The Muslim Students Survival Guide | Mufti Abu Layth

[Music] [Music] bar for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts with you it's also an experience it's always a good and pleasant experience for me as well to

see what the up and cominging talent of Birmingham or I suppose the UK wherever you guys are from holds or the queries that you may have or just the thoughts that are going on inside your mind I've been asked to share some notes on surviving University the title I don't know if it's it's not up there but I was told the university Survival Guide or something along these lines

now that's an interesting title I the things I will discuss with you today some of them may be in some way challenging to the concepts that you already hold some of them may be complimentary what I ask you to do is as the ruling that we are taught within Islam that to pass judgment on something you should first of all at least have a true understanding of it you understand like to at least conceptualize it before you pass

judgment the first question before I get into any tips of and I I don't I'm not going to be giving tips on the University survival guiders in this is the best place to be hanging out in a uni or this is the i' got I'm not the person to be talking to about things like that I'm going to be talking about greater things that are or at least should be on your mind the first question I want to put to you though because we should begin with an inquisitive approach is what are are you actually doing

here because if you say am I how am I supposed to be surviving this or or what is the best way to go about these three years of my life or four years or some of you extended studies five years maybe s years if you're doing a PhD or something as well these years of my life how am I supposed to go about optimize them what are you even doing here what are you doing here as in why are you in University rather than me giving you the answers let's take the answers from you give me some answers why are you in University you don't need to give the

this isn't your University interview so you don't need to give the whole charad of why I really want to make a differ I mean be honest why are you here why are you here young man piece of paper problem solved you see if only everybody was straight okay a degree okay what's your name Ali Ali might just come back to you on that what else tell me why are you here why are you in University The Experience just being honest just being

honest it is many people go to university for an experience why else why you here CU I enjoy learning and I want to carry on cuz you enjoy learning and you want to carry on learning you don't need to be at University to learn do you so why are you at a university to get an education education interesting it has been said that schooling was but a brief Interruption to my education do you do these institutes

actually educate us do they simply brainwash us I that's an a powerful term but are they imposing narratives onto our psyche or are they actually providing an education something I want to explore a it in a moment maybe what what else anybody else saying yeping College what we're told is that you know you go to university you can get job more qualified I think in sticking that narrative most people most of my parents

are you know very honest very honest very real zann if you don't mind me sharing your name right no I actually took this piece of paper out of his hand which I'll come back to later on it was uh to do with objectives and I want to come back to to that but right okay job been told we will get a better job my parents want expectations my parents want me to come expectations there may be some other

anybody want to share something else is there something else here I mean something why not throw in a bit of no any other the field I wanted to go into you can only go through it with do you share what is this field you want to walk through I want I want to go to Structural Engineering Structural Engineering okay okay I'm not sure what that exactly is just because of my ignorance but okay I appreciate that so what I'm seeing is there is an almost a

spectrum on one hand there are certain roles which you can only get into through University let's say anybody here out doing medicine or anything do they do anybody doing medicine Pharmacy Pharmacy okay Pharmacy medicine Structural Engineering somebody might be doing I don't know something let's say very specialist therefore you need to be at a university to do that you can't become a doctor without taking a medical degree you can't I mean I don't know I won't comment on Structural Engineering I'm not exactly sure what's but let's say you can't be a pharmacist without

having a degree in pharmacy [Music] now the specialist requirements are only a small percentage of all students at universities so if you take all the universities let's say in the UK all the number of students most of them are not becoming doctors most of them are not becoming let's say lawyers or becoming uh pharmacists or dentists that will be a certain percentage the vast majority will be taking your regular kind of degree whether it's history whether it's philosophy whether it's languages whether it's anything I don't know but they they're studying things which are

not necessarily that specialist um region many of you there are some who just forced to come to University hate it whatever in my understanding most people come to University because they are part of a system they are on a conveyor Bell you see they have been given a world view or I say world but they've been given a narrative that means an understanding of how life should be or will

be you're at school you must do good you must get GCS otherwise your life will be ruined you you must have been told this you must have been told this for your for your information I mean I'm actually a qualified teacher as well so I've taught in education for years I do have I mean just in case you're thinking I do have a degree I have in fact more than one degree besides a bachelor's a degree in science as well in in Psychology I have a teaching degree as well from this University and I have a master's in education but that's besides my Muti

