#BlackMuslimHistory: Unveiling the Legacy: A Journey with Omm Rafiq

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Unveiling the Legacy: A Journey with Omm Rafiq

This article marks a culmination of over two decades of anticipation, a testament to the enduring impact of a remarkable individual on my spiritual journey. Each encounter, conversation, or perusal of her writings reignites the devotion within me, reinforcing my connection to Allah. In years past, I eagerly participated in her halaqat soaking in her wisdom and insights with fervor. Although those opportunities have become scarce, her teachings, advice, and counsel remain etched in my memory, her words resonating through the corridors of time.

My introduction to Omm Rafiq occurred during my formative years, a period of boundless freedom where writing and exploration were my companions. Yet, it was during beautiful stint in Khartoum, North Sudan, that forged our connection. There, amidst the tranquil embrace of the Nile River, she too embarked on her journey of Islamic study alongside her family.

The swift passage of time saw us separated by geography, with Omm Rafiq in Makkah and myself in Salmiya, our bond sustained by mutual acquaintances, shared travels, and stories. Approaching her with a mix of apprehension and reverence, I extended an invitation to delve into her life's narrative—a proposition that diverged from her understated existence. Known for her humility and quiet determination, Omm Rafiq had cultivated a legacy that transcended borders, quietly inspiring generations of women across Sudan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the U.K. and the United States.

In the face of my audacious request, Omm Rafiq displayed characteristic grace, her acceptance devoid of hesitation. It was as if the Allah hand had guided our paths once more, affirming the significance of our shared endeavor. With humility and reverence, I present to you my interview with:

Omm Rafiq ~ The first Black American Female Graduate of Umm AlQura University

Makkah, Saudi Arabia

As a Muslimah writer, I know that it is important to document modern Muslim history, Black Muslim history, and to show representations of Muslim Americans, especially, to the next generation, bi'ithnillah. Can you answer the following questions:

Umm Juwayriyah:  Tell me about your background? Were you born Muslim or did you revert to Islam? 

Omm Rafiq: I am originally from California. I embraced Islam in 1972 after a series of what seemed "accidental" or "incidental" events that eventually lead me (and my husband) to the guidance of Allah. I had been raised Catholic (and my husband was raised Baptist). We met some Muslims in Boston, Massachusetts where my husband was in college. We embraced Islam in Boston and then returned to California. We went there for him to get a master's degree, but left as Muslims, on a new path. Alhamdulilah.

Umm Juwayriyah: How did you end up studying in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? 

Omm Rafiq: When we first became Muslim in 1972 all we wanted to do was study Islam. There were precious few books in English available (in the United States), so we applied to the Islamic University of Madina. My husband received a response with one ticket to study. By that time our oldest daughter was born (so we didn't go). A few years later my husband met the Dean of the Islamic University of Omdurman (in Sudan) at a conference in the States. He invited my husband to study at the university with a scholarship. We sold all of our belongings and traveled to Sudan for a year. Things didn't work out as we had planned (the dollar was half its value, and the scholarship was about 25 pounds a month. It was equivalent to roughly $50 a month. ) Unfortunately, it didn't cover the cost of living.  My husband traveled that year to Jeddah and applied to King Abdul Aziz University where he was hired.  We left Sudan and have been here in K.S.A ever since.  We lived in Jeddah for the first year and a half. Because we wanted to study Islam, we put in a transfer to Makkah.

Umm Juwayriyah: Can you explain your studies? What did it entail?

Omm Rafiq: In order to enter Umm AlQura University in Makkah, one has to first learn Arabic. So the first step was to study in the University's Institute of Arabic Language (non-Native speakers). At that time, it was a three-year course. Now it has been lessened to two years. After the completion of the Mahad, then one was able to enter the University. I choose to study Aqeedah - Islamic belief (my husband studied Fiqh and its origins). It took us four years to complete our Bachelors' degrees. However, I had my 6th child while I was studying, so it took me a little longer than my husband as I didn't take a full load of classes for two semesters after I gave birth to my son. For each level of study, every student had to take a course in Qur'an as well. In other words, it was required to memorize a juz (1 part of 30 parts of  the Qur'an) each year. 

Umm Juwayriyah: Were you the only Black American in your courses? 

Omm Rafiq: At that time, there were no other Black Americans in my courses. But several Black Americans were in the Mahad (Arabic Institute for non-native speakers) while I was in the University. There were also a few Black Americans there before me studying but circumstances did not allow them to finish, Qadr Allah, Mashaa f'aal.  But Alhamduleelah, after I graduated, I knew of about three other African Americans studying there along with their husbands. 

