saw others having to endure (people who ran out of gas or their cars overheated and they were stranded by the road, etc.).  Almost every Houston station was dry or if you were lucky enough to find one with gas, there were enormous lines.  Not only that, but a lot of the surrounding areas on the way out of Houston also had no gas and had huge lines for the bathroom, etc.

We took some precautions and tried to elevate a lot of our equipment and important papers, and we should be back to the office soon (ideally by Monday).  Right now they have reduced the intensity of the hurricane to Level 1 (it was 5 before but continued lessening in severity as the hours went by) and it seems it is also veering off and won’t end up hitting Houston head on after all (more like East Texas towards Louisiana), but you never know- they say it can all shift and change within a few hours.

Subhanallah, we should all count our blessings and try to improve our lives- these are warnings for us all (it’s sad how the average of us need those warnings!).  It reminds us of when Allah mentions in the Qur`aan how we plead with him if our lives are in danger but we forget once He saves us:

From Suratul Israa`, Aayaat 66-69 (17:66-69)

Your Lord is He Who drives the ship for you through the sea, in order that you may seek of His Bounty. Truly! He is Ever Most Merciful towards you.

And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except Him Alone.

But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful.

Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a violent sand-storm? Then, you shall find no guardian.

Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea and send against you a hurricane of wind and drown you because of your disbelief?  Then you will not find any avenger therein against Us.

If we are relieved, it should not releive our sense of urgency to get back to our Lord.  If we are commiting sins let us seek to give them up.  If we have bad relations with our families let us seek to improve them- let us forgive each other.  If we are not worshipping Allah as He deserves let us seek to increase in our actions. 

Usually we are locked in our cabins too busy entertaining ourselves to notice, but in reality this whole world is but a drowning ship.