Voice of British Muslim Women

Mahedah Rehman, Manchester

*Huzoor is the term Ahmadi Muslims use to refer to His Holiness, the fifth Caliph/Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

*Waqf-e-Nau scheme in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is for parents to dedicate their children for the propagation of Islam before their birth

Whatever work, education, or opportunities I have sought in my life, are not for my own personal benefit, but are such that I can be a good Waaqfa e Nau* and servant of Allah. Without doubt the most important and vital tool in my arsenal has been and always will be the prayers and guidance of beloved Huzoor*, as he has been the driving force and inspiration for my education, career and service.

I recall when we went for a family mulaqat (meeting) with Huzoor, to request prayers for my GSCEs, Huzoor immediately said to me, “Mahedah, you are good at science, you will do Medicine!” At that moment, I was left speechless. Here was our beloved Khalifatul Masih (may Allah be his Helper), who believed in me, more so than I did myself, and as stunned as I was, I was compelled to agree with Huzoor and began focussing on my studies, in particular the sciences.

Fast forward to when it was time to go university. I had been writing to Huzoor regularly, and Huzoor always benevolently replied with prayers for my academic success, and advice to stay punctual in my daily Prayers.  I decided to do a degree in Biomedical Sciences at St George’s University. Being at St George’s, also allowed me to regularly go to Masjid Fazl and Baitul Futuh. In the second year of my studies, I was also given an opportunity by a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Scientist Association in the United States, to do an internship at the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital Research centre. Here, it became apparent to me that Medicine does not require me to become a medic, but that this is a vast field and that I may be better off in a different career.

I again wrote to Huzoor detailing my experience, and how after the end of my degree I wanted advice and guidance on what the best course of action would be. Huzoor encouraged me to “pursue a PhD”. Thus, numerous applications later, and with the help of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association, I was not only able to secure a PhD position at King’s College London but was also awarded a studentship for four years.

For me, this was not short of a miracle. I was an average student at best and had heard how people with years of work experience and expertise struggled to find projects, supervisors, and funding. So much so, that many people eventually give up. Hence, I was overwhelmed, not only was I amongst the youngest in my cohort but outside of the knowledge of my degree, I had very little expertise amongst my peers. I spent the first year at King’s College doing another Masters, in which I tried my hand at many different projects. When it came to choosing my final project, for the next three years, I went back to Huzoor.

This time in a family mulaqat, I requested Huzoor’s guidance on what I should do. I told Huzoor the potential topics that were available. Most graciously Huzoor prioritised them for me, he initially said that I should try and do stem cell research. And from that point onwards, that was the project on which I started working on and am still working on today. One peculiar thing for me that Huzoor did mention in the mulaqat at the time was, that as I was getting married now, I should ask my husband’s opinion first. These words of Huzoor, stayed with me for quite some time. I realised, they were in line with Huzoor’s guidance to Waqfe Nau girls, which he has said time and time again in classes as well as in his sermons, that beyond our studies and careers, our waqf inculcates that we work towards having pious and righteous families.

Now, I am almost at the end of my PhD, and I am often asked what my next career step will be. And the honest answer is, “I do not know”. I will do whatever, Huzoor guides me to do. And I will do so happily, because I will know that there is so much blessing in it. What I do know is that I wish to continue to be a Waqf, and hopefully serve the Jamaat in even more capacities. I pray that Allah Almighty may enable me to do so.