Umm Juwayriyah:  We hear so much negativity about the Mumlaka (kingdom) - in the news and media and from modernists. For those who have never been to Saudi or had the opportunity to take a class there, how were Taalibatul 'Ilm (female students of Islamic knowledge) treated in Saudi Arabia?

Omm Rafiq: The women were treated like other students - I mean the foreign students were treated the same! Most people (Saudis) had a great respect for those of who chose to study Islam. And the students held their professors in high regard. Those students who were just studying and not working as well - their path was bit difficult as the stipend from the university was not enough to support a comfortable life. Those students had to seek funds elsewhere and some had to even send their families back home. My husband taught at the University in the English, so his salary was enough to support us (and study).

Umm Juwayriyah: What sort of challenges did being a wife and mother (to many) add to your studies? 

Omm Rafiq: If I could have, I would have devoted all my time to my studies. But I had six children. Our day was something like this: get up at Fajr (before sunrise), pray and then get everyone ready. School began very early here because of the heat. A typical school day was from 6:45 am until 12 noon. By then the day was really heating up and by 2:00 pm it was extremely hot. That was the time everyone was home until Asr (midday prayer). Everyday my husband would drive the kids to school, then drive across town to drop me off at the women's campus, and finally he would have to drive back across town to go to work. At the end of the day, it was the reverse for my husband. He would pick up the children, pick me up, and then we'd all go home. It was exhausting - cook lunch, short naps, and then the children's homework. All of this left little time for my (own) studies. Once I was complaining about this (exhaustion) and my husband quickly cleared my thinking. He advised me: "If you study hard and get all A's, but your children do poorly in school, then you have failed. If you help your children and do your studies and you receive C's and they succeed, then you have succeeded as well." Khalas! I continued to try my best to work everything in. Some nights, I just wasn't able to give my all to my studies. Alhamdulilah! 

Umm Juwayriyah: What was your most memorable experience from your studies? 

Omm Rafiq: There were many, but I think this one was significant: At this time TV stations would come on with recitations from the Qur'an and they would close with the Qur'an. One night I was studying late while everyone was asleep. Shaykh Ali Jaber (may Allah have mercy on him) recited an aya or two from Surah al Baqarah. He recited very slowly and distinctly:

قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى :كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ {28

I felt a shudder as I understood every _ single word and thus the seriousness of the aya (verse)! It was then that I realized that I was (actually) absorbing and learning. Sometimes, I had thought, I would never get it (Arabic). I had begun studying at the Mahad the age of 35! That isn't the ideal age to take on a new language. The Arabic language is complicated and I (sometimes) further complicated it by thinking I had to replace every word I knew in English with an Arabic word.... impossible. Allah showed me I could it -- I was doing it!

Umm Juwayriyah: Did you know when you started studying that you were among the first Western Muslim women to join Umm AlQura and graduate?

Omm Rafiq: No, that wasn't something that I thought about. As I mentioned earlier, there were other sisters there in different programs from Canada, the US, and Germany. I was (just) there for knowledge, not recognition. 

Umm Juwayriyah: What degree do you hold?

Omm Rafiq: I hold a BA in Aqeedah from Umm AlQura University in Makkah

Umm Juwayriyah: What year did you graduate? 

Omm Rafiq: 1992

Umm Juwayriyah: Subhan'Allah, I was just starting middle school around that time. What advice do you have for your Muslim sisters back in the West - especially the youth?

Omm Rafiq: Strive to be best possible Muslimah you can be. Don't make comprises. Comprises start small and then they become bigger and more frequent.  Choose good companions who remind you of Allah and are not all about the dunya! Always ask Allah for help and to keep you on the straight path sincerely. 

Deen Clips: Imam Azza

Written by Omm Rafiq

It's early in the morning; Fajr was about an hour ago. School is on the Ramadhan schedule (about 10 am til 3pm) so the house is quiet while everyone is taking naps. The weather is cool for here but not yet cold. The windows are open, and I can hear an occasional bird chirping. While reading Qur'an and working on memorizing a surah, it made me think. It takes me back to our first arrival in this country. This is a continuation of a Deen clip from my experiences as a Muslim. Often, we become affected by a person, some little thing they did or said. I want to tell you about my neighbor in Jeddah, a mother of six when I first met her who planted a seed and then kept tending it and watching it grow. She was just Azza then, but now they call her "Imam Azza".

