39th IIUM Convocation: œStay strong my people, Palestine will be free, says graduate, Elkahlout Abdallah

By Sarah Jamil

GOMBAK, 28 November 2023: “Stay strong, my people. Palestine will be free, and all Muslims will pray in Al-Aqsa again. Your resilience is an inspiration,” advised Palestinian IIUM graduate, Elkahlout Abdallah B.M. to the people of Palestine, in an interview with IIUM Today.

Elkahlout Abdallah completed his Bachelor’s degree majoring in Civil Engineering with honours at the Kulliyyah of Engineering. He received his scroll for his degree in the fourth session of the 39th IIUM Convocation Ceremony on Monday morning (27 November 2023) at IIUM Gombak.

Elkahlout expressed that many Palestinians studying abroad have the same vision one day of using their knowledge and skills to help their country that is in its current tragic situation.

œI believe many of us will become good leaders capable of supporting Palestine and other Muslim countries wherever we go, he stated.

The graduation brings joy to him as this means that there are more educated individuals who would one day play a vital role in helping Muslim countries.

œI wish this graduation happened when Palestine is in a better situation, but alhamdulilah I always believe Allah’s plan is always better than our plans. I hope we can use our degrees to help Palestine and the Muslim ummah to go back to what it used to be, said Elkahlout.

In the midst of his enjoyment, he expressed that there were also difficulties as a Palestinian student while he was studying in IIUM. 

He was homesick as living far away from his parents and experiencing stress while studying were never easy for Elkahlout. He would usually stay up late doing Math and Physics problems since his basics in the two subjects were weak. There was also his financial situation, œMy parents were the ones sponsoring me during my study period, so I really wanted to graduate fast and go back to help them.

Every time he faced difficulties, he would recite this dua to Allah, “لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا Ûš,” that is translated as, “Allāh does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity,” (Surah Al Baqarah, Chapter 2: Verse 286, of the Holy Quran).

œThe dua means a lot to me, signifying that Allah won’t make me face what I can’t overcome. So, whenever I face a hard time, I always believe that I can do it, and this really pushed me to try harder and harder, he said.

His was motivated by his international friends during his study because of the comparable experiences they were facing. For him, œ…they shared the same challenges as me and we were always there to help each other during our time in the IIUM. Ive learned a lot over time.”***