schol uh studies but I'm I'm being honest with you in school I taught in the state sector for years we had to tell pupils you if you if you don't if you don't get good gcses your life is ruined you probably all heard this at school in reality it's nonsense I mean it's not actually true it may carry some bearing in the sense of it depends what angle you're coming from but you know that's not true you say to people oh you will live a miserable life you will be

unsuccessful it's not true most the successful people out there don't have qualifications if you mean by success worldly success most entrepreneurs and you know if you're measuring it by money most people who have a lot of money out there are not actually academics am I wrong that that's you can do your own studies I mean people who run businesses are that's where the money is I'm just saying if but we don't say that in school because we're part of a system that has to sustain

itself we're part of an education system where we have to say look you must get these gcses to go to college you must life will be ruined be miserable in college they will do the same thing and say you must do this you you know you don't get these a levels you don't get this you will get into a pathetic University or the these are the type of things they will say you'll oh my you know you'll you'll get it you'll be lucky to get onto a degree you might have to do this you might so the person is thinking damn damn Dam I've got to do this I've got to do this and then they get into uni and the same thing you're being told oh you must you will get a better job how many of you realistically

are here with the aim of getting a better job really honestly I mean how many of you are here doing a degree for the fact that you will earn more money than hopefully the the other person whoever other is but the other person in the future being honest okay let's put it this way how many are you are not here for that reason okay we've got some handful but I mean some hands up but the majority of you being honest going with the narrative that you are being being told that you are doing this for getting a better job for being more

stable than the other person the reality is now University life and I'm using University life as an ex uh because that's what concerns us is notorious for landing its its clients if you want to call yourself clients or students in a ridiculous amount of debt a kind of debt that it will take you most of your life to get out of or the best part of your life

anyway it's true Am I Wrong an average University student will now leave University this wasn't and I finished my degrees a few years ago and this just in a few years look at the change will now leave University with what a 30 to 40,000 debt am I at least I think about 40 40,000 debt at least 27 at least 27 right okay per year 9,000 for the fees and then you must have some for expenses I take it about 5,000 for expenses and and then you if you multiply that by three you're talking anywhere between 30 at least to

about £40,000 depending on what they give you what you take of debt and I've had a few people tell me that but it's okay we'll we'll clear it in 25 or 30 years you have to excuse the laughter I I've got a crazy sense of humor but I thought what what's what drugs are they Distributing in universities nowadays I mean what's going on what are you taking I mean what do you mean you will clear it in 30 years a mortgage is is 20 to 25

years so what Vision are they but but the thing is everybody's on it it doesn't matter because you're part of the narrative you are inside a system where they tell no life this you want a better life this is the way you're not questioning it outside of that narrative because you are a part of that narrative you can't think outside maybe some of you can but most of you won't think outside the narrative because you are within it you are part of it then there are other factors some of you maybe are not think you know you're just here for the experience and you just want to have fun understandable nobody's against

having fun right so the reality is and this is why and I I think this is important with today's talk is that University or getting this degree with what everything that comes with it you amount of debt the amount of this the amount of that isn't actually the end of or the the dream that you've been fed it isn't and the reality is most people many people out there have got degrees a degree actually doesn't hardly mean anything in this Society I don't know what they they will tell you University and college it means everything but in the real world it

doesn't mean anything okay maybe has some weight I'm not talking about a special an extremely specialized degree like medicine which obviously if you want to become a doctor you can't become a doctor unless you have a medical degree but most students are not becoming doctors so I'm addressing the majority not the specialized type of minority the reality is it's just a false dream there are countless people out there with degrees unemployed so reality and now in debt

so the first thing I want to do is maybe unfortunately but I want to give you a bit of a a shock to wake you up that this dream is illusory this this reality that you've been fed about you know you go through uni you end up with an awesome job you're minted you're raking it with money you know it's just pouring money everywhere oh it's as far removed from reality as you can possibly imagine so you can forget that because I'm just being real right now okay I'm not saying don't

do degrees alhamdulillah it's it's good but I'm bringing you to the reality of what they actually are now with that in mind now that we have that how should we and what should we be focusing on during our uni life see see that that was an important concept to get Beyond cuz once we understand that that wait a minute this isn't the this isn't this type of dream that you've been fed it isn't going to happen like that not for the outright absolute majority of people it doesn't

it never happens like that so what are we talking about so now what should we be focusing on whilst we are here first of all just as a disclaimer as well just to kind of clarify to you guys and I'm saying this again I am not discrediting education I'm not what I am telling you is sometimes often it is exaggerated to be an Institutional thing true education is knowledge knowledge has never been