We moved to the new apartment building after being in Jeddah for six months. My children were aged 7, 5, and 3 and were all going to school. My housekeeping routine was easy. I found myself with extra time. I wanted to study Qur'an. My husband had been going to a local masjid for several months. One day he came home and told me that one of the brothers said his wife held classes at her home. The lived in the building right next to ours! I didn't know this woman. I had never seen her, so I was a bit nervous to go to her home for the first time. 

She opened the door, welcomed me, and brought me to her guest room. She was from Egypt and a Qur'an teacher in one of the public schools in Jeddah. She was also eight months pregnant. Twice a week on Sundays and Thursdays she had women and girls come to her house to study Qur'an with her. Her home was a small three-room apartment. In the first room, the sisters were studying Juz' Tabarak, in the second room the women were studying surah Al Baqarah. In the third room, the women were study another juz, but the name escapes me now. Her place was small but was filled with women and girls learning. Imam Azza had another one other teacher come into the lessons and help while she circulated the rooms teaching. I was put in the first room with the sisters working on Juz Tabarak. The students were working on surah Haaqah. Imam Azza opened her mouth and began her recitation. It was so beautiful, clear, and it had a nice rhythm to it. I sat as if in a trance listening to the beautiful sounds flowing from out of her throat. Then the students repeated after her. I repeated with them. I think they were assigned the first page of the surah to memorize by the next class. When maghrib came, all the women gathered in the guest room and Imam Azza provided all of us with long flowing salat veils to wear. After we prayed, Imam Azza served everyone a glass of mango juice. I remember that pointedly because there were so many of us there and yet, she had not just taken time out of her day to teach us, but to serve us refreshments as well.

We all left after the refreshments were finished. I remember the exuberant feeling that engulfed me after having spending times with those sisters and Imam Azza. I continued to attend regularly her classes. It wasn't long before she had her baby. She only missed one lesson before she was back to teaching us. I had been amazed at her energy and dedication. It was then that I learned first that women could recite and touch the Qur'an while on their menses and with post-partum bleeding. Soon I finished memorizing surah Al Haaqah, but it had been very difficult for me. Imam Azza suggested I continued with Juz Amma as it was better suited for me until my Arabic and reading improved (and it did eventually). I began memorizing the last chapters of the last Juz of Qur'an. Then summer came.

I was pregnant then with my son Muhammad so we returned to the States. When I returned to Saudi Arabia, it was Ramadhan. I continued to study with Imam Azza until I gave birth. While I was in the hospital, the Naseef family (specifically Saddiqah Sharifuddeen) opened the first Qur'an school for women in Jeddah (and the first in the Kingdom). My neighbor and Qur'an teacher decided to no longer teach out of her home. She decided to join the Qur'an school for women with Khalah Saddiqah.

As soon as I was able, I signed up to join the women's Qur'an school. Imam Azza was no longer my teacher. I used to see her every time I went to school though, but it wasn't the same. A couple of months later, I finally completed juz Amma at the school, then my family moved to Makkah, Alhamdulilah. Azzah stayed in Jeddah and worked at the Qur'an school for many years. Then I heard that she had finally opened her own Qur'an school for girls. I was really happy for her. By that time, I was involved in my own studies at Umm AlQura, but I kept hearing about Azza. She had opened another school and then another, and yet another. Many of my friends put their children in those schools to learn Qur'an, just like I had done. Everyone loved the schools, teachers, and their leader -- Imam Azza!

In all, Imam Azza opened 16 Qur'an schools through out Jeddah - eight for girls and eight for boys! May Allah reward her and her family greatly. I always think back to her little apartment in Jeddah and her children scrambling around while women and girls recited Qur'an. I always admired how her husband and older sons would vacate their home for us twice a week for Muslim women and girls they didn't know to learn Qur'an.  

The last time I saw Imam Azza she had come to Makkah with some friends to offer condolences to me on the deaths of my two daughters who had died in an automobile accident. Imam Azza was the mother of 10 who had started 16 Qur'an schools.

Please make dua for her and her children. Please make dua for my two daughters who passed away. Allah have mercy on them.

 اللهم  أجعل خيرَ امرنا  أواخرها, و خيرَ عمالنا خواتمها, و خيرَ أيامنا يوم نلقك

Allahumma, aj'al khaira 'amrina awakhiriha, wa khaira 'amaalina

khawatimaha, wa khaira ayyamina yaum nalqaka.

O Allah, let our last days be the best days of our life and our last deeds be the best of our deeds, and let the best day, the day we meet you.

Omm Rafiq  

Makkah

3 Ramadhan 1419/ December 21, 1998