What I learned, Improvement, Wish

What I Learned

My favourite thing about Usrah is how it helps me ground myself with Islamic knowledge. Being a BENL student, it's not often we discuss Islamic terms and teachings which also means our knowledge on Quran and sunnah is a little rustic. Being "forced" to relearn the basics and revisit some of the verses and hadith that I used to memorize is a welcomed feeling. I especially appreciate the videos our Naqibah shared because, to be honest, I wouldn't have watched those videos by myself. 

All that said, the biggest thing I learned from Usrah is how important it is to revisit even the basics of Islam even if we think we still remember them from school. Firstly because a refresher might be needed and secondly, we can see them in a more mature and critical way now that we are adults. Because of this, we don't actually relearn the exact same thing. We are learning new things because of the fresh perspectives that we now have. 

Improvement

I think a more clear and organized class arrangement will be a nice improvement. For example, having a single google meet link for the classes can be helpful so we don't have to wait for the link every week. Other than that, having a clear course outline and assessment plan is also helpful. I understand sometimes we don't stick 100% to the outline given by the university, so a newly curated outline specific to the class would be nice. The same thing for assessment, especially the dates of submissions because some of us prefer to plan ahead of time and the lack of a clear schedule can be stressful. I think that's all.

Wish

I wish for nothing else but for future Usrah to be conducted in face-to-face sessions but this is obviously not possible in the time being. Technical difficulties on both ends take away so much from the class, making it a lot less effective every time. It's also harder to focus and it's a shame because as I've mentioned, I think Usrah sessions are rather enjoyable.

Goodbye

After all is said and all is done, I still want to thank our naqibah Sister Anis Syazwani for this semester's Usrah. I did learn a lot in spite of all the hurdles and may we meet again one day! Assalamualaikum.

- Nik Fateen.