icon
article-hero

Forced To Leave School At 12, Inspiring 85-Year-Old Palestinian Woman Finally Graduated From Uni

avatar-name

Siti Aishah Ahmad •  Oct 21, 2021

Seeking new knowledge is a part of ibadah and even if we're out of school, we should constantly learn new skills and information to keep up with the changing world. We could learn new knowledge and skills anywhere as long as we work hard and have passion. ☺️ There are no limits when it comes to seeking knowledge and this 85-year-old Palestinian woman believes the same as she worked her way up to getting a university degree, decades after leaving school at 12.

85-Year-Old Palestinian Woman Is A New University Graduate

Credit: @MahaGaza on Twitter

Jihad Buttu recently got her university degree in Nazareth at the age of 85 and she's living proof that learning has no age limits! The mother of seven has always had a yearnful passion for learning since she was a young girl but when the 1948 Nakba Day happened, every Palestinian was expelled from their homes and at the tender age of 12, Jihad had to drop out of school.

Since then, she didn't have an opportunity to learn in a classroom setting but Jihad always finds new ways to quench her thirst for knowledge. Even when she's married and busy with the domestic life of a wife and a mother, she takes the chance to sit and study with her children when they were in school. She would read a book and memorize the lessons there.

As told by AJ+, when 81-year-old Jihad, whose name roughly means "fight and struggle against the enemy," heard of an opportunity to continue her studies, she went for it in 2018. It took her 4 years to complete her degree in Islamic Law and she finally received her well-deserved degree scroll in 2021. However, just like other students all around the world, Jihad's studies were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which led her to do online studying.

Though she's in her 80s, this woman who's memorized the whole Al-Quran, is still as sharp as a knife! With the help of her children, she managed to study and perform her exams through Zoom and passing all of them too ? It's a truly touching story that Jihad finally got to wear a graduation gown and cap to celebrate her newest milestone. Now, she's as enthusiastic about learning as ever and is teaching women in her community about Islam.

We love stories about Muslims around the world who are achieving great things and if you love reading about them, these articles might interest you: