Jalal ud Din Rumi said it very well "Some people make their goals the stars. They may live and die never reaching them, but in the darkness of the night, those stars will guide them to their destination because they put them in their sights"

I sometimes ponder on the issue of character building of medical students, which we are trying to accomplish as a challenge in fold of FIMASAV in medical students and Umrah camps in collaboration with IMAKSA/WAMY. We as parents, institutions or society can only give good advice or put their children on the right path through various disciplines.

The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands. Most adults, including most teachers don't see themselves as engaged in their own moral growth. To ensure progressive growth in the moral life, we must first know ourselves. We must know our particular faults and failings, as well as our strengths and progress in trying to lead a good life. We gain this self-knowledge by continually examining our behaviour and reflecting on the kind of person we are and would like to be.

"The unexamined life is not worth living," as Socrates said, because only by examining our life can we improve it. Besides knowing ourselves, we must also make a sincere effort to become a better person and a better Muslim - more patient, more sensitive to the needs of others, quicker to forgive, more willing to admit when we're wrong.

We must persist in this effort even when we fail, as we surely will. Finally, we must ask, are carrying out our good intentions? Are we making gains, however small, in praciticing the virtues as laid down in sunnah?

FIMA invites all of its member IMA's to foster this vision of FIMA in grooming of and building the characters of Muslim medical students in their fold. Through these camps students get a chance to learn the basic principles of Deen, leadership training and train themselves for an ethical and blessed life to become a model Muslim health care professional.

The fates of FIMASAC medical students and Umra camps have been decided and the details have been circulated in the last FIMA e-newsletter. Kindly motivate the yongsters in your IMA to attend these important events. Feel free tocontact myself (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Dr. Tanveer Zubairi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or Dr. Atallah Ruhaily (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) for further assistance and details.

Dr Parvaiz Malik,
President FIMA