Our Student of the Month for August 2024 has an inspiring story that reflects the joy of discovery, faith, and learning the deen. Let’s delve into her background, experiences, and aspirations.
Pamela Stanford is a fourth-generation Canadian who has lived in southwest Ontario her entire life. Coming from a relaxed, mixed Christian faith family, she is now a proud Muslim mother and grandmother, Alhamdulilah. Her professional journey began in the social services field, where she spent years helping people with mental health challenges find meaningful employment. Currently, she works for a non-profit organization that serves older adults with physical health needs and dementia.
While she dreams of getting more involved in dawah work in the future, she currently finds joy in making one-on-one connections within her community.
Her journey with Ribaat Academic Institute began in the spring of this year, 2024, when she took her first two classes. Despite feeling a bit intimidated about returning to student life, Pamela quickly found herself hooked by the subjects, content, and teaching format. The combination of live classes, the ability to listen to recordings later, and the availability of both regular and short courses made the transition smooth and enjoyable for her.
She appreciates the structured learning environment that Ribaat offers, which has allowed her to shift from spending countless hours on YouTube to focusing deeply on a few subjects at a time. The knowledgeable Anisaat (teachers) and carefully curated reference materials have provided her with a rich and fulfilling educational experience.
Discovering Ribaat
Her introduction to Ribaat came through a fellow student at her local masjid who she attended a Foundations of Islam course alongside. This student spoke highly of Anse Tamara, her books, and Ribaat. Initially, Pamela was searching for resources to help her son, a child of a revert, learn more about Islam. She enrolled him in the Dragonflies course, but soon found herself attending the classes more for her own benefit than to just support her son. This led her to explore the offerings for women, and she has been deeply engaged ever since.
So far, Pamela has taken courses such as Fast & Friendly Fiqh, Training Tongue, Purifying the Heart, and short courses like Surah Yasīn Tafsīr and Reflections from the Quran. Each class has fueled her desire to learn more, which is why she also enrolled in all four of Ribaat’s Knowledge Retreat courses!
Pamela beautifully says, “I was not able to go anywhere for vacation this summer but I saw this as an opportunity to go on vacation with my mind and soul for one weekend and am thoroughly enjoying every class, Alhamdulilah.”
Among the many influential Anisaat, Anse Farhana stands out the most to Pamela. Having taken three courses with her, including the Dragonflies course she attended with her son, she appreciates Anse Farhana’s ability to bring everything back to Allah in a relatable and impactful way.
Ribaat’s Impact on Her Life
Though she has only just begun her studies, she already feels a significant elevation in her dua. She says, “Though I just started, I feel my dua game has been elevated so much, just listening to how the Anisaat make dua and what to even ask Allah for! I’m inadvertently learning about other things outside the content of each course while attending the classes, subhan’Allah.”
Initially, her goal was to learn more about specific subjects, but as she continues to explore Ribaat’s offerings, her desire to learn has only grown. Although she couldn’t attend the Knowledge Retreat in person this year, she plans to do so the next time it is offered, insha’Allah. Her ultimate prayer is to continue studying with Ribaat for as long as possible. If a degree option ever becomes available, she hopes to pursue it. Having never found her academic calling in university, she now feels a deep passion for Islamic Studies and hopes to continue her education in this field.
More importantly, Pamela says, “As I continue to learn and thus understand more about Islam each term I can see great changes in myself, my character and the relationships with those closest to me, subhan’Allah.”
Reading about Pamela’s positive experience has certainly inspired us. Her fear is the fear of all of us–that she has taken all the courses she can at Ribaat! Pamela prays that Allah allows Rabata to continue to grow and expand its offerings to women each year and to that, we say a resounding AMEEN!
