25/05/2025
Story 3: Why You Should Travel Abroad with Loads of Īmān
I remember when I first landed in the UK. I was shocked😳, not because the sky looked different from Africa’s, but because the reality didn’t match what we were made to believe before relocating.
We had been told that once you arrive, you start packing money from a machine
😂literally! I thought jobs would be flowing like an endless stream.
But reality hit hard.
Just a few weeks in, my email was filled with rejection messages from every job I applied to. If you're based in the UK, you’ll definitely understand those numerous “Unfortunately…” emails I’m talking about.
It wasn’t just me. Many of us immigrants who came in 2022 faced the same issues. At some point, people got desperate. Bills were piling up, and school fees stared us in the face.
Then one morning in school, I met a lady from the southwest of Nigeria, just like me. We clicked instantly. I told her how rough it had been and that I still hadn’t found a job.
She said, “You better come to my church. I got a job just two weeks after landing. In fact, it was my pastor and church leaders who are Nigerians that fed and supported many of us when we were stranded. They gave me accommodation, furnished it, even set me up with essentials. I know you’re a Muslim, but you better not suffer in silence. Some of your Muslim brothers and sisters are already coming to our church. Our Redeem church here is doing very well, free food, clothes, job connections.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. Some of our mutual friends confirmed everything she said. And when I visited her to buy some Nigerian foodstuffs she was selling, I saw the big plasma TV and comfy couches her church had given her.
But still, I didn’t go to her church. I wasn’t moved by the material things. I knew that even moving from one state to another in Nigeria comes with early struggles, how much more moving to a whole new country with a completely different system.
During that same period, I had visited both the community and university masjids multiple times. No one send us🤣. No one asked if I was new or needed help or support, just come, pray, and go to your house😀
One of my Muslim course mates told me that he was so desperate and was considering going to the Redeem church too, just to pretend he was a Christian so he could get access to help and job opportunities.
Still, I stayed put. I focused on my own lane.
Fast forward three years later: we’re all doing okay now aliamdulillah .
Do we have jobs? Yes.
Accommodation? Yes.
Stability? Alhamdulillah, yes!
Myself who didn't go to church and those who went to the church are now settled. But I am grateful. Alhamdulillah, I wasn’t swayed by material things. Was it an easy journey? No. But did Allah come through for me? Absolutely👌
Eventually, a decent job came. Accommodation came. We were able to bring our kids over effortlessly. We got a stable visa, and we have continued to rise only by the help of Allah.
So, my advice: no matter how tough things get in the beginning, hold on tight to your īmān. It’s the best shield you can carry when traveling abroad.
Simply Saheedah