Voice of British Muslim Women

Rameen Masood, Leicester

There are stories that continue to speak to us, long after the final page is turned; they whisper something enduring and make us think. Helen Keller’s life is one of those, not merely because of her extraordinary achievements, but because of the questions her journey leaves echoing in our minds.

Her journey invites us to pause.

To look beyond the noise and haste of the world and to ask ourselves: what does it mean to truly perceive? What hidden potential lies dormant within us, waiting to be stirred? Through Keller’s story, we come face to face with the strength of the human spirit, the unspoken language of the soul and the silent signs of Allah the Almighty woven into every moment of being.

Born on 27th June 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Keller was just 19 months old when due to an illness, she became blind and deaf. [1]

But this did not stop her.

Through the guidance of her teacher Anne Sullivan and with an unyielding spirit, Keller broke through the barriers that had sealed her off from the world. She became the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, became an advocate for the marginalised, an author and indeed an enduring symbol of human resilience.

But what truly underpinned this transformation was not merely the milestones she reached, it was the awakening of her inner world. What struck me most about Keller’s life was how her heart learnt to perceive the beauty and meaning that her eyes could not. There is a moment in Keller’s autobiography, ‘The Story of My Life’, where the seemingly impenetrable silence and darkness around her begins to dissolve. As her teacher gently spells ‘w-a-t-e-r’ into one hand while cool water runs over the other, Keller writes: ‘The mystery of language was revealed to me… that living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.’ [2]

To me, this hints at a subtle yet profound connection with the human soul. In Arabic, the term ‘heart’ translates to ‘qalb’. Interestingly, this word is derived from the triliteral root ق-ل-ب (qāf-lām-bā’) which carries the core meaning of inverting or turning over. [3] This etymological insight profoundly reveals that the heart is not static and is capable of turning toward truth, awakening and enlightenment. Explaining further, the Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him) states: ‘Qalb […] means al-fu‘ad (the heart) […] and sometimes the term qalb also refers the intellect […] And by the word qalb, human states are described that are related to soul, knowledge and courage, etc. […] Qalb also denotes thinking and pondering.’ [4] This nuanced meaning of ‘qalb’ suggests that the heart is far more than a physical organ. It is the locus of perception, reflection and spiritual awareness. In this light, Keller’s story resonates even more deeply as it’s a tale of overcoming and a call to reflect on the unseen faculties within us all.

Secondly, Keller’s story exemplifies the enormous power of education and the lasting impact of a great teacher. Her yearning for knowledge was not for the sake of accumulating facts, rather it was a longing to understand meaning itself, to grasp truth from the inside out. As Keller so poignantly expressed: ’Knowledge is love and light and vision.’ [5] In fact, this profound awakening mirrors the encouragement found time and again in the Holy Qur’an toward deep reflection and contemplation, where believers are asked not to accept blindly, but to seek, question and understand.

In her autobiography, Keller reflects fondly on the turning point in her life: ‘The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.’ [6] These words, simple yet profound, carry the weight of a soul that was encased in silence and solitude until someone extended a hand. Keller’s transformation reminds us of the power a teacher holds. A teacher can be the difference between darkness and dawn in a person’s life. This realisation further serves as a needed reminder that within each of us lies a vast, untapped capacity. But sometimes, it takes another person to draw it out, someone who sees not who we are, but who we can become. Such is the honour and power of a true teacher.

Thirdly, a sense of gratitude and contentment filled her life. This is the kind of contentment that doesn’t stem from comfort, but from understanding. As Maulana Rumi once wrote, ‘Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you.’ [7] Keller did exactly that. She embraced all adversities which elicited so much within her. And it was perhaps from this deep well of understanding that her passion for justice and advocacy emerged. It would be amiss not to acknowledge a defining aspect of Keller’s life: her unwavering commitment to the empowerment of women and individuals with disabilities. Despite the challenges she faced, Keller became a formidable voice for change championing disability rights, women’s rights and broader social justice. Her decades-long work with the American Foundation for the Blind reshaped societal perceptions, paving the way for greater inclusion and accessibility. [8] To this day, her legacy continues to inspire countless individuals to believe in the potential of every human being, no matter their circumstances.

Keller’s story is steeped in courage. There’s a certain nobility in the kind of resilience that doesn’t shout. Keller’s determination was not ostentatious, but fierce; every new word she learnt, every idea she grasped, was an act of defiance against a world that had, from the beginning, underestimated her. Her trials weren’t merely physical, they were metaphysical, the aching questions of existence, meaning and the human drive to be understood. Life has a way of testing the fibre of who we are, and this is something that resonates so deeply with what the Holy Qur’an teaches us. In Chapter 94 verse 6 we’re reminded: ‘Surely there is ease after hardship.’ [9] And sometimes, that ease is not an escape from the difficulty, it’s the birth of a new self that the hardship has made possible.

Further still, Keller’s life teaches us that we are all called to something greater, even if that calling lies buried so deep within that it feels almost imperceptible. Yet it is there, quietly waiting to be awakened. Her story reveals the strength of a soul that clung to the thread of knowledge amidst silence, the quiet courage that emerges not despite adversity but because of it and the limitless progress that unfolds when we begin to truly believe in our own worth.

When I learnt about Keller, I didn’t just see her as someone who overcame obstacles. I saw a soul that heard something deeper. And I believe we’re all born with that same thread of light inside us, woven into our being by the Creator, but often forgotten amid the incessant noise of the world around us. Too often, we fail to perceive the affinity between our souls and the signs of Allah the Almighty that are all around us.

And so, I pray that may we too come to realise that our greatest treasure is not found in what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears, but in what we become through struggle, reflection and faith. For, as Keller so powerfully teaches us, the treasure was never out there. It was always within.

References:

[1] Helen Keller. Edited by Debra Michals. Available at: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/helen-keller [Accessed 15.06.2025]

[2] The Story of My Life. By Helen Keller. Available at: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/keller/life/life.html#I

[3] Dictionary of the Holy Qur’an. By Malik Ghulam Farid. Available at: https://www.alislam.org/book/dictionary-holy-quran/ p. 701

[4] Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 1 p. 153. Quote available at: https://www.alislam.org/question/usage-of-word-heart-in-islamic-theology/

[5] The Story of My Life. By Helen Keller. Available at: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/keller/life/life.html#I

[6] Ibid

[7] Rumi. Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/827452-try-not-to-resist-the-changes-that-come-your-way

[8] Helen Keller: Our Champion. By American Foundation for the Blind. Available at: https://afb.org/about-afb/history/helen-keller [Accessed 15.06.2025]

[9] The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Maulawi Sher Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Chapter 94, Verse 6