March 24, 2017

As-salamu-alaikum, wa-rahma-tullahi-wa-barakahtuhu,For the next couple of minutes, you will hear my story, It’s no Tarantino script and it’s not quite as gory, In fact, you may find certain parts a little bit boring, But God-willing, It will be ok and you won’t end up snoring. — Where to begin, where to start, The name is Hamza, the Age 21, simple so far, But there were times that were bleak, terrifying and dark, Being a kid and being bullied definitely left a strong mark, Later down the line, I went on to develop depression at college Looking around, seeing no friends and definitely found no solace, In fact, it coulda been the death of me, But thankfully around about the age of 18, I found my calling and fully embraced the deen, Without it, I wouldn’t be stood here studying for a law degree, I wouldn’t have the ability to breathe, talk or see If it wasn’t for the mighty, the one, the supreme, The One who watches my every move, Pain, misery and sadness does he alone remove, His mercy everlasting, with him you will never lose Fast forward a few years, and here I stand in the university of Manchester, You could say it’s like an underdog story, perhaps like Leicester, But unlike ranieri, I intend on making it to the end of 2nd semester, In terms of the future, the aim is to practice law, to help others, That’s Fathers and Mothers, Sisters and Brothers, Commercial isn’t for me, I have no desire to live that life, Where is the time to settle down, find happiness and a loving wife? When all my thoughts are obsessed about deals, where is the sanity of mind? I don’t understand the obsession of chasing wealth, When you end up making lots of money whilst losing yourself True wealth is about being content, Not about the shoes, whips or thousands you’ve spent, It is the gratitude for being alive we should focus on instead, Or even the necessities we take for granted, water and bread Before I go, I wanted to share a profound verse that has got me through, Now if it helped me then it can definitely help you So, which of the favours of your Lord would you deny? I will repeat that, so which of the favours of your Lord would you deny? For those who may not know, that’s surah 55, We have been blessed beyond measure, more than we realise So this verse made me ponder on what is the goal in life? In other words, what is the ultimate prize? Is it Yeezys, an Audi or a house off the M5 Nah rather it is to make the most of my abilities before I die God graced me with the ability to talk, argue and write No so I could amass wealth, lie and ruin lives And so which favours can I possibly deny? We do not deserve a single thing, yet he constantly provides Did you know that when you cry, your tears actually rehydrate your eyes, So which of the favours of your Lord will YOU deny? That’s enough of preaching, I’m no scholar and I’m certainly not perfect I make mistakes hourly, I still need to repent and reflect, So I’ll go back to my grind, try and get that 2:1 Be the first to get a degree, see my mum proud of her eldest son, But I wanted to send a message to all of you who read this today, You are special, you are talented, You have the potential to be great, There are some in this world who want to build walls to separate, Let me remind them and remind you, Love will always trump hate On a more hopeful note, Enjoy your friends company and talk to each other honestly, Hug your families, young and elderly, Tell them you love them consistently and regularly — So to conclude, these aren’t just words on a page They are thoughts and feelings stored in my brain, A mixture of emotions, from ecstasy to pain, Said aloud, not for fortune or fame, With everything to lose and nothing to gain, But to share a story that isn’t gory and maybe slightly boring I want to say a big thanks to everyone here and to Isoc too, I will end how I started, As-salamu-alaikum, wa-rahma-tullahi-wa-barakahtuhu – Hamza Hasan