8/3/2019 The Pearls of Islam Reminder Series 3.14 - Exam Period: A Time To Reflect

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Exam Period: A Time To Reflect by Huda Thakur

 

2nd May 2011 29 Jumada al-Awal 1432

Reminder Series

The Pearls of IslamVolume 3 Issue 14

We‟ve made it through another year to another Spring. The weather is beautiful (the tropical downpours in-

cluded), Hyde Park is bursting with happy people and there‟s even an extra bank holiday to look forward to,

thanks to the imminently arriving royal wedding. However, as ice-cream vans trawl through the streets, enticing everyone with their oh so nostalgic tune,there‟s a suffocating buzz of tension in the air. As the academic year draws closer to an end, the final stretch

is laced with exams, driving students into a state of mania, many of whom will spend their nights in the libraryand if so desired, use the washbasins as a substitute shower. In this hurricane of movement that we seem to be entangled within, it is important to take some time out to

reflect. In some students, exam time seems to induce a sudden „muslamic‟ effect by means of giving charityand praying extra nafl in a desperate attempt to bargain with God

for the all-important pass mark. However, others may decide thatpraying detracts away from their time they can study and there-

fore forfeit their salah It is important that we learn to strike a balance. Hoping that we

can miraculously pass as a result of duas alone but without any

studying isn‟t quite how it works. We are told to “tie your camel to

the post and then put your trust in Allah” (Tirmidhi), thereby im-

plying that we must do all that we can, try our hardest, and only

then should we leave the rest to Allah. However, alongside this, one

can never underestimate the power of dua: “Verily your Lord is Generous and Shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him (in supplication) He becomes shy

to return them empty (Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi)” However, many of us make dua half-heartedly, not convinced whether our demands will be answered or not. The

belief in the power of dua is just as important as the act of making dua itself. There is nothing that Allah can-not grant us if He so wills. In Surah Fatihah we attest to Allah that “You alone we worship and You alone we

seek for help”, and it is to Him that we must seek help in all matters we engage in. So it is important to remem-

ber Allah and do good deeds even when it isn‟t Ramadan or when we want something from Allah. 

Another important aspect of ensuring that we try and get the most out of our time, be it whilst studying or inlife generally, is to make sure that we use the limited time we have with wisdom.

Imam Al-Ghazali (may Allah's mercy be on him) wrote in his book, The Beginning of Guidance:

"You should not neglect your time or use it haphazardly; on the contrary you should bring yourself to account,

structure your litanies and other practices during each day and night, and assign to each period a fixed andspecific function. This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period. But if you leave your-

self adrift, aimlessly wandering as cattle do, not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment, your timewill be lost. It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you make use of to reach perpet-

ual felicity in the proximity of God the Exalted.” 

I speak to myself before I speak to anyone else and may Allah forgive me for any shortcomings.