Over the summer before I started my Masters, I had decided to make some changes in my life. I had decided to make an effort to get closer to my religion. What inspired me? The realization of knowing that I needed to be closer to my Creator before I returned to Him. I thanked Allah for the fact that I had found my faith. Never before had I felt more at ease and comfort. However the changes I had made so far had been in the confines of my house.
And so I started my first day of University thinking to myself if my experience be different from my times at Birmingham as an undergraduate? Would people recognize me and what would they think? For now I was wearing a white robe and had a beard growing. I knew that for my mid afternoon prayer, lunch and just walking around campus, I would have to confront this and have those awkward conversations with people.
My first major test came on my first day when I had to go to the prayer room. I can remember it quite vividly. As I reached the prayer room, I saw many smiling faces leave the prayer room which put me at ease. I had already preformed my pre prayer ablution in the gents’ toilet downstairs only to realize that the prayer room has a ablution facility provided! I thought argh! I didn’t have to struggle in the sink! But that was my first day, and I blame my nervousness and lack of confidence to ask others. So I lined up in prayer, but before it started I knew that trying to practice my religion at University wasn’t going to be as hard as I thought.
I thank Allah that after that first day my fears have been put aside. Through the Islamic Society I got to meet a lot of like-minded people. The people I met shared their experiences and I drew strength from their confidence. It’s true that being alone is better than bad company and being in good company is better then being alone. This is something that I experienced. Being a part of the Islamic Society meant that I could feel comfortable discussing issues that faced young Muslims such as how bad the weather was, how we wanted a pizza from Broadway 2 or Pizza Haq; we also discussed other issues like identity and the world and how it is today.
My experiences of the role of faith as a student has led me to strongly believe that only a shallow person judges a person on appearance; a wise person waits for him to speak and watches his actions. My experiences in University and more importantly with my Creator have enabled me to be the strong and more confident person that I now am. I have met many talented Muslims and non Muslims and had many conversations with them. I feel confident about the future of this country in knowing that people understand the role that faith can play in life and how they should not simply tolerate it but accept it for the value that others hold.
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