captured by the Four Walls of a confinement okay information does not always equate to knowledge just as knowledge does not always equate to wisdom do not think that your 3 years in here will render you into some outstanding human being unless you work on it so that's what I want to get to yes do your degree now that you're here alhamdulillah I mean you're here anyway I mean those of you that ain't here might be thinking about it now but those of you that are here you're here but focus on other things as

well Focus first of all on true knowledge and I'm linking this knowledge in with the dean as well right now this one I'm saying it is you an opportunity you have a few years where you're just meant to be studying learn about the de this opportunity will not present itself to you again not in this manner it will inshallah present itself to you in other forms later on in life but not the way you have it now right now you are only expected to

study so study how many of you are actually doing something like learning Arabic it's very good to see every single person should be studying Arab language is do you know I mean my my background is in Psychology anyway I mean do you know those of you who don't know this that those who argue that IQ can be enhanced there is a debate amongst people whether your IQ can is always static or it can be enhanced those who argue for it actually

believe and they have their research to show that learning a language is one way by which a person actually enhances and improves his or her IQ so it actually makes you a lot more intelligent knowing more languages especially if you've leared them as opposed to just growing up around them so if you learn a language it challenges the intellect so powerfully whilst you're having to put syntax together that it actually improves your perception of the world so learn if it's so if it's not just for religious reasons learn it for that you should all be learning our

anyway The Message of Islam the Quran the word of Allah is in Arabic and I don't mean by this you don't have to be a saint to try to understand the Quran you don't have to be you don't have to be somebody who now just I'm just going to wear a TH or uh a jilbab I'm just going to and I'm just going to sit in a Masid and that is mean now in a corner and that's all I do I now just just do the thck of Allah and nothing else in life you don't need to become a

Hermit and you don't need to become a nerd I I once said that there's this misunderstanding that I called it the the nerdo htic type of syndrome that we have that people feel to be a true Muslim like a proper you have to either the true representation of a Muslim like a proper full practicing Muslim is either a nerd or a Hermit and none of them are accurate it it's about fun you know you said you want to enjoy it's about

enjoying you can be a regular person I'm not questioning I'm not even questioning how many times you pray I'm not questioning anything like this I'm saying what's wrong with being able to understand the Quran no harm in it it is one of the most spoken languages in the world the almost 30 countries of the world even your worldly gain is so much from learning it from Arabic that's one thing learning a bit more than just our

learning m m means matters of of the dean okay issues learning it's sometimes called okay that means an understanding of the de it begins with worship you know Salah there's nothing wrong in learning these things you'll be incredibly amazed to see how complex the Shar the de actually is in I say that in a nice way complex I don't mean in a scary way I mean wow it's actually deep it's not like something superficial you just oh look at this but I can see like I you know I watch the

video clip now there's alhamdulillah you guys are involved in doing certain Islamic things that is awesome you guys have a connection with the I mean the fact that you you're actually here today somebody's reached out said look let's reach out to some people let's have some whatever let let them share their thoughts their experiences with us and we'll give our time it's one of the most precious things you have time and you're prepared to give it so the intentions the objectives are already there okay we are facing also we are facing

incredibly interesting times in the UK and I think things will get perhaps more I don't know whether unfortunately interesting especially in terms of Islam Islam has been become the center of attention for media it has become the center of attention for discussion a lot of people from you know Parliament to the public people are all discussing Islam unfortunately many of them in a very negative way some people not they may be objectively discussing Islam I do personally fear that the

polarization between Muslims will unfor fortunately grow massively you will start to see a certain number of Muslims that will start to end up on this end and others who are on that end not having knowledge of your Dean will put you in a very vulnerable position because you don't know what it could be vulnerable for the sake of well I don't know what what these people are saying is right or wrong right now today I mean whether let's let's face it you just you just have to put the news on

you have to put the TV on what's going on in the Middle East it isn't we all we all everybody here is aware of it yeah Isis whether you want to quote them other groups what's going on in in Africa boo Haram what's going on recently Europe in fact many countries seem to have intensified you know Belgium Greece um it was in the news we the European countries want to work a lot closely more closely with the Arab countries in combating extremism this discussions here about okay we want to move away

from violent extremism to to outlawing just extremism or what we feel isn't violent but it might be extremist and so there's discussions of there is a lot going on whether we're aware of it or not aware of it does it impact Us in some way it definitely impacts us because we're all Muslim even if if we're not involved even if I'm passive I'm still involved because the public may have a perception of me because I'm Muslim I think oh you guys are all terrorists or or you guys are all like this or you guys are all so even if I don't want to get involved I'm being dragged into this discussion because I'm Muslim so they're talking about me

