According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):Standing before the gate of Imam Reza (AS) from a distance, Tassnim looked around. She wept silently, her gaze fixed. Every corner had a sign for her. It was as if she had been here before, with a dream etched into her mind, fading moment by moment. With each passing moment, she grasped more of how and why, after five months and covering a distance of 6,000 kilometers, she stood here, seeking permission to enter.
Tassnim Buwa, a newly converted Thai Muslim woman, had finally understood the true meaning of her dream. She had seen this place just as it was five months ago in her dream. Imam Reza (AS) had instructed her to visit her biological mother before coming to his pilgrimage. She followed Imam’s compassionate order, and now, in front of the golden dome, she greeted, ‘Assalamu Alaik Ya Imam Al-Rauf (AS).’
Deserving of Pilgrimage
Tassnim Buwa, along with her husband, was originally Sunni Muslims. However, after their marriage, they delved deeper into their faith, eventually converting to Shia Islam. Their studies led them to develop a deep love for the Ahlul Bayt (AS), particularly Imam Hussein (AS).
This love drove Tassnim’s husband to make two solo trips to Karbala to visit Imam Hussein (AS). He recalled, ‘My wife was deeply saddened that she hadn’t been granted the opportunity to visit the holy shrines. She kept saying, ‘I must not be deserving of visiting the Ahlul Bayt (AS).’
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A Strange Happening on the ‘Under the Sun’s Shade’ Caravan to Thailand
A strange occurrence during the ‘Under the Sun’s Shade’ caravan to Thailand changed everything. Tassnim and her husband had embarked on a 6,000-kilometer journey from their home in Thailand to Mashhad in Iran. It was an incident that Tassnim considered to be an Imam Reza (AS) miracle.
Understanding this story may be difficult for those born into Muslim families, as they may not fully appreciate the value of their faith. Those who are blessed with the Shia faith from birth may not fully understand its worth, similar to those who live by the river but do not comprehend the value of water.
However, Tassnim’s story is different. She came from darkness into the light, from polytheism to monotheism, from doubt to certainty. Her tears shed for the pilgrimage were not tears of profit or hope for paradise, nor were they tears of asceticism or fear of hell. Her tears flowed from love. To understand her greatness, we must look into her life. When Tassnim described her dream and how Imam Reza (AS) told her to visit her mother before his pilgrimage, they decided to obey the tradition of Imam Reza (AS).
Her mother was a Buddhist who had misunderstood her marriage to a Muslim man and, for that reason, had severed ties with Tassnim. But for the Eighth Imam (AS), it made no difference whether her mother was a Muslim or not. The compassionate Imam instructed his followers, ‘Kindness to one’s parents is obligatory, even if both of them are polytheists.’
Tassnim’s mother lived in a city far from her daughter’s home in Thailand. Nevertheless, when Tassnim described her dream to her husband and mentioned Imam Reza (AS)’s command, they made a joint decision. These simple words were enough for them to follow Imam Rizvi’s narration and not leave for Bangkok without visiting her mother and making her happy. But Imam Reza’s (AS) kindness didn’t end there, and his special gift to them came when they returned to Bangkok from visiting her mother.
She Would Not Let Go of Imam Reza’s Flag
Returning to Bangkok with her husband, Tassnim and her husband were invited to join a small religious congregation. Tassnim couldn’t believe that the representatives of Imam Reza (AS) would come to her so quickly.
Hojjat al-Islam Jamalzadeh, a missionary from the ‘Under the Sun’s Shade’ caravan, describes the situation: ‘In Bangkok, we were invited to a home gathering, where several lovers of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) were present. When the flag entered
the sisters’ section, it took quite a while before it was handed over. They told us that one lady was crying uncontrollably and refusing to let go of the flag. That lady was Tassnim Buwa.’
Greetings to the Refuge of the Refugees
From Tassnim, just one step away, and from Imam Reza (AS), several steps away. Not just Tassnim, but anyone who comes towards Imam Reza (AS) is like this. Just five months after this Thai couple followed the orders of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (AS) and visited their mother, Imam Reza (AS) fulfilled the request of this newly converted Muslim woman.
With the efforts of the officials at the Astan Quds Razavi Youth Institute, the opportunity for pilgrimage was provided for this Thai couple, and they came to Mashhad. From the moment their seven-hour flight from Bangkok to Hasheminejad Airport began, Tassnim’s restless heart found peace.
Her heart’s calmness meant the restlessness of her eyes and the trembling of her shoulders. It meant the moment-by-moment restlessness to reach the refuge of the refugees. It meant that the newly converted Muslim woman was in the midst of her journey from the airport to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), saying, ‘I’ll wipe my tears with a cloth I brought. I used this cloth in the Imam Hussein (AS) courtyards to purify my face. I had kept it to show Imam Hussein (AS) when I visited him. But now, it’s my turn to visit Imam Reza (AS), so I’m showing it to Imam Reza (AS).’
Interpreting a Dream
When Tassnim, accompanied by her husband, visited the Imam Reza (AS) shrine for the first time, as she stood at the entrance of the holy shrine, she became highly agitated. She wiped her tears and sat on the ground. When asked why, she said, ‘The dream I had five months ago is happening exactly here. In my dream, I came to visit Imam Reza (AS), and I was standing at the shrine’s entrance when I heard his voice telling me to visit my mother first before coming to him.’
 Favor to a Newly Converted Orphan Couple)
