Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 129
Chapter 7: College Years and Beyond 129 working as an accountant or lawyer for such a business and think nothing of it, but Islam strongly condemns these evils and Ahmadi Muslims should not be associated with such businesses. It is a slippery slope. Examples may be investment properties, which are involved in lending and borrowing of interest, speculating stock trading, gambling, pork and liquor related businesses. Economic Issues Tuition costs are rising at an alarming rate. Many students incur a high amount of debt in an effort to go to the best schools possible, which they cannot afford. They may end up re-paying loans for years after they graduate, or their parents spend their life savings on the education of one child and are then left high and dry. The Holy Prophet (saw) warned that ‘ a good man ’ s life is suspended as long as he is in debt ’ ; therefore, it is important to take economic factors into consideration when choosing a college for hig her education. College counseling services can provide information on subsidized federal loans and the availability of need based and merit scholarships. Attending community college for two years and then transferring to a public university is an affordable alternative for getting a degree and should also be considered. It is not always necessary to make sacrifices for the best college (Ivy League or otherwise). There are examples of people coming from South Asian countries who have had an education from little known, unknown or unrecognized schools, yet, by the Grace of Allah, have excelled in their fields in the West through their hard work. Such examples include Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, who served as Foreign Minister of Pakistan, President of the United Nations General Assembly, and Chief Justice of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, and Professor Sir Abdus Salam, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Both attended little known colleges in Pakistan before going for higher education in Western countries.