Assalamu alaikum. My name is Megan Faris. I am the mother of Mohammad, Wafa, and Suleiman. Mohammad is my oldest at 7 years old, and was born here in Pittsburgh. But up until it was time to look for preschools, I had no idea UAP even existed. I researched every option, as first-time mothers tend to do. Friends in the community suggested Montessori, Kinder-Care, and church Preschools with great enthusiasm. But nothing seemed right. Finally one day I attended a ladies halaqa, and a sister said unblinkingly, "You should send him to the Islamic School". Initially I was surprised and relieved to hear there even was an Islamic school. But part of me was skeptical. Why hadn't other members of the community suggested it? Why weren't my friends sending their children there? But I looked into it, and was invited to tour the school on a Friday. I arrived as a guest speaker was delivering a Friday khutbah that had been perfectly tailored for the child congregation. The children were engaged, attentive, and eager to hear the message.
When it was time to pray, I was completely in awe as I watched the children of varied ages line up with intention to stand and worship together. When they finished their salat, they did not run off to class as I had imagined they would. They sat together, made dua and dhikr, recited Ayat Al-Kursi, and unknowingly, that day, they changed my life forever. I realized this was the only school for us, the only school I could conceive sending my children to. This is now Mohammad's fourth year at UAP, and I am more convinced than ever that we made the right choice, alhamdulillah.
I write this letter to thank you, the administration, teachers, and staff, as well as all of you who so generously support the school for making UAP what it is today, for this gift, this precious hidden gem you have given to our community. I know many of you have been strong supporters of the school from the very beginning, before there was even a school to speak of. Thank you! Thank you for this safe, nurturing, loving environment I am blessed to send my children into every day.
You know, when I was pregnant, people would ask what I planned to name my first son. I replied, inshallah he will be named Mohammad, after our prophet (saw) and after my husband's father, Allah yerhamuh. And often I would hear, "Are you sure? It will be difficult for him in these times. Maybe you should choose something that will make it easier to blend in. Adam is a good name!" Adam is a good name, I would reply, but my son will be named Mohammad and with Allah's help, inshallah he will be strong enough to carry such a name. I do not regret my decision, and my belief remains the same to this day. But a mother worries.
Children on the news are shot or bullied or pushed to the verge of suicide and a mother worries. Politicians threaten and mock our identity, and a mother worries. And when I speak to children today in our community, I worry. Many of them are Muslim by culture only. They have no idea and don't care to learn about their father's religion, and some speak of it as if it's this annoying thing they would be better off without. Children of friends have admitted to me that they conceal their Muslim identity in their public schools, partly to fit in better with the crowd and partly to avoid clashing with teachers they are convinced would discriminate against them. And they aren't alone. 21% of Muslim American youth say that they feel out of place in the world because of their religious identity, according to the Yaqeen institute.
I am so very thankful that my children are able to thrive and learn in a place where diversity is celebrated, where brotherhood and faith are the norm and not the exception, where high morals and good habits are modeled, allowing a strong foundation to be built so that when the time comes for them to go off into the cruel real world, they will enter it knowing exactly who they are and having the confidence and knowledge to carry it with dignity.
I have made it my mission over the past few years to solve this mystery of how the region's only Islamic school, and I'm talking the only Islamic school in Western PA, which is fortunate and blessed to have outstanding administrative leadership, excellent teachers, challenging curriculum, and diverse course offerings, could still be struggling to increase enrollment. The answer, I've found, is complex. But ultimately it boils down to priorities and competition. As parents, we want to give our children everything. We want them to have it all. And we are being brainwashed into believing that what our children need to succeed in life is top-notch mainstream instruction, practically from birth. And so families who can afford it choose to live in the areas with the best public schools, because that seems like the right thing to do.
And you see STEM preschools popping up and children are lined up for extra tutoring after a full day of honors classes, and you must make sure the kids get their exercise, so there's soccer twice a week and colleges love kids who play musical instruments so we need to squeeze violin lessons in there and then, uh oh! We forgot something. Oh yes, we are Muslim. So perfect! Sunday school it is! Do you see how society has warped our priorities? Please make no mistake, Sunday school at the masjid can be a great tool to reinforce values and skills, but it is simply not enough to prepare and educate our youth, and certainly is no replacement for true Islamic education.
Allah knows I share this with the pure intention of showcasing the virtues of UAP and not to be boastful in any way. But my oldest son, may Allah make him and all of our children among the righteous, at almost 7 years old, and after nearly four years at UAP, in addition to excelling in his core subjects, has memorized Juz Amma, Ayat Al Kursi, and much of Surat Al Kahf, has a strong grasp of what his religion is and what it means to be Muslim, is able to read, write, and speak in Arabic, and most importantly is proud, confident, and sincere in his love for his Lord and his religion. And I learn from him every day, masha'Allah.
