A Day to Remmber

A Day to Remember
June 2, 2020
Aizah's
Graduation

September 2017 - June 2020

Aizah,
Jeeto raho, khush raho meri jaan! Ye maaloom
ho ke itni khushi ho rahi hai ke aap ki graduation
ho rahi hai. Allah Ta'ala isi tarah aap ko
ayenda bhi kamyaabiyan ata karta rahey. Buhat
acha maaloom ho raha hai. It's a pride for the
whole family! Sab aap se buhat pyar kartay
hain. Maama Baaba to buhat he khush hongay,
ke ye aap ki mehnat hai. Unhon ne bhi aap ko
itna mauqa diya ke aap parh lain. Meri, naana
aur hum sab ki duayen hain ke isi tarah taraqqi
karti raho.
Jeeti raho, Khush raho!
Naani

Dear Aizah,
Finally you have made it after a few
right and left turns from nanotechnology to
computer science to I don’t remember
what !!! But what matters is how it
ends. The end is sure beautiful. You
ended up with a good GPA .The road
is long and open. With your talent you
can reach any heights. So keep up the
good work. Godspeed.
Love you.
Baaba

My dearest, darling, adorable Aizah,
Alhamdulillah, today I feel as if I am on top
of the world!!! My youngest child, my little
princess, my Guriya Rani has graduated from a
foreign university!!! Aizah, you have made my
dream come true:)) I am soo proud of
everything you’ve achieved throughout. It wasn’t
always easy, but you worked hard and maintained
a good attitude. I am confident that in sha
Allah, your determination and positive outlook will
get you far. I have seen you smiling, crying,
fearing, stressing and being hopeless. But I
always saw you fighting through all of these like a
confident girl, ma sha Allah!! So proud of you
mera bachaXxx Keep the confidence alive in you.

but don’t be over confident. It is such a happy
moment that you gifted me meri jan!!! It seems like
my hard work paying back, Alhamdulilah:)
Congratulations, once again and happy
graduating! My darling daughter, may you achieve
everything you want in your life, may Allah
SWT help you in your endeavours and always
keep you on the right path. Ameen :))
Aizah, today is a perfect time to share my life lessons
with you, some I have learned from Nana and
Nani and some from my own experiences. They
have really helped me chalk out my life!! I consider
them as precious gems which I would never trade
with anything:) I would like to pass them on to
you, maybe one day you
would like to read them in your

free time :) so it goes like this;
*Make kindness the central theme of your
life. Give people the benefit of the doubt. When
someone does something hurtful or annoying,
consider the idea that it isn’t about you.
Practice compassion and empathy by putting
yourself in the shoes of others. Look for
opportunities to show compassion and generosity.
When you’re feeling down, help someone
else. Do the right thing even when the right thing
is hard. I know Aizah you are strong enough.
*Live with total integrity. Be transparent, honest,
and genuine. It is better to be yourself and risk
having people not like you than to suffer the stress
and tension that comes from pretending to be

someone you’re not. I promise you: Pretending
will rob you of joy. But that doesn’t mean that
you can wear lulu lemon!!! Invite constructive
criticism from the people who want the best for you.
I have realised in my life that we need broader
perspective to grow and improve. Bhai and Apa
helped me a lot in broadening my views:)
*Always remember that relationship with your
family is more important than any
achievement. Prioritize accordingly. Also when
you hurt someone, apologize. Even if you didn’t
intend to hurt that person, or you think they are
over-reacting.
*Train your brain to see the positive in your life
by keeping a gratitude list in your mind. Thank,

thank and thank Allah SWT. The more
grateful you are the more happy you will be!!!
Praying five times and bowing in submission to
Almighty is the best way to say thank you to
Allah SWT for His countless blessings.
*Keep reminding yourself that more is not
necessarily better. Do this especially if you are
worried that you won’t have enough of something, if
you feel like you don’t have as much as others, or if
you are feeling ungenerous with your belongings.
Many of your peers, friends will spend their time
striving for more: more money, more likes on
Instagram, more clothes, or becoming more
popular etc. But as they accumulate more, odds
are, they’ll just want more! True abundance is not

a quantity of something; it is a quality of life, a
feeling of sufficiency. When we step back from the
idea that more might be better, often we see that we
have enough to share. As Ammie used to say
that“the saturation point has arrived in her life”.
*Remember that talents are actually
skills. “Talent” comes from hard work, passion,
and great coaching. Believe in yourself and you
will be able to do anything. (Alhamdulillah from
starting as a Montessori teacher to becoming a
Project Manager at Zindagi Trust taught me
this)
*When you make a mistake, don’t blame yourself
up about it. Self-criticism makes us depressed,
and much more likely to make the same mistake

