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Of Candles and Distinction

Sleepless nights, Candles lit,
Pressures rose,
All for the academic feat,

Thoughts reshaped,
An Uprising within,
A mountain stood,
Almost insurmountable,
His aim was to "mount A in all courses",
Same for her, it was to bag distinctions,

Every page turned, a footstep,
Every concept grasped, a climb,
Virtus Aeterna,
A peak of excellence.

It wasn't always easy,
The hunger was tough and intense,
Yet, the drive remain focused and not manoeuvred,
Steady and Unmoved.

Now, you have done it,
and it is your moment to be celebrated,
Celebrated because you have earned it,
A declaration that you are winners,
Winners because you have become models of excellence.

Oh! Ye Greatest Muslims,
Reflect deeply,
Excellence is an Amanah for you.
Follow the path of your pious predecessors,
Worship Allah alone,
For your success only comes from Him.
Do not be among the extremists,
Continue to seek knowledge, both Islamic and Western,
It is a permissible right,
An opulent one it is,

Oh! Ye Greatest Muslims,
This is not aluta continua,
Both with Allah SWT and your efforts,
Victory is ascertained.


• Nazeem Ahmed, a first-class graduate of Anthropology (BSc), University of Ibadan, is the immediate past General Secretary of the Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria, University of Ibadan (MSSNUI).