QUESTION: Can a whole family attend? (I have three kids and my wife)  

ANSWER: From our past experiences of arranging accommodation for families living outside of the Dowra lodging, and the many problems that were incurred in doing such, we are unfortunately not able to facilitate families coming to this year’s Dowra. This is purely due to the very limited resources and facilities being available in Tarim.      

QUESTION: Can my wife and I attend the Dowra and separate accommodation be arranged for us?

ANSWER: Unfortunately we are unable to arrange separate accommodation; for the same reason as above. Hence couples will be expected to live separately in the relative Dowra dorms for the 40 day Dowra period.    

QUESTION: Am I able to make my own way and my own arrangements and attend this Dowra?  

ANSWER: This is strictly not allowed. One must register through the website application process. Considerable preparations are gone into organising such a program and due to the high interest and to the very limited resources and facilities available in Tarim we cannot have people attempting to attend without going through the application process, as it is our wish that all registered students get the maximum priority and services we are able to provide.    

QUESTION: Can students under 18yrs of age attend? 

ANSWER: One of our conditions for acceptance is that all applicants must be over the age of 18 years and wish to attend of their own free will, i.e. not forced by their parents, however if the applicant is mature and responsible and is able to provide references who are known to the Dowra Admin, Scholars from or who have studied in Tarim then the application can be submitted for selection.

QUESTION: I am over 40. Would The Dowra be suitable for me? 

ANSWER: Based on our experiences over the years, some (especially older) students have found that accommodation and living conditions as well as the intensity of the course to be very difficult. For example, students sleep on thin mattresses on the floor, share rooms with multiple students, share bathrooms and sit only on the ground as well as a lack of variety of foods.

QUESTION: I was wondering if women are allowed to come without mahrams?  

ANSWER: If it can be avoided it is better. If you can travel with other sisters that may be attending the course from near your area or country, this is preferred. We would give you the contact details of any sisters that are traveling from your area / country, thus you can liaise with them. All students from the UK travel as a group; hence we require the whole group to travel together, so this should be no problem. If you are traveling from a different country, i.e. U.S, then as we have done in the past it has been possible to transit in UK and meet up with the main group and travel to Yemen together. Last year we did a transit stop of in Dubai, and individuals from different countries met up with the main group their, otherwise they met up in Sana’a the capital of Yemen, and then traveled from there to Seiyun airport together. Exact travel details are usually released a few weeks before the departure.      

QUESTION: Can one bring their child/children and is there some kind of place to have them during the lectures. Have people in the past joined with children under the age 2 years?

ANSWER: Unfortunately following past experience we are unable to facilitate crèche or any other kind of arrangements for mothers with children. Due to the fact it is an intensive course and for the reason mentioned in the first FAQ we are unable to accept children.

QUESTION Can I attend part of the course only, and will I be able to visit parts of Tarim and Yemen other than what the Dowra has organised?

ANSWER: Students are expected to attend the whole duration of the course. This means, one must arrange any visitations or extra activities out side the course dates. Likewise we strictly advise against anybody attending or leaving part way the program, except for dire emergencies, as this is very disrupting and very difficult to facilitate for the administration and students.

QUESTION: I hear there are always difficulties traveling to Yemen, is this true?

ANSWER: Unfortunately this is correct, we usually have difficulties with obtaining visas from the Yemen authorities to suit our timing, i.e. we receive them very close to the departure date, despite starting the process well in advance. Hence this creates problems with booking flights tickets, as we don’t wish for students to undergo any loss if in the worse case scenario visas are not issued. However over the years the Dowra have never been refused visas, despite one of the very early Dowras, the visas were received so late that we had to reschedule the Dowra for the following month…however the past 3 years the Dowra has taken place as per schedule. Therefore we kindly request for student’s to bear with us as we are always doing are utmost to organise and arrange everything to suit and benefit our students.

QUESTION: What is the climate like; I hear it is very hot?

ANSWER: This is correct the climate is very hot and dry, and can be unbearable at times; however we do our utmost to provide facilities to make it as comfortable as possible for all. Our experience over the 5 years reflects that most students are able to manage the climate.

Please note if you feel you may have issues relating to such climate conditions then we recommend that you take appropriate medical advice before applying.

QUESTION: Is the Dowra really THAT intensive?

ANSWER: The Dowra is NOT a spiritual retreat (although we are looking into setting up a 'spiritual retreat' type program in the near future) - it is a very intensive course over a very short period of time. Most of the students' time is occupied with classes or revision, trips, or meetings with the scholars. The climate is also very hot and difficult to bear, which makes the course all the more difficult.

QUESTION: How are Dowra applicants selected?

ANSWER: A number of points are taken into consideration for the purpose of accepting applicants. We consider first and foremost, english proficiency, one's age - students must be over 18 and only in special cases do we allow students under this age limit, we also take into consideration one's references, how active a student is in the field of Dawah or their affliation with reputable organisations and may also take into consideration their educational and professional background. However, an application selection is not completely based on the aforementioned points.

Also, as this is predominantly a Dowra for western students, students from G7 (and western countries) are given priority to students from other countries.

QUESTION: What happens if a student refuses to act in accordance to the Terms and Conditions set by the Dowra Administration?

ANSWER: Before any applicant is formally accepted into the Dowra, they are asked to agree to a set of Terms and Conditions which spell out acceptable and unacceptable behaviour during the duration of the course. Students who do not wish to comply with the terms and conditions before they arrive in Tarim will have their applications rejected and those who refuse to comply after their arrival take early leave.