Recently he was watching me pray Dhuhr, which he had already done at school, and when I finished he looked at me and said, "Mama, I'm worried your prayer won't be accepted, because you did it too fast." And you know what? He was right.
Instead of "wheels on the bus" or "twinkle twinkle little star", my car rides are filled with the beautiful nasheeds he and his sister bring home from school. And believe it or not, sometimes when I think he is up in his room playing, I hear him
making dua. And this past Ramadan, it filled my heart when we were at the masjid and I came down after Salat Al-Isha expecting to find him running out to play with his friends and to take him to the babysitting room, when I peaked in the men's musalah and saw him and his classmate, also from first grade at UAP, standing together in Taraweeh prayer. They prayed the entire 8 rakat and sat intently during the Khateeb's lesson afterward. And all I could do is say, "Alhamdulillah for UAP!"
Too often, faith is something we as parents take for granted. We think that our belief will automatically transfer to our children as a natural course and forget the importance of knowledge in the equation. Without knowledge, there is no true faith, which perhaps is why seeking knowledge is a recurring theme in our Holy Quran, subhanAllah.
Alhamdulillah, I have been Muslim now for almost 13 years. People often ask me how it happened, what's my story. And my answer is simple: I learned. I studied and gained knowledge and asked the right questions from the right people and once that knowledge was gained, there was no possible way for me to deny that Islam is the true religion. So maybe being a convert/revert makes it easier for me to reject the set of priorities society dictates when it comes to raising my children. Because it's quite clear to me that there is no success in this life or in the next without a complete Islamic Education. I pray that more parents will come to realize this, and that someday soon UAP will be the sought-after, self-sufficient,
high-in-demand, ever-expanding institution it should be. As a community, let us please vow not to rest until it is, because we owe that to the youngest of our ummah. Our children, our future depend on it.
At this point, the possibilities for the school are limited solely by the extent of support of our community. We have the leadership, the experience, the knowledge and structure to make UAP not just the best Islamic school in the region, but the best school in the world, period. Alhamdulillah and thanks to your support, the school has made great strides in recent years in improving school facilities. I truly believe if we could just continue that trend and also increase school resources by updating the school's computers, adding a library, completing our science lab, and increasing faculty in order to offer both gifted and remedial programs, parents will have neither excuse nor desire to send their children anywhere but to UAP.
So I thank you again for your continuing support, however you may show it. It’s a rare and exciting moment to have the chance to be a part of something so great, to be able to contribute something so meaningful, and to impact generations of children in your very own community for years to come, inshallah. This is an opportunity to reap the rewards of sadaqa jarriyya, or continuous charity. And I pray that Allah swt accepts from you and from me and blesses and protects you and your families, and makes our children among the righteous. Ameen.
When it was time to pray, I was completely in awe as I watched the children of varied ages line up with intention to stand and worship together. When they finished their salat, they did not run off to class as I had imagined they would. They sat together, made dua and dhikr, recited Ayat Al-Kursi, and unknowingly, that day, they changed my life forever. I realized this was the only school for us, the only school I could conceive sending my children to. This is now Mohammad's fourth year at UAP, and I am more convinced than ever that we made the right choice, alhamdulillah.
I write this letter to thank you, the administration, teachers, and staff, as well as all of you who so generously support the school for making UAP what it is today, for this gift, this precious hidden gem you have given to our community. I know many of you have been strong supporters of the school from the very beginning, before there was even a school to speak of. Thank you! Thank you for this safe, nurturing, loving environment I am blessed to send my children into every day.
You know, when I was pregnant, people would ask what I planned to name my first son. I replied, inshallah he will be named Mohammad, after our prophet (saw) and after my husband's father, Allah yerhamuh. And often I would hear, "Are you sure? It will be difficult for him in these times. Maybe you should choose something that will make it easier to blend in. Adam is a good name!" Adam is a good name, I would reply, but my son will be named Mohammad and with Allah's help, inshallah he will be strong enough to carry such a name. I do not regret my decision, and my belief remains the same to this day. But a mother worries.
Children on the news are shot or bullied or pushed to the verge of suicide and a mother worries. Politicians threaten and mock our identity, and a mother worries. And when I speak to children today in our community, I worry. Many of them are Muslim by culture only. They have no idea and don't care to learn about their father's religion, and some speak of it as if it's this annoying thing they would be better off without. Children of friends have admitted to me that they conceal their Muslim identity in their public schools, partly to fit in better with the crowd and partly to avoid clashing with teachers they are convinced would discriminate against them. And they aren't alone. 21% of Muslim American youth say that they feel out of place in the world because of their religious identity, according to the Yaqeen institute.
I am so very thankful that my children are able to thrive and learn in a place where diversity is celebrated, where brotherhood and faith are the norm and not the exception, where high morals and good habits are modeled, allowing a strong foundation to be built so that when the time comes for them to go off into the cruel real world, they will enter it knowing exactly who they are and having the confidence and knowledge to carry it with dignity.
