بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
My name is Khadija Khalil. I write under my kunyah (or pseudonym) “Umm Muawiyah”.
I was born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and have lived here all my life. My passport is from my parent’s country (as the UAE considers me a “foreigner”). Because the country which issued my passport has no connection to my life, I am not going to mention it in my biography (sorry).
Seeking Islamic Knowledge and Quran Memorisation
I started practicing Islam around 2003/2004, alhamdulillah.
I joined Preston University in Ajman (now defunct) for their Bachelor of Islamic Arts degree in English. It was a life-changing event for me. Preston’s reputation did dip a lot over the years but in my time, it was quite decent and it completely transformed my life, so I will never be ashamed to say that I studied there.
I also started my Quran memorisation journey at Preston.
Some of my teachers from the Preston era were Dr. Fahmidah Hameed, Mr. Abdul Majeed Ali and Mr. Abdul Malik Abdul Khaliq.
In 2009, I joined Dar Al-Ber’s Dawrah Ad-Daayiaat program for female callers of Islam. The course was in Arabic. I took that for 6 years (2009-2013, 2014-2016).
I continued Quran memorisation with Dar Al Ber, and did mutoon memorisation as well (mutoon refers to Islamic texts). I got ijaazah (chains which date back to the author of the book) in Al-Jaziriyyah and Tuhfathul Atfal – both tajweed texts.
In 2016, I left Dar Al-Ber and continued Islamic classes (in Arabic) and Quran memorisation in other centres. I achieved my dream of memorising the whole Quran in January 2018, alhamdulillah – after almost 13.5 years on this journey.
In 2019, I started studying online (Islamic classes in Arabic) in addition to onsite learning. Subhan Allah, this was a few months prior to Covid. I had never really studied online before so it was a new experience for me.
The courses were delivered through Telegram and required us to submit exams (i.e. they were real courses and were quite tough, to be honest).
From 2019-2024, I took courses with the Saudi Institute of Theological Sciences which is under the supervision of University of Madinah. They included detailed courses on the pillars of Iman (faith), various sects and a specialized course on Sufism.
From 2022-present, I’ve been studying in a program entitled “Barnamij Taseel Al-Aqdee” which is under the supervision of Shaikh Abu Abdir Rahman, who was a student of both Shaikh Al-Albani and Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen. So far in this program, I gained ijaazah in the following books (all authored by Imam Ibn Taimiyyah), alhamdulillah:
- Aqeedah Al-Wasitiyyah
- Risaalah Al-Uboodiyah
- Al-Aqeedah Al-Hamawiyyah
- Jawaab Al-Itiraadaat Al-Misriyyah Alaa Al-Fatwah Al-Hamawiyyah
Currently, I’m continuing studying the courses on Telegram and as well those taught at Islamic centres in Dubai.
Remember, all the courses from Dar Al Ber onwards were in Arabic. From 2009 – 2014, I did attend a handful of Islamic lectures and seminars in English but not anymore (despite being an English speaker).
My teachers (in the UAE) from the “Arabic era” include Dr. Siddiqa Al-Kamali, Shaikh Azeez Farhan, Shaikh Saad Ash-Shaal, Shaikh Ghazi Salem, Shaikh Khalid Ismail, to name a few.
Calling to Islam
In 2008, I started teaching the Hadeeth of Jibreel course at Dar Al Ber. In 2009 and 2010, I taught the course again both in Dar Al-Ber and Jumeirah Islamic Learning Centre. I also taught Hajj and Umrah and some other lectures/courses/workshops.
I stopped teaching in 2010 and started blogging. My first blog was The Greatest Month, which has hundreds of articles written by me (I’m not exaggerating). They all revolve around Ramadan and continuing that iman-filled life post Ramadan.
I opened up other blogs as well (you can see the list here). I took a break from blogging in 2012.
From 2014-2016, I returned to teaching.
In 2016, I returned to blogging with a new website, Al-Bidaayah, the one that you are presently on. I’ve been writing articles on it ever since then, alhamdulillah.
From 2020-2021, I taught the Hadeeth of Jibreel again (after 10 years!) at Arriqaaq (an online platform) for their Diploma in Shariah and Islamic Sciences (for women only). From January 2023 until the present time, I’ve been teaching short courses and workshops at Arriqaaq, alhamdulillah.
Please note that I only teach in English, and not in any other language. [I get a lot of questions about this.]
In 2023, I started preparing short posts for Instagram/Telegram because well, this is that kind of era. The posts are in English and Arabic. One of my classmates checks the Arabic for me, may Allah reward her greatly (and some of my friends check my English posts, because I’m really that picky. May Allah reward them greatly).
IT and AI
Prior to Preston and practicing Islam, I studied Computer Engineering at the American University of Sharjah (a co-ed university sadly).
I worked in an IT company for a while then joined Preston. I left the company shortly after that.
My tech career basically stalled for a long time as I was busy with seeking knowledge and dawah, along with health struggles. Working on the backend of Al-Bidaayah (which I setup and maintain myself) was one of my few links to the world of IT.
Subhan Allah, in 2020, I got a sudden opportunity to join a 6 month online Post Graduate Program in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning by the University of Austin at Texas (delivered by Great Learning). I started in February – just a month before everything went online around the world due to Covid.
After the course ended, I took various online bootcamps and courses in various IT/AI topics. Due to seeking knowledge, dawah and some personal issues, I could not progress the way I wanted to.
Then in 2024 (this year), I found out that Great Learning was offering an online Master’s program by Deakin University (in Australia). The 6 months that I did previously would be considered part of that, leaving only 1.5 years of further study (instead of 2). At the time of writing, my program will start in a few days, in shaa Allah (at the end of October 2024). The important thing is not letting it overshadow the Islamic stuff.
What about a Master’s in an Islamic field, you ask? Yes, I really wanted to but given the long story behind my Preston degree and the fact that it was in English, this particular dream might be a bit difficult to attain but truly Allah can do all things.
Other interests
In 2017, I started a website More than just Do-buy to advertise the halal (lawful) places in the United Arab Emirates (which I have personally visited). It also showcased some of my photography.
In 2020, I started an instagram account to showcase my photography and also advertise nice places in the UAE that one could visit. I also put up my photos on 500px and Alamy and alhamdulillah, quite a few of them were chosen for licensing.
In 2024, I relaunched my More than just Do-buy website. Here’s the new one.
Dobuy, Data & Design
In 2024 (this year), I’m launching a new business. Dobuy, Data & Design (Dx3) offers 4 activities: Data Analysis (my AI side), Web Design (my IT side), Itinerary Planning (my Dobuy side) and Photography (also my Dobuy side). It is only for female clients (obviously).
I also have a UAE-centric stock photography site if you wish to buy my photos. I offer commercial licenses if you also wish to use it for business or marketing reasons.
A Final Note
To some, this might seem like a lot and they might put themselves down as a result. Remember, we are all unique and different so there is no point in comparing. Also, whatever blessings we have are from Allah so we need to remember that.
All praise is due to Allah for His blessings.