After School, Tempting Varsity Calls

Mohammed Fazil Hussain for Hyderabad Youth Mirror #

School really does seem like a never-ending abyss to us students, a place where we dwell under the burden of textbooks, exams and stolen pens for over a decade. A place where the day is spent slumping at desks, and the night finishing up projects and revising last minute notes.

It’s agonizing to be honest, the very essence of our childhood can be seen being ripped to shreds as the homework tension overlaps the fun time being spent with family and the work pressure of next year daunts the planned excursions in summer. As children, we would dream about the day when we would finally be released from its shackles, and when it does eventually, hallelujah! But just a month later, even I couldn’t help but wish I was right back in it.

Sure, the extravagant and free life of university is always something to look forward to. New people, new teachers and most importantly a fresh start to life. But it’s often the friends we grew up with, the memories we created in those classrooms, the little arguments we had over pointless subjects that would “never help us in life”, this is what shaped us into the humans we are today. Stepping out of school might seem to be the ultimate goal of a student, but it genuinely feels like a home away from home once you’re out of it. It really is our genesis.

So where to now? Well, university of course. The famed land of lecture halls, meeting people from new backgrounds, and of course showing off the newest phones and motorbikes in the market. A place where we finally narrow down our education to our preferred career and are finally treated like adults. Personally speaking, it really is a re-freshening feeling as you finally have your own choice in pretty much everything you do. The perfect time then, for an adversary such as Shai’tan (Devil) to strike down upon us.

You see, at university we are suddenly exposed to an entirely new routine of studying. Lectures, self-studying, buying huge and expensive textbooks, living alone, cooking alone, living on a thin budget, these are all part of the mantra that make a university lifestyle different to its predecessor’s. And it is at this very point where even the best of us break down, give up, fall into depression if we are slow to react or simply reluctant to change.

This is what the Shai’tan preys upon, vulnerability of a Muslim. At our lowest points in life, we as humans are famed for making decisions that we regret for the rest of our lives. University is no exception. Thus begins the routine of smoking, drugs, alcohol, late night visits to the pub, harassment of the other gender and the easiest of all, the absence from salat (daily prayer). Even the best of our brothers and sisters tend to be lost in this world of sins, blaming their actions on stressful lifestyles.

What I’m trying to emphasize here is the importance for a Muslim not only to be pious, but also to remain strong in his stand against the battle that is life. As for our worldly success, one word sums up everything, ‘Effort’. One of the most fundamental equations in life is, the amount of success equals to the amount of effort put in. Allah (swt) gives to those who strive.

We must focus on our studies and learn time management for better outcomes. Any task given is like preparing a pot of Biryani. We must put in our effort to bring together the ingredients, measure and place them carefully into the pot, then we must ask for Allah (swt) for barakah for it to be prepared scrumptiously.

To sum up, as a university student myself, I would just like to say that stress is part and parcel of life. It is manageable. However, we simply can’t use it to fuel our urge to perform forbidden activities, instead we can invest our time in better things and prayers. May Allah (swt) help us all!

[The author is an NRI and university student.]