When All Hope Seems Lost

When All Hope Seems Lost Muslims helping Muslims achieve their higher education goals — interest free!

BY MONA ADHAMI

“As-salamu alaikum,” I gently called out as I closed the front door behind me.

“Wa alaikum as-salam,” distant voices responded. Taking off my shoes and hanging up my coat, I headed down the corridor. My parents looked up as I walked into the kitchen.

“How was work, Ibrahim?” my mother asked as she prepped the table for dinner. I could smell the redolent aroma of chicken emanating from the oven.

“Long and tiring,” I responded, putting my keys on the counter and looking through the mail that lay neatly piled in the corner. “I’m ready for winter break.”

“Winter break? We haven’t even reached Thanksgiving break yet!” my father chuckled as he patted me on the shoulder.

Beep beep beep. The timer announced that dinner was ready. My mother gingerly took out a large dish of chicken, potatoes and vegetables from the oven and set it on the hot plate.

She beckoned me to the dinner table. “Come. Eat. You must be hungry. I made you your favorite. Great for this fall weather!”

“I’ll eat later. I’m just really exhausted right now,” I said wearily, shaking my head. “Besides, I have to submit my scholarship application that’s due tonight. I’ll come down later tonight.”

As footsteps took me upstairs to my room, I heard the muffled whispers of my parents. “We barely see him anymore … he’s working too much … he just comes and goes … like he’s a renter.”

I hated to admit it, but they were right. I felt the same way. Working two jobs and juggling five classes was not an easy task. I couldn’t help but feel I was stretched too thin, like I was taking on more than I could handle.

A disorganized desk of textbooks and notebooks welcomed me into my room. I kept digging until I finally found my planner, which lay buried under copious papers and binders. Looking at today’s date, I saw large text highlighted in neon yellow: SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE.

I had taken it upon myself to actively seek any scholarships that I had an even remote chance of winning. Since the beginning of the year, I had applied for dozens upon dozens of scholarships — sadly, I didn’t win any of them. With the hours I consistently poured into writing scholarship essays, I considered the initiative to be like my third job.

But that’s the way it had to be, because I didn’t have much of a choice. With expensive tuition and a national loan system entrenched in interest, what other options did I have? I had made a commitment to eschew interest for the sake of God. I had made it this far, and I wasn’t about to give up now.

Pulling my laptop toward me, I opened up my scholarship essay to proofread my

work and add a final closing paragraph. My fingers typed away as I concluded my essay with: “I feel that this scholarship will undoubtedly help me achieve both my educational and career goals as I work towards my Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. My journey at the University of Texas at Austin has already proven to be both enlightening and enjoyable, and I hope that you will support me as I continue along this path.”

Skimming through my essay one last time, I copied and pasted the contents into the online scholarship portal. My cursor hovered over the submit button. Closing my eyes, I whispered, “Ya Allah, open the way for me. Ya Allah, let me win this scholarship.”

With an invocation to God and a confident click, I pressed “submit.”

“Alhamdulillah.” With a sigh of relief, I closed my laptop and pushed it away. Looking down at my overfilled planner, I saw that I had three exams the following week and multiple assignments due, all peppered between my work schedule.

The relief I felt from submitting my scholarship was short-lived. Big bold letters highlighted in neon yellow stared out at me with a stern opponent challenging me to a duel, awaiting my response. My feeble efforts did not seem to intimidate it in the least.

Having recently signed up for my spring classes at the University of Texas at Austin, I needed to pay tuition in full or sign up for a payment plan the following week — otherwise, I would run the risk of losing my classes altogether. My parents were kind enough to help me pay for part of my tuition, and I had saved up my money from work. We would be able to pay a good portion of the tuition, but a remaining $3,000 still loomed over me — and that was just for next semester. I inhaled deeply, feeling a kind of stress take hold of me. It was like a knot of negative energy lodged in my chest.

I scrolled through my list of contacts on my phone. Uncle Howard. Clicking on the text message icon, I saw our previous chat history. I had asked him for help with school earlier, and he said he would get back to me. He and his family were known for their generosity, so I was hoping he would be the

WA SALAM IBRAHIM. I’M DOING WELL, HOPE YOU ARE TOO. THANKS FOR REACHING OUT, BUT

I’M AFRAID COVID-19 HAS MADE ME A BIT STRAPPED FOR CASH RIGHT NOW. I WISH I COULD HELP, BUT I JUST CAN’T. I WOULD RECOMMEND A

CONTINUOUS CHARITY. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE: WWW.ACCEDUCATE.ORG.”

menacing eyes: TUITION DUE. It was like

answer to my dua.

“Salam Uncle Howard, how is everything? Hope you and the family are doing great. I just wanted to follow up with you about my tuition. Do you think I could possibly borrow the 3k I mentioned before please?”

I felt my heart skip a few beats as it pounded in my chest. Pacing around my room, I thought of his possible responses: “Sure thing,” “I’m still looking into it,” “Not at this time.”

After a few moments, my phone vibrated and buzzed. Holding my breath, I was almost too afraid to read his message. With pursed lips, I held up my phone and opened his message.

“Wa salam Ibrahim. I’m doing well, hope you are too. Thanks for reaching out, but I’m afraid Covid-19 has made me a bit strapped for cash right now. I wish I could help, but I just can’t. I would recommend A Continuous Charity. Check out their website: www.acceducate.org.”

I felt my heart drop as a dull tension washed over me. I closed my eyes and shook my head. How would I pay for my classes now? Where would I find the remaining $3,000? As my mind raced with uncertainty about the path that lies ahead, my fingers typed a response: “No problem. I completely understand. May Allah make it easy for you. I’ll try to check out the link. JAK.”

I threw my phone on my bed and ran frustrated fingers through my hair. He was my last hope. And now that hope was gone! I pulled out my laptop and, in skepticism, typed in the website he referred me to.

A large bold font greeted me on the homepage: “Providing interest-free loans for a better future.” Scrolling down, I saw infographics highlighting “Interest Saved” and “Amount Given in Loans.” Curious, I clicked on the “About Us” link at the top banner. As I skimmed through the content, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Shaking my head, I said to myself, “I can’t believe it! This is the answer to my dua!”

I had finally found a solution to funding my education, and it was literally staring right at me. Reading further, I learned that A Continuous Charity is an Islamic organization that provides interest-free loans for higher education. I was shocked by their model’s ingenuity: When students repay their loan, ACC re-loans that same money to another student, ultimately establishing a sadaqa jarriya (continuous charity).

I moved away from my desk and fell into sujood. Upon rising, I let out a sigh of relief: “Alhamdulillah for this newfound hope.”

A CONTINUOUS CHARITY ACC offers a solution to this very real and pressing dilemma that students such as Ibrahim face. A national Islamic organization that offers interest-free loans to students for higher-level education, it not only helps students pay for school, but also helps them refinance their loans.

Naim, a recent Rochester Institute of Technology graduate and an ACC recipient, currently works as a full-time UX designer. After graduation, he found himself approximately $24,000 in debt. His loan provider explained how the accumulating interest would ultimately require him to pay back almost double the principal amount. Upon discovering ACC, he seized the opportunity and applied for loan refinancing. ACC’s decision to accept his application allowed him to break free from the shackles of interest.

ACC wants to help even more students like Naim who are struggling with the difficulties of funding their education and repaying their loans. Donors not only give hope to others, but also ultimately craft an indelible legacy for themselves. ih

Mona Adhami, Programs Specialist at A Continuous Charity, published her first book “Sinjab and Sasha: Love in Chirring Woods” in 2019.