…Achieves feat years after emerging best graduating student from Faculty of Law, Unilorin
… Says, ‘I wear my Niqab for the sake of Allah and will be rewarded for it‘
A brilliant Nigerian niqabite, Shakirat Omolola Yahya has bagged a Masters degree with distinction in Islamic Finance at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance University (INCEIF), Malaysia, with a CGPA of 3.72/4.0.
Shakirat obtained her Bachelors degree in Common and Islamic Law at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, where she finished as the best graduating student in both the department and faculty with a first class honours before proceeding to Malaysia for her postgraduate.
In an exclusive interview with Muslim News at the 15th convocation ceremony on the institution held on 26th October 2024 at Sasana Kijang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Osun State-born Muslimah thanked Allah for the feats, saying that she developed an interest in Islamic Finance while taking a course on Islamic Financial Law during her third year at the University of Ilorin.
Why I studied Islamic Finance
According to her, “I studied Common and Islamic Law at the University of Ilorin. I graduated in 2019. I picked interest in Islamic Finance when I first took Islamic Commercial Law class, called Muamalat, in my third year. I took a few related courses as well because I am so much interested in Islamic Financial Law.
“Back then, I didn’t see it being practiced as much in Nigeria. I decided to take Islamic Banking Law which is an elective and other related courses such as Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic Banking Law, Islamic Law of Inheritance, among others. At a point, I made up my mind that I would delve into Islamic Finance for my Masters. That’s how the journey began.”
The choice of Malaysian University
The niqabite mentioned that she chose to study in Malaysia due to the versatility of the Asian country as the leader in Islamic finance in the world.
She said, “I chose to study in Malaysia because it is believed in the world of Islamic finance that Malaysia is leading in theory and practice. Hence, the country becomes the first choice to anyone who wants to excel in the field.
“Moreover, the school I chose to study in is solely dedicated to Islamic Finance. It was founded by the Central Bank of Malaysia and has top industry professionals with a wealth of experience. That’s why I decided to come to Malaysia.”
Why it took five years to bag Masters after LL.B
Explaining to Muslim News why it took her five years to conclude her Masters degree programme after her Bachelors of Law, she said, “I graduated in 2019 after studying Law for five years and was supposed to resume Law School in November that same year, but I couldn’t due to backlog of previous graduating students also waiting for Law School, which affected the school academic calendar.
“So, I resumed Law School around January/February 2020, after which COVID-19 lockdown came and extended our supposed one year to almost two years. I graduated from Law School and was called to Bar in July 2021. It was after then that I embarked on my National Youth Service for another one year which lapsed into 2022. Thence, I began my 2-year Masters programme, which has just ended.”
The programme is all-encompassing
Talking about her M.Sc. programme, the Muslimah observed that it was an all-in-one course.
“The programme is basically a normal M.Sc. programme. It’s an interdisciplinary field that combines Finance, Legal Studies, Regulatory Compliance, Shari’ah, and Research. All those courses were put together to form a comprehensive one for students who aim to become experts in Islamic Finance.
“It was planned to be an all-encompassing comprehensive programme with capstone research on completion. It involved an action-based learning scheme, in which we offer consultancy services to industry partners.
“Through that window, we are given case studies of actual problems in Islamic Finance, to which we are expected to proffer solutions. For my course, for instance, we developed a waqf structure for an educational institution in Hong Kong. The school’s action-based learning approach has actually helped a lot in assisting the development of the industry in Malaysia and other countries across the globe
Yahya revealed that she took no chances and left no stone unturned during her Masters programme.
“The M.Sc. programme at INCEIF University is a 2-year programme, with three semesters in each year; two long semesters and one short one which is optional. On my own, I wasn’t going to take any chances. So, I didn’t leave school at any point, I maximised all the semesters, Alhamdulillah.
Being a daughter of a professor major influence
She added that being the daughter of an academic, a professor of statistics, and her resolve to impress her parents were among the drives for her academic performance, aside interest in her course of study.
She said: “I feel the fact that I come from a family of an academic informed my academic performance. My dad is a lecturer at the University of Ilorin; a professor of statistics. He values education a lot and instilled that in us as well. So, I’ll say that’s a major influence. I had always wanted to impress my parents since I was an undergraduate.
“That contributed a lot to my academic performance. The great interest and enthusiasm which I had in the course I studied for my Masters was also very helpful. It really pushed me beyond limits.”
My Arabic knowledge as contributing factor
Yahya, who had earlier learnt and understood Arabic to an appreciable extent, disclosed that it made her studies in Malaysia seamless.
“Alhamdulillah! I’m from an average middle class Muslim family, and all the children in the family were exposed to Islamic knowledge from a very young age.
I started using the veil after my final exams
Speaking about her Niqab, she annunciated that she wanted to start using it immediately she was offered admission into Unilorin.
“I’ve always wanted to use Niqab since I was in Nigeria. I remember I made my intention known to my dad when I was offered admission into Unilorin, and he opined that I couldn’t start using it at that point in time. I believe his reasons were best known to him, so I conceded.
“After my final exams again, I restated the intention, and he was fine with it, but he observed that I wouldn’t be allowed veil in Law School. I agreed. Hence, I started using the veil after my final exams. I had expected series of backlash and reactions from my faculty because there was a dress code to which every student must adhere. The legal profession is meticulous when appearances are in question, and my faculty inculcates the habit in students, so there were no for defaulters. I, however, found out that the use of Niqab was not prohibited in my faculty.”
“I started wearing it in my faculty and continued after Law School.”
She told our correspondent that she knew from the outset that challenges would come but ignored the misjudgement and stereotyping most of the time because not all of them were worth her energy.
“I had always known I would face challenges because of my Niqab, but I believe what I thought of myself was what mattered most. I’ve experienced profiling, stereotyping, and microaggression on many occasions, even from the first few months of using the Niqab. Sometimes, I just weigh preferences and choose my battles. You may never even come in contact with a person putting up these attitudes again. So, what’s the essence of stressing the issue when the whole interaction is inconsequential to your life. So, in those instances, I just ignore them.
“However, it is safe to say most of my experiences as a Niqabi have been positive. Alhamdulillah for that. My academic journey was seamless. Even during my service year, I didn’t have issues at my place of primary assignment regarding Niqab. Since getting to Malaysia, it has been a wonderful experience. Although some people will treat you differently, I don’t internalise negativity. I wear my Niqab for the sake of Allah and will be rewarded for it bi idhni Llah.
“So, I don’t get overwhelmed by challenges regarding my Niqab and I ignore microaggressions. There’s no point in stressing over it. Alhamdulillah, we’re having more Niqabites in the corporate world on a daily basis.”
Yahya, who had already begun her PhD in Islamic Finance at the time the interview was published on 21st November 2024, told Muslim News that she is not married at the moment, but hopes to tie the nuptial knot any time soon.
