Karachi:Ordinarily, Bilal Ahmed, 17, sports a goatee, keeps his hair on the front spiked with gel, and wears trousers that hinges on his hipbone. But for the past few days he has been acting different. He has grown stubble, and is mostly found in a skull cap. “Since Ramazan began, I am trying to pray five times with the congregation, and I even offered my Taraveeh a couple of times.”
But his mother, a house wife, seems unimpressed and finds it amusing. She takes her son’s out of the blue faith fervour with a pinch of salt, and believes that she knows the story behind Bilal’s sudden religiosity.
“Results in a few days!” she says with a smirk. Bilal is an ‘O’ level student at a private school. In May/June exam session this year, he appeared in six subjects — his first grand attempt at the International Cambridge Examinations board. And the result is expected by the mid of August.
“Your ‘O’ level grades are the outcome of your whole school life — at least this is how I see it. And luckily, this year the results are coming out in Ramazan, so I am just praying that everything goes well.”
Several thousand students appear in O/A levels exams biannually across the country. The exams are conducted by the British Council and recognised internationally.
The announcement of results to be made in Ramazan this year has driven many students like Bilal on the spiritual course to “make the most from the blessed month” as Tanvir, an ‘A’ Level, put it.
“In Ramazan you go religious anyway. I mean if there is some fire left in you, you do. So, it is just that. I am asking for a better result than I expect- and it has happened with me before and I want it again. Prayers work for me.”
Students are planning various religious sacraments for better grades this year. One ‘A’ level student, who wished not to be named, vowed to participate in Ehtikaaf “if things turn out to be well”. A female student whose ‘O’ level exams “went awesome” also could not stop herself from pushing her younger brother from taking a plateful of Iftar to their apartment complex mosque ever since Ramazan started.
“Well, we do it every year, but to be honest, this time I am making sure that it happens. Maybe because of the results, I don’t know,” she relents with a grin.
Two of Bilal’s papers didn’t go well. He knows he’ll have a close call on them.
“I have never been a great student in my life. And honestly I didn’t care. But this time it’s different. As I said, your ‘O’ Level sums up everything so I am a bit worried.” Despite the knowledge that his son’s abrupt religiosity is highly likely to be short-lived, Bilal’s mother is happy to see his boy on the course.
“I know it won’t last long, but at least he is regularly praying on this holy month. Whatever his motives are, at any rate, he is going in the right direction,” she said.The news.
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