We have all been in a situation or witnessed cases of well intended but misguided activism in our communities, whether on a small or large scale. So often young activists are faced with the problem and hardly do they know the solution or the proper manner in which to execute according to the Islamic guidelines.

Assalamualaikum!

My name is Zainab Ajmeri and I made a commitment to myself and the community that instead of complaining about the lack of young leaders and role models without a proper Islamic foundation, especially Muslim women, I would take the step forward in fixing that in myself and being part of the solution. I’ve been offered this once in a life-time opportunity to move to Texas and attend the Qalam Seminary taught by main instructor Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda and Mufti Hussain Kamani, but I need your support and contribution in order to stay and complete the program!! This will go towards my tuition, rent and living expenses as I'm out of state, and study materials for the whole year.

Struggling to Serve

I have been actively involved in my community since the age of 14, from Muslim organizations to interfaith to teaching at the Islamic school. I’ve been blessed to be a part of multiple Muslim organizations, from MAS, MSA, CAIR, Al Muminah to Islamic Relief and I've spoken at events attended by over 400 youth. I established an MSA at my high school and served as president until I graduated. I served on the board of my masjids youth group for three years, creating programs such as Feeding the Homeless every month which my masjid does till this day, Qiyams with up to 600 youth attendees, Eid for Refugees, etc. 

The focus of my work has been on young adults because that is the age that Islam either becomes relevant or takes a back seat. Growing up as a Muslim American woman and facing so many challenges first hand I developed a passion to help those who faced similar struggles. It’s already hard enough to navigate the world today while maintaining our Islamic values and it only gets harder. As the difficulty increases so does the need for qualified activism. 

My journey to attend Qalam Institute, established by Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda, started a few years back when I came to the realization that, without taking my Islamic studies more seriously, I would be limited in how I could serve my community. So I made the conscious decision to put my secular education in healthcare on hold and dedicate myself, full-time, to having a more comprehensive understanding of my Deen.

From A Dream to Reality

I attended Quran Intensive in 2014, a one-month summer program that introduces students to Quranic Arabic and its miracles within the Quran. QI served as a catalyst for my decision to apply and attend the Bayyinah Dream Program a 9-month intensive Quranic Arabic course taught by  Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan and Ustadh Adam Jamal in which you learn the Arabic language and its beautiful nuances. Earlier this year by the grace and mercy of God I was accepted into the Qalam Seminary so that I could finally achieve the goal I had set out for, furthering my relationship with Allah and my understanding of his expectations on me.

The Next Step... Qalam Seminary!

There are a many things that Qalam provides me that are essential to my spiritual pursuits as well as my passion to serve the community. One is a world class Islamic education, delivered through a system carefully constructed by Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda. A rare gem of scholarship, he truly has his fingers on the pulse of the community. With the insights that he's gained after more than a decade of serving the community at every level, he was able to put together a curriculum that is curtailed for the activist.

There are three core principles the program is built on that Sheikh Abdul Nasir identifies as

• Ta’leem (Education) - Throughout the year we will gain a foundation in the core Islamic sciences that are necessary to navigate the complex world we live in today. The life of our beloved Prophet SAW (Seerah), Quranic Exegesis (Tafsir), Studies of Creed (Aqeedah), Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), and Islamic Philosophy of Law (Usul al Fiqh). Those are the major subjects that we will cover and attain a level of fluency in order to allow us to continue to learn and pursue knowledge even after graduating.

• Tarbiyyah (Personal and professional development) - On the Tarbiyaah end we are constantly given advice and reminders from teachers on how to conduct ourselves with the community we serve, what to expect, how to deal with disappointment and manage expectations and of course, we get healthy doses of tough love on a weekly basis.

• Suhba (Mentorship) - the mentorship that I will and have already received at Qalam can only be described as invaluable. My teachers, my classmates, the alumni, the authors of the books we read all are a means of learning information that is unavailable in most other environments. Another profound aspect of Suhba is which will always be there even after I graduate are the connections made. There is a robust network of scholars and advanced students of knowledge the we get access to at Qalam that every activist dreams of. I will always have a reliable resource to turn to for any assistance, advice, or questions that I might have in any situation

How You Can Help!

Please help me reach my goal by:

- Contributing through LaunchGood by clicking the orange link above

- Spreading the word via social media

- Please make dua’a that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) makes me successful in this journey, accepts my efforts and grants us all the highest positions in Paradise. Ameen!

You will be supporting me in not only my tuition but also my living expenses throughout the year such as rent, utilities, etc. However, ultimately your contribution will be a part of my journey to becoming a Muslim woman who is educated in her Deen. Every question I ask in class, every letter I write in my notes, every Da’wah endeavor that I engage in for the rest of my life will be written in your account. I am confident that Allah will provide for me on my journey as he always has, but as we learned in class, although the source is Divine the means are often mundane. I pray that you can be a part of my journey and share in my struggles and that Allah (swt) accepts from us both so that we may meet in Jannah one day amongst other humble servants of the Most Generous. Ameen!

Jazakum Allahu Khairan!