How Can I Study Sacred Knowledge Without My Parents Forcing Me To Stop?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I’m currently a student at university, and I plan on studying sacred knowledge after I graduate, in sha Allah. My parents support me in my decision, but they’d rather see me study a more ‘practical’ graduate course. I’m afraid that if I stay with them they’ll pressure me into studying something else alongside my ‘alimah degree. Due to this issue, I want to study abroad rather than locally.
Could you advise me on what steps I should take without displeasing my parents?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for wanting to take the next step to please Allah and gain Sacred knowledge. May Allah facilitate your path.
Study
If you decide to study from home or abroad, you must tell your parents that this is not a haphazard degree that offers you lots of free time. You should register in a serious full-time program that gives you what you want in a fixed number of years. If you are looking to study at SeekersGuidance with us, you will find a complete program. If you go abroad, or to the Middle East, you will also find much to study, and no time to study something else.
Communicate
You have to tell your parents how much this means to you, and you must explain the nature of your study. Once they understand, they can’t force you to quit or do something else, and you can’t let them. You have to hold your ground, but still be polite, kind, and helpful. As for your place of study, there are many programs available, but I am not familiar enough with them. Do some research, ask those around you, make a sincere intention, and seek until a path opens for you.
Please see these links as well:
Islamic Studies Curriculum
Seeking Sacred Knowledge
02- Adab: Seeking Sacred Knowledge- Ustadh Tabraze Azam
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
