Voice of British Muslim Women

Jaziba Ahmed, Earlsfield

2020 was a most significant and life-changing year for all of us. A year where life took a sudden turn as the outbreak of the coronavirus dominated all over the world and forced us into lockdown here in the UK. From the closure of schools, universities and work to not being able to see our loved ones and some of us losing our loved during these difficult circumstances. It has been difficult to lose the privilege of having social interactions as now we are all constantly at home and rely on online audio and video calls.

Personally, 2020 tested my physical and mental capacity like no other. During the first few weeks of quarantine, I was full of energy and kept on track with online lectures and was desperate to keep up with trends, the most popular of course baking banana bread! But something changed as cases spiked and then the realisation hit that things would not go back to normal as quickly as we had imagined.

From being a first-year university student and enjoying my lectures and making incredible new friends to campus life being cut short and lasting only five months, not to mention the move to online learning which was abrupt to say the least. I felt demotivated and procrastination was at the highest level as workload kept increasing.

How do we cope with this heavy burden and the stress that comes with it? Although the pandemic has affected my studies, the increased time at home granted me the opportunity to self-reflect and establish my personal goal of Praying five times a day on time. Time at home revealed my weaknesses and allowed me to re-evaluate my purpose in life. We are Ahmadi Muslims. And there is no contentment we can gain unless we turn towards God Almighty. The blessed month of Ramadan enabled me to spend time invoking blessings and salutations on the Holy Prophet and praying to God Almighty to seek forgiveness and guidance, and to aid me in my goal to increase my attachment to my faith.

His Holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (peace be upon him) has reminded us of the importance of prayer. In his own words,

‘… take refuge with God Almighty and observe your Prayers with strict regularity. Sometimes people will only offer one Prayer, but remember that there is no concession in the matter of Prayer. Even the Prophets were not excused.’ (Malfuzat, Vol. I, p. 264)

The pandemic was a blessing in disguise and has allowed me to spend time with my loved ones at home. I thank God Almighty every day and I am truly grateful for everything I have been given in my life. The pandemic has given us an opportunity to reflect upon our actions and prioritise the most important thing in this world, our religion. It is crucial to form a relationship with the Supreme Being and communicate with Him in these unavoidable situations we have been placed in.

Our beloved Khalifa, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, current worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community urged us that in these “circumstances to reform ourselves, it also becomes incumbent to increase in informing others about the peaceful message of Islam…We must tell people that for the ultimate result to be good, we must turn towards God and realise that true life is that which is in the Hereafter and we must not associate any partners with Him and fulfil the rights of His creation”  (Address by His Holiness, March 21, 2020).

An important thing I have taken away from this current pandemic is that everything in life that we worry about is temporary. We have adjusted to many changes and this pandemic has taught us valuable lessons of appreciating small things we have been granted in life. It has been a difficult and emotional rollercoaster indeed. We must remember that strength is found in unity and we should make a duty to become more devoted to God Almighty.

So, this has been my one-year journey in quarantine. As we have entered 2021 with continuing concerns over the pandemic and the heightened tensions of current affairs leading to a World War 3, I pray that God Almighty forgives our shortcomings and that we turn our hearts towards Him.