they're talking about everybody who subscribes to the faith so I've got no choice but to be aware of it so okay what what does that mean then okay so we're getting dragged into this discussion why is that important well it is important because it means it gives you an opportunity to have a greater understanding of it cuz people are going to drag you into it whether you like it or don't like it right now all this debate about the blasphemy and all of these things there must be questions you see each person here must have some questions whether you're

asking I'm not saying you're asking me but you're there must be questions going on in your mind why is this what is that why is what do you think's going on in the minds of the non-muslims even more questions so you guys are that younger generation that will become a voice to answer to kind of respond to these queries embracing this reality this is what I meant about look when I said that University isn't it isn't everything the

education just in the sense of the degree I meant there's a greater reality as well to embrace I mean yes do that you're doing that anyway but you thinking look I've also got an opportunity to kind of rekindle this acquaintance with the dean I can be learning more I can be learning a language I can be learning about what what are these Concepts I can have an interest I can learn about history you know I speak to some University students and they say to me sometimes oh you know what it is this year I'm busy because I've got these modules next year I'll look into learning a bit more about Islam and

stuff like this and or I'll learn a bit of Arabic or I'll learn a bit of f next year you think what type of reality are these people living in what do you mean you're busy seriously overdoing a few modules you're busy what do you think awaits you when you leave University it's not you might think okay I won't be doing modules then yeah you're right you probably won't be doing modules but you'll have greater stresses oh I've got to first of all how do I get a job ah so you've got that running around then you get a job and then you're like oh how do I keep this job because there's the internal work type of Dynamics oh no now I'm getting

this I've got to progress I've got this to meet up to I've got that by that time you're probably thinking right okay you know I'd like to get married maybe you're probably thinking oh what do I do now and then you're thinking oh right I need a place and all right finances and and then you probably before you know it you're thinking about a family or you're having to cater for a family and then you so these you never have a time where everything just stops and says you know what don't worry about it you just you now learn this year just learn about the dean you're not going to have a single worry to to kind of preoccupy your mind that's never going to happen the time is

now and it's excellent during University time because all you're meant to be doing is studying so just manage your studies it's no big deal you have to learn and there is a responsibility on you I'm telling you whether you like it or not you are being dragged into a narrative into a a discussion about the future of Islam in this country and Muslims whether you like it or don't like whether you want to be a part of it or don't want to be a part of it you are being brought into that discussion so either you can have a greater understanding see Muslims one is this problem and then the other problem is Muslims we've got our own problems

and sometimes these are more intensified in universities shockingly even though this is a place of Enlightenment and education and Liberation yet sectarianism is rif people hating on each other is r i mean I don't know about this University specifically the isok in it I I mean it seems alhamdulillah you guys have got a pleasant cohort of people here but I'm just saying it is not unknown to you all of you must know what I'm talking about this person is or this person is

is a to to this person is a to this person is this is going on internally so not only have the other problems that I'm talking about we've got this going on some people you know we intolerance has been kind of infused and injected into the Muslim communities it's so unfortunate who do you think is going to get rid of this do you think it's going to be the the 55-year-old uncle that's going to come and

say I'll take a look at this don't worry I got this it's going to be you the young upand cominging Muslim Generations it's true isn't it who who else is going to deal with who is going to deal with these matters it's not going to be the first generation so we're looking at these type of things what and there's an very important Point here and I'd like to actually raise it with you the point is we have to learn and embrace that the dean focuses is hugely on

character hugely on character and compassion that is incredibly important incredibly you and you'll be I mean maybe you won't be surprised but the level of like I said I mean I could say hatred unfortunately or animosity that is present which completely goes against the message the true Message of

Islam you guys have to come to term you have to learn you have to embrace you probably think yeah I already embraced that but you have to learn it you have to know it you can't just be like you know you can't just be saying oh yeah I know this because out there that's not enough so you go out today and you say look oh but we're all Muslims some said no what are you talking about the person said this this this therefore they disbelieved he said no but we all what do you actually even know do you even know one verse of the Quran in its reality tell me one verse that you actually know of the Quran I will sit down and listen to it from you and you tell me just one verse of the entire Quran that you actually understand and I'm going to want a complete breakdown

