21/04/2025
It’s really hard when you have dreams, but you’re torn between choices, especially when there’s so much pressure from the people around you. Some of them expect you to prioritize your western education; be an engineer, an accountant, a doctor, because they’re competing with other families. It’s like they have a checklist: “Anak, dapat ganito ka para may maipagmamalaki kami, wala kang mapapala sa Islamic at Arabic na 'yan, walang malaking sahod d'yan.”
But what they don’t realize is that in the end, both the parents and the child might regret the path they took kasi nakaligtaan nila yung mas mahalagang bagay.
It’s even harder when you try to do both at the same time. Ako mismo, growing up, I dreamed of becoming a lawyer or a doctor. Pero habang tumatagal, I got influenced by my friends and mentors in the madrasah. That’s when I started wanting to pursue Arabic and Islamic knowledge more seriously.
Pero hindi ko rin binura sa plano ko yung western path. Kaya ang nangyari, salitan; may phase na naka-focus ako sa Islamic studies, tapos may time na balik ako sa secular education. Pero grabe, ang hirap pagsabayin. Lalo na kapag may maririnig ka pa from relatives saying things like, “Ang tagal mo naman sa pag-aaral?” What they don’t see is the struggle behind the scenes, yung waiting period, yung sacrifices, yung emotional and mental burden.
Alhamdulillāh, I was able to finish my studies in Islamic University of Madinah. And I can say with all honesty, I have no regrets choosing this path first. Because now, I truly understand what matters most, not just in the eyes of people, but in the sight of Allāh. Allāhu a'lam
The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allāh will make the path to Paradise easy for him.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
-JYM
Class of 2024 – Islamic University of Madinah
Cttro- Kabanata Arábe-Islámiko
