A few years ago, I was teaching Arabic to a large class of adults and there was this one sister who really stood out to me. She didn’t stand out because she was super smart or a fast scribe or anything; on the contrary, she stood out because she actually found Arabic really difficult to grasp (even simply writing it). Truth was, she was dyslexic and had a hard time learning new things. But despite these obstacles, she persisted and strived in a way I never saw any of the students do so.

It was an intensive class and usually if a person falls behind, it’s very hard for them to get back to level, and so many students like this end up dropping out. What I loved about this sister was her perseverance and enthusiasm. Even though a lot of people expected her to drop out, she stayed put and held her ground. Many times she would be frustrated at herself, but it was clear that she was also sincere to herself and never moved from a point until she fully understood it. As a teacher, it was particularly challenging for me because the class would be held up whenever she asked the same question again and again and I tried to employ different methods of explaining. But I saw something in her eyes; she was trying her best to understand. Despite the pressure she was under to move along with the class, she knew that wasn’t going to help her.

So we sat down one day after class. She had scored very low on her test, under 30%, which was too low to carry on in fact. But I didn’t say anything to the administration. Instead we had a long talk in which I missed my train and she was very late home. She made a resolve to continue, and that kinda made me happy inside. Yes, it was a risk she was taking and it was an open challenge to me, but a resolve is a resolve, and that has the tendency to break barriers. So she worked at it, and I tried to prep her and the whole class by sharing stories of women scholars in Islam and doing small pep talks here and there, but this was a struggle she had to face alone.

Crunch time came with the end of term exams. I collected all the papers from students including hers, and took it home with me for marking. When I reached her paper, I was taken back by surprise. Subhan’Allah, the entire page was filled with answers and explanations. You could see how her mind was working in answering each question fully, and the amazing thing was, she was getting them right! She left no room for doubt in her answers, and she went at it from every direction almost as if she wanted me to know that she understood it! My heart glowed for her subhan’Allah, and I thoroughly enjoyed marking her paper. 

When it came to results day, I found her nervous and shaking. I handed the paper over to her, and as she saw her high mark (which she never got before), her face just lit up with a thrill! She did it! She actually scored amongst the top ten, Allahu Akbar! She looked at me and began talking so fast and jibberish that I just laughed! Then she said to me, “I am going to Syria. I’ve decided to pursue Arabic further and seek knowledge just like the women scholars from before.” Allahu Akbar! From her London home, she had already begun planning this trip with her family. Ready to quit her job, it was like she found a new drive in her life and a light bulb had been switched on inside of her. It really made my day seeing her so happy and we all felt her achievement as if it were ours (I ask Allah to reward everyone in that class for their patience and their encouragement for this sister). When I asked her how she did it, passing with such flying colours like that, she simply said that she kept working at it and making du’a until it all just clicked one day. Subhan’Allah. Never ever think that you can’t break barriers and achieve more than your potential. Never!

It goes without saying that I may have been her teacher, but in reality, she was teaching me every day in that class 🙂 I have no idea where she is now, but I don’t doubt that she made it to Syria and I hope that she is now fluent in Arabic.

May Allah preserve her, and preserve Syria; the land of scholars and martyrs.