An HIS 2018 Reflection

Hello, my name is Farhan Javed. I wanted to share with you my experiences as a current Harvard College student and why the Harvard Muslim Life Fund matters to me.

As a current Muslim sophomore at the college, the Harvard Islamic Society has had a profound impact on my college life. It has been instrumental in shaping who my close friends are, and introduced me to people with different backgrounds, interests, socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, and sects. My favorite part of HIS has been the opportunities I have had to study various aspects of Islam under brilliant graduate students on topics ranging from Maliki Fiqh to Quranic Tafsir to analyzing Islam within the Western Secular framework. I am glad to find space at Harvard to learn such gems.

I am also glad to welcome Chaplain Taymullah to campus. Since day one, Taymullah has radiated a sense of positivity, inspiration, and openness. Upon his arrival, one could immediately feel how at ease he felt mingling and engaging with all us, regardless of our degree of involvement in HIS. Especially profound have been his Khutbas at Jummah prayers in Lowell Lecture Hall, where over one hundred students, faculty, staff, and community members come to assemble. Taymullah has weekly office hours for members of the community who want to talk to him for whatever reason, no matter how personal. He also gives weekly Friday night halaqas that always have strong turnouts, and in general he is consistently making rounds to the Musallah and maintaining a presence within the community for those who need him. I honestly have never personally met a more inspiring and eloquent individual than he.

I hope with continued support from alumni, we will be able to continue integrating the chaplain within the community so that all can benefit from his wisdom and inspiration. A sincere and positive impact is being made on the lives of Muslims at Harvard through our new chaplain and sustained support from former students. I pray we can continue to build on this momentum as we further expand on the opportunities that this new change brings, and inshAllah work towards a more open, more sincere, and more life-changing Islamic community at Harvard.

Warm wishes from Currier House,

Farhan