again. Instead, use them to become a better person
:)
*Love what it is/Love the moment .Wishing to
be beautiful or acne-free or wanting it to be sunny
when it is raining—this is fighting with reality, and
it is a futile and frustrating pastime.
*If you are tired, rest. Working 24/7 will
get you nowhere fast. (Trust me, I have tried
this :) Instead develop good habits. You don’t
need so much willpower to do it.
*Surround yourself with people and situations
that make you laugh uncontrollably. Laughter is
heaven on earth and is contagious!! (Nermeen
made me laugh so much:)) You laugh people
will laugh with you, you cry and you will cry

alone :(
And Aizah the last one is to please get married at
the right time and make a smart decision to find
Mr. Right quickly!! Remember action
delayed is action denied!! With loads of love,
and best wishes for your future endeavours Xxx
Maama

Dear Aizah,
I’ve always felt Allah tala has blessed me with
two daughters, instead of one. Both beautiful ,
smart, intelligent, creative, strong women with very
gentle hearts. Precious combination!
I have been swelling with pride watching you
grow into a fine young woman. Every time you
achieve something, I feel as if I have achieved it
becoz I’m living my dreams through you and
Nerm!
It feels as if it was just yesterday when we used to
plead with mama to send you and Sheze to
Dubai. What delight when she would agree! I
wanted to share every possible experience with

you. What a tyrant I must have been to make
you do Bond Books, before we set off on a day
of adventures and fun. All I wanted then was for
you to do well academically, to speak well, to have
informed opinions, to be cognizant of the world and
it’s workings.. Little did I know what great
creativity, intelligence, fire, and strength you already
possessed innately.
As you step into new phases of life, go forth with all
your heart. Believe in yourself and know that your
khala believes in you and has got your back!. You
can achieve whatever you set your heart to. I know
that without a doubt. But also know that it’s ok to
be vulnerable, to ask for help when needed, and to
accept it. Us women already carry

the weight of the world (do we really need to lift
any extra weights!) so ease up on yourself a little
bit. Don’t be your own worst critic. You are
worthy and precious as you are.I love spending
time with you. And I look forward to playing
an active part in your life in the future. Till then
I’ll keep trying to get you to read books ;)
We also have to take lots of pictures ... just you
and me. Clearly Nermeen thinks it’s not possible
for khala and niece to have any pics 1:1 without
her being in everyone of them!
Thank you for making my life richer and for
being Nermeen’s best friend through the years.
You are deeply valued and cherished, loved and
appreciated.

Hold your head high, look back with pride and
look forward with hope and know that your khala
will always be cheering you on. Xx
Khala

Dearest Aizah
Congratulations!
The moment has come for you to spread your
wings and fly. Even though graduation is looking
very different for you and we won’t see you walking
down the stage with your black cap, the achievement
is still the same. You’ve put in the same hard
work. You’ve learned and grown so much. You
have gained good looks, good brains, a good body
and now a great degree! I couldn’t be prouder of
all your achievements. Alhamdolillah!
If there were ever any advice I could give you
for the future, then I would tell you to have very
clear measurable goals set for yourself. The years
after you graduate pass really quickly so it’s

important to have direction in your life. Believe in
your goals and then throw yourself into achieving
whatever you want with a passion. You will never
be as young, free and full of big crazy dreams as
you are today. So savor these feelings and enjoy
the high. It doesn’t last forever.
And if you don’t know what to do next, don't
worry. Sometimes it’s OK to not know what to
do next. You’ll make mistakes and it will be
OK. It’s a part of life. Just remember that
you learn to pick yourself up always and dust off
the dirt and face the world again . Don’t worry
what people will say or how risky it’s going to be.
Make some memories to take with you in life.
Another advice for you would be to invest in your

relationships. Your relationship with Allah(swt) ,
your relationship with parents , your relationship
with siblings and nieces and nephews . I know
right now it doesn’t feel like the most important
thing but I tell you a few years later your
relationships become your biggest strength and you
will derive your greatest happiness from them.
Finally, adulthood can be rough and hard, but
you’ve navigated it beautifully so far Ma Sha
Allah. I can’t wait to see all that you accomplish
in the future. I have no doubts there will be many
more successes. May you always remain guided
and may you take on the world with grace and
strength.
Love you more than you can imagine.
Apa