I have made it my mission over the past few years to solve this mystery of how the region's only Islamic school, and I'm talking the only Islamic school in Western PA, which is fortunate and blessed to have outstanding administrative leadership, excellent teachers, challenging curriculum, and diverse course offerings, could still be struggling to increase enrollment. The answer, I've found, is complex. But ultimately it boils down to priorities and competition. As parents, we want to give our children everything. We want them to have it all. And we are being brainwashed into believing that what our children need to succeed in life is top-notch mainstream instruction, practically from birth. And so families who can afford it choose to live in the areas with the best public schools, because that seems like the right thing to do.
And you see STEM preschools popping up and children are lined up for extra tutoring after a full day of honors classes, and you must make sure the kids get their exercise, so there's soccer twice a week and colleges love kids who play musical instruments so we need to squeeze violin lessons in there and then, uh oh! We forgot something. Oh yes, we are Muslim. So perfect! Sunday school it is! Do you see how society has warped our priorities? Please make no mistake, Sunday school at the masjid can be a great tool to reinforce values and skills, but it is simply not enough to prepare and educate our youth, and certainly is no replacement for true Islamic education.
Allah knows I share this with the pure intention of showcasing the virtues of UAP and not to be boastful in any way. But my oldest son, may Allah make him and all of our children among the righteous, at almost 7 years old, and after nearly four years at UAP, in addition to excelling in his core subjects, has memorized Juz Amma, Ayat Al Kursi, and much of Surat Al Kahf, has a strong grasp of what his religion is and what it means to be Muslim, is able to read, write, and speak in Arabic, and most importantly is proud, confident, and sincere in his love for his Lord and his religion. And I learn from him every day, masha'Allah.
Recently he was watching me pray Dhuhr, which he had already done at school, and when I finished he looked at me and said, "Mama, I'm worried your prayer won't be accepted, because you did it too fast." And you know what? He was right.
Instead of "wheels on the bus" or "twinkle twinkle little star", my car rides are filled with the beautiful nasheeds he and his sister bring home from school. And believe it or not, sometimes when I think he is up in his room playing, I hear him
making dua. And this past Ramadan, it filled my heart when we were at the masjid and I came down after Salat Al-Isha expecting to find him running out to play with his friends and to take him to the babysitting room, when I peaked in the men's musalah and saw him and his classmate, also from first grade at UAP, standing together in Taraweeh prayer. They prayed the entire 8 rakat and sat intently during the Khateeb's lesson afterward. And all I could do is say, "Alhamdulillah for UAP!"
Too often, faith is something we as parents take for granted. We think that our belief will automatically transfer to our children as a natural course and forget the importance of knowledge in the equation. Without knowledge, there is no true faith, which perhaps is why seeking knowledge is a recurring theme in our Holy Quran, subhanAllah.
Alhamdulillah, I have been Muslim now for almost 13 years. People often ask me how it happened, what's my story. And my answer is simple: I learned. I studied and gained knowledge and asked the right questions from the right people and once that knowledge was gained, there was no possible way for me to deny that Islam is the true religion. So maybe being a convert/revert makes it easier for me to reject the set of priorities society dictates when it comes to raising my children. Because it's quite clear to me that there is no success in this life or in the next without a complete Islamic Education. I pray that more parents will come to realize this, and that someday soon UAP will be the sought-after, self-sufficient,
high-in-demand, ever-expanding institution it should be. As a community, let us please vow not to rest until it is, because we owe that to the youngest of our ummah. Our children, our future depend on it.
At this point, the possibilities for the school are limited solely by the extent of support of our community. We have the leadership, the experience, the knowledge and structure to make UAP not just the best Islamic school in the region, but the best school in the world, period. Alhamdulillah and thanks to your support, the school has made great strides in recent years in improving school facilities. I truly believe if we could just continue that trend and also increase school resources by updating the school's computers, adding a library, completing our science lab, and increasing faculty in order to offer both gifted and remedial programs, parents will have neither excuse nor desire to send their children anywhere but to UAP.
So I thank you again for your continuing support, however you may show it. It’s a rare and exciting moment to have the chance to be a part of something so great, to be able to contribute something so meaningful, and to impact generations of children in your very own community for years to come, inshallah. This is an opportunity to reap the rewards of sadaqa jarriyya, or continuous charity. And I pray that Allah swt accepts from you and from me and blesses and protects you and your families, and makes our children among the righteous. Ameen.
We are SocialEmail: admin@uapschool.org
Phone: 412-241-2124 Fax: 412-241-2123 Email the Board of Directors: [email protected] |
Contact Us |
Our LocationUniversal Academy of Pittsburgh
2103 Hampton Street Pittsburgh PA 15218 |