We sit down with BA (Hons) Islamic Studies student Noor Khadim (Class of 2027), who shares his deeply personal journey to Islam and his experiences at Cambridge Muslim College. From his early exposure to a mix of cultures to his discovery of the Adhan during his Arabic Abroad year in Istanbul, Noor offers insight into how his studies and spiritual growth are shaping his future ambitions.
Q.1: As a revert to Islam, how did your interest in Islam begin to develop?
A: I grew up in a mixed heritage family, with half being Bangladeshi Muslim and the other half being English non-Muslim. I had been raised as a vague monotheist with only an identity-crisis-fuelled conception of the particulars of Islam. Nevertheless, this faint Islamic colouring took me further than I could have imagined and, as it happened, God facilitated my submission to His Way through good company at school and a tumultuous teenage journey which left me seeking refuge in Him. I chose to embrace (or confirm?) my Islam at 15, having practiced for two years, and, before I knew it, a spark for seeking Islamic knowledge had been lit.
Q.2: As someone who regularly performs the Adhan at CMC, how were you introduced to the art of the Adhan?
A: Whilst in Istanbul for the CMC Arabic Abroad year, I would explore the incredible mosques of Istanbul in search of beautiful recitations of the Qur’an and the adhan. I happened to chance upon a particular imam whose voice I fell in love with and soon he became my adhan teacher. Thereafter, I studied with many teachers across the city, learning the maqamat system, and hope to help transmit the knowledge of the rich Turkish adhan tradition to the UK.
Q.3: Tell us about your experience at CMC: In what way(s) have your studies at CMC informed your pursuits?
A: I have found many opportunities to flourish at CMC, namely in speaking to the researchers and lecturers about where their interests intersect with my own. I’m also welcoming the breaking down of misconceptions I had about the history of each Islamic intellectual discipline prior to starting here.
Q.4: How do you hope to apply in the future what you have been taught at CMC?
A: I hope to be able to use my grounding in the Islamic sciences to engage in further study and eventually utilise the holistic view of society offered here to contribute to the field of Islamic humanitarian business and finance initiatives, aiming to empower those in cycles of reliance upon charity and insidious loans through tradition-informed responses.
Q.5: What, or who, is your greatest source of inspiration, and why?
A: My in-laws, who are refugees from war-torn Syria and continue to live in harsh poverty, are the inspiration for much of the work and study which I intend to undertake. Their experience and unbroken spirit informs much of the application of the knowledge which I am gaining at CMC from my teachers, from whom my inspiration is also drawn.