Dear Aizah,
I will always remember you as the little girl who
came into my life as a package deal with your
Apa. But it seems with each passing year you are
really not that little girl anymore, and it really
struck me this last winter when we finally got to
spend some long overdue quality time together.
MashaAllah you are a young, independent
woman, with your own hopes, dreams, fears,
outlook, and your own life. A life in which it is no
longer our role to raise and direct you, but now to
love, support and guide you. I can genuinely say
that I am extremely proud of your journey, the
growth I have seen in you since you became my
second baby sister almost 13 years ago,

and the immense hard work that you have put in, to
get to where you are now, at this precious milestone
in your life. As you enter this new and exciting
phase of your life, if there's any advice I could
give you, it would be first, take some time to
celebrate! Take some time and reflect on everything
that you've achieved and the person you've become
since you came to Canada, be proud of that, and
celebrate it. A celebration can be small, it can be a
plan for something to do later, it can be just
allowing yourself to relax for some time, but do
celebrate. Secondly, make sure you allow yourself
to have fun, not just now, but in life. There is of
course a time to be proper, but the rest of life is to
be enjoyed. Whatever makes you smile, make it

unashamedly yours. Thirdly, take time to find
your professional calling. Society places a lot of
(often unfair) burdens on young women, but one of
them is not to earn as much as possible as quickly
as possible to support a family. Use that freedom
to find your calling and not get stuck doing
something because it's what everyone else is doing.
Fourthly, as you spread your wings, don't forget
your people. You see far, for you stand on the
shoulders of giants. You have precious gifts and
wonderful role models in your life in Naani,
Maama, Khaala, Apa, Zahra Apa, and
Nermeen. Lean on them, lean hard, they will
always be there to help you see even further. And
lastly, as you look to grow your number of people,

remember always to look for what's real. Sparks
can be created and made, values on the
other hand, not so much.
We may have many miles between us, but trust
me, you are never far from my thoughts, my prayers
and my love.
Proud of you always,
Osama Bhai

Dear Aizah,
Congratulationssssss!!!!
The day has finally arrived when you have
graduated from university. Although, the ending
was quite 'soft' due to COVID19, it was 5
long years of hard labor. I remember the time
when you used to live with us at 72 blackbird!
We used to have quite a bit of fun...you were so
concerned about which program to select, which
university to go to, what to write in your college
essays - it all came to pass so quickly. Remember
the time we kidnapped you from Tim Hortons
and went to IKEA?
You asked me for advice after school ended - let's
first start with your greatest qualities in my mind!

1. Aizah you are very genuine in all your
relationships and that is your strength; whatever is
in your heart is also on your tongue. To me, this
is your greatest strength - keep at it!
2. You act as a mediator in conflicts that you are
not a part of - which is rarely the case ;) - kudos
to you for that! You try your best to keep
everyone together!
3. You are always up for a challenge - whether
physical or mental. Whatever you don't have in
terms of innate ability, you achieve it through sheer
hardwork - massive respect!
4. You are never afraid to try new things!
5. You are extremely frugal and calculative, like
me! As I write these qualities, I feel like you

are just a female version of me - say whattt?
Now when it comes to advice, I have only two
points to share:
1. Remember that 'happiness is only real, when
shared'. So hold on to family and friends very
tightly and spend as much time as you can with
family and build and nurture those relationshipsthey
are the only people who would stand with in
times of need!
2. Never forget your roots. We can move to a
different land and adopt their language and culture
and traditions, but should never forget our roots.
Believe me, the older you grow the more you
yearn for your roots!
Anyway - today is a day to celebrate! Enjoy

your convocation! And all the best for the
future. "May the wind always be at your back
and the sun upon your face. And may the wings of
destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars"
P.S. I hope khala, zahra and sheze don't read
this message since I used the above quote in their
cards as well!
Shaharyar

Dearest Aizah,
Congratulations!! It does not seem too long ago
when we used to have our brownie sessions in
Canada! After your high school graduation, how
we used to have daily discussions about which
program you should choose. I remember you used
to get very emotional when Shaharyar would tell
you not to go for engineering :) Fast forward 5
years, you are now graduating from UofT
Architecture! Wow!! Such a proud moment for
all of us Ma sha Allah!! I've seen you grow
from a girl full of self-doubt to a young woman
who has her own ideas, dreams and ambitions,
Ma sha Allah. You do not shy away from
hard work and that has paid off, and in sha Allah

will take you very far in life.
You always impress me with your creativity
Aizah.
I am super grateful to you for always respecting
me like an elder sister. It means a lot!! Also for
bearing with me during those initial days (you
know what I'm taking about :P) and especially
for a million little things that you have done for me
in the past and continue to do so. They show how
caring and considerate you are. Just want to tell
you that they do not go unnoticed.
Enjoy this moment Aizah! You deserve it! It
is bitter sweet but it is beautiful alhamdulillah. Be
proud of what you have achieved today for it is
huge but at the same time thank Allah SWT

for giving you the privilege of going to school and
that too one of the best in the world. Do not take
it for granted!
Believe in yourself and in your dreams. It is a
cliche but it's true that when you are confident,
people believe in you as well.
No matter what you achieve in life, always
remember your roots, the people who stood by you
at times of your vulnerability and kept bucking you
up to believe in yourself.
Always choose to do the right and honorable thing.
It might not be easy but the satisfaction you get
with it is irreplaceable. If you have to prioritize
things in life, always choose peace of mind over
everything. Trust me, you will never regret it.

