By the time the morning ignites over Shabir Ahmed’s village, he has already finished the first part of his day. He has taken a bath, offered salah, read for a while, and put on his clothes for madrassa, where, Shabir takes his place among the other students and opens the Quran. He listens as his teachers read and explain each chapter. Sometimes, he watches them more closely than the other children, not just to understand the lesson, but to see how they teach.“I want to become a teacher and a molvi,” is what Shabir says about the future.
The Class 5 student and the Nazara student of chapter 9, Shabir, is balancing both his school curriculum and madrassa studies. A year ago, however, even getting to the madrassa became difficult.A landslide struck his village in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, damaging homes, blocking roads, and leaving families struggling to get back to their everyday lives. However, this also brought another grim for Shabir; one of the things that was pushed aside was his education at the madrassa. A wave of destruction engulfed him, and the future seemed dark, but soon a wave of construction and relief was fanned too. Paths that children once walked without thinking became unsafe or difficult to cross. Families had to focus on repairing damaged homes, finding safe routes, and managing the uncertainty that followed the disaster. Meantime, for children like Shabir, the interruption was not limited to a few missed lessons.
It meant losing the life of waking up, preparing for class, and meeting teachers and friends.At first, Shabir did not know when he would be able to return. Each day brought a new concern. The road remained damaged, and the journey to the madrassa was no longer as simple as it had been before. He yearned for the verses he had studied and the way his teachers explained them. He longed for the feeling of sitting among the other students, following along as they recited.
A wave of destruction engulfed him, and the future seemed dark, but soon a wave of construction and relief was fanned through the Shaagird Foundation. It enrolled Shabir at madrassa again, covering all his expenses alongside taking responsibility for his school education. When the opportunity to return finally came, Shabir was ready. He went back with the same determination he had shown before the landslide. Shabir moves between his regular school and the madrassa with a clear sense of purpose. He knows that becoming a teacher and a model will require years of study. Each morning that he prepares for class, he is ushering towards his dreams.