of it that you to know that you truly understand it and then we can talk you won't be able to do it most people won't be able to do that so therefore automatically the other person would say look so you don't know what you're talking about my Scholars have told me alhamd they do know a verse of the Quran that no these people are not Muslims or these people are not this so it's not easy enough to just say oh I embrace this message of Love or compassion I I do it because out there it doesn't stand like that you need to hold your your ground you need to have something to support it this is why reconnecting is so important coming back to what should you

be doing you should be engaged in your studies but your stud studies and education should be broader than just your degree you should be learning about other things everybody should be learning the Arabic language you should be rekindling that passion for the faith in addition to that you should be getting involved in not only locally at the University like you are at the isak or in other Islamic events but also involved in a greater awareness of what's going on because you are part of that Society you are part of that

world okay you should have this greater awareness one of the greatest things that you this awareness should lead to and hopefully is a m a sense of maturity one problem you guys have and everybody has had it that's gone through this age is people won't take you seriously still they won't unfortunately take young people seriously I mean no matter what they tell you they will the reality is out there nobody takes young people seriously not until at least you're going to be around 30 nobody's going to really listen to opinions you have to say that they might listen to them but they're going to think oh it's just a

kid so this is your time to develop that maturity speak maturely you know this we need to be vocal and to be vocal we need to not only have voice but we need to have words this not that you guys speak like this but this any any and all this type of stuff this has to be controlled you speak to some people they they may be educated but they can't speak I'm not saying it's you you guys I'm very sure you know I'm more than confident I'm very competent but I'm just saying okay this is a problem people go

out they say oh you get a news repor you what do you have to say about what's any it's like it's like any and people hate Islam many and what do they hate us for and you're like what the hell are you even saying like at least say something properly like because everybody and then that's the one they're going to choose and blast all over the oh kind bloody binghams already all Muslims Fox News facts so now that the national language of the state of Birmingham has become something else so do you understand what I'm saying so

having that mature maturity developing your thoughts dabbling into stuff like I would say dabble into other greater philosophies as well it matures your thought process but you have to be a bit weary do have a uh a reasonable Foundation before you do stuff like that sometimes because it can become a bit confusing but these are the important things that maturity can then help you push this message a trer message of of your faith one of compassion one of good character and one of true objectives so these are some of the what

I would say they're not so much like I said it's not about how you survive University in the sense of where we hang out what's the best classes to go to I got I haven't got a clue where you hang out or what you do to to me doesn't really bother me it's your life these things are important you need to first of all fizzle out of this illusory sense of reality into understanding this you know you need to wake up this degree is not everything it's good it's part of your education make your education broader very important that point is you can I cannot

understate that point and the reason I picked this up from one of the one of our guests here I was intrigued that as a young person it put together some Concepts and ideas and some plans of where he'd like to be in the future and there were things like you know I'd like to improve my Islamic knowledge in this I'd like to get involved in the community this sense of activism I'd like to hopefully be involved in maybe authoring a book on something I'd like to be it was very I mean for a young person to be thinking like this and I will like to end on one note

and that is look in universities and this isn't just in universities but like for anybody who engages in studies you have this fear and many of you said you're here for work for a better job you have this fear that what will happen when I leave where will I get a job from where will my money come from how will I cover this how will I I'd like to in relation to that tell you that look Allah as he teaches us that Allah that Allah feeds and provides whom

he wills and how he Wills that there is not a creature on earth except that Allah has already provided for it Allah teaches us that the that thean will frighten you intimidate you with the thoughts of poverty don't be misled into the they are daunting thoughts everybody that's been through studies has had them what will I do where will I get money from where it will come to

you you have to leave something to Allah in the sense every Allah is in control of everything but you have to leave this I understand we're trying to plan for everything but don't let these thoughts intimidate you okay as Muslims we have a firm belief in the concept of risk that what is written shall come and I I say I say that importantly because I see people changing the entire direction of their lives at times just out of this type of oh no like maybe I can get a bit more money here I can get where and and you try to tell people that sometimes look and this you I mean you could speak

to people that Allah provides people from where they at least expected and there's a very interesting there's a narration once they say that s mam had asked Allah about risk and he told him to strike a a rock with a uh with his stuff and when he did it kind of split open and in it they say there was like like almost like a small ant or something that had there was a little uh some type of a leaf growing within and he was eating of that that to show that Allah provides

for all of his creatures what do you think about you know like human beings so do not let this fear derail you okay listening to this to this rant or these Rambles but um I don't know if what the the thing is I don't know if if you've got questions or if we're allowed to take questions because of time restraints I don't

think yeah I think outside okay so I mean once again