Set yearly goals for yourself. It is relatively
easier to do something if you know what you want.
If you reach these goals, it will boost your
confidence. If you don't, don't be harsh on
yourself and just make some more goals.
Be easy on yourself! If you ever doubt
yourself, do not hesitate to reach out to your loves
ones and share it with them. They will remind you
of your strengths and good qualities which we do
not remember during those moments of self-criticism.
Invest in your relationships Aizah. We often
take our families for granted but with time you will
realize that they truly are your most precious asset.

Finally, I've realized that to be happy is also
something that needs to be learned. Practise that a
lot.
May you achieve all that you dream of and more
in sha Allah.
Remember, I will always be there for you!!
Lots of love.
Zahra Baji
P.S. We need more pics together!!

Congratulations Aizah!
You finally made it. It was a really tough ride
for you. Or was it? You were always
complaining that you were gonna fail and somehow
managed to get 4.0 every semester after 2nd year.
Extremely proud of the fact that you managed to
get so many A’s. In my whole uni career I
only managed one A so I know how tough is it
to get an A at UofT. Just want to take this
opportunity and tell you that drama was too much
sometimes. Hehe. A lot of times during Uni
you took decisions where I was like *facepalm*
“here we go again”
But that's the good part of university,

you make mistakes and you learn; which you
certainly have and grown as a person (both
emotionally and physically... physically a bit too
much :P)
Anyway, now the tough and boring part of life
starts. I am still trying to figure it out so I
don't have much advice from that end but i really
hope you don't get a boss like Fawad as your
first boss! All else should turn out well!
InshaAllah!
P.S: I know bhai and Aps are going to give
you some advice in their messages so read them
carefully!
Sheze

ConGRADulations Aiz!! (aka my UofT
partner in crime since day one) It’s so wild to
think that this chapter is now officially closed for
both of us! I’m so proud of you for making it
through (I know there were times when you really
disliked UofT, your architecture program and
sometimes even me hahaha but you stuck with all
three) and I’m really excited to see where this
next phase of life takes you. You have been a rock
solid support for me from the time we started uni
and it’s crazy how much we used to talk about
going to university together and then it actually
happened. I remember the day we moved into
Chestnut and after everyone left, we finished setting
up the room and putting up the lights and then we

were just lying down on the beds and I thought,
whoa, this is actually real. What I realized is
that all my defining moments from uoft include you
and that even the things that felt little or insignificant
at the time are actually some of the best memories.
Sitting in the sun outside Hart House,
getting iced coffees from the OISE Tims and
always getting Timbits for free from Gurav (we
were so happy until we realized eating 10+
birthday cake Timbits was a bad idea), making
popcorn and kombucha for movie nights in ramadan,
staying up all night to work on your arch projects,
writing your essays together, working out with u
(I always used to try so hard not to embarrass
you in front of the boys), walking home from the

call centre in the middle of winter, staying up until
the middle of the night talking about the most
random things… literally, all those things that felt
so normal are now some of my most special
memories and I feel so grateful that we got to
experience that whole phase together. I wish I
was with you right now to celebrate your grad. I
wish I was there during this transition phase and
I wish we were still going through it all
together. I miss you soooo much especially right
now but I just want you to know how special u
are to me and how much I love u (even when
you’re being super moody and you know it’s
irrational!) and that I will always support you
and stick up for you.

I don’t really have any graduating advice because
you are usually 2 steps ahead of me anyway but
I’ll just say this: please don’t settle! Don’t
underestimate your skills, your spark and the value
you add to literally everyone around you. You
are the most hardworking, loyal, kind person I
know and you never back down from a challenge.
Whatever you decide to do, I know you can
achieve it because I know you have that inner grit.
I really believe in you and my biggest wish for
you is that you aim super high, break all the brown
girl stereotypes that I know you hate and achieve
all the things you dream of.
Love you broski,
Nerm

Congratulations Aizah!
I’m really excited that you've reached such a big
milestone. Getting through architecture school is a
big deal. It feels like just yesterday I was
making fun of you for having hot crush deodorant.
It’s really nice having you at khalas and I
appreciate you giving me a warning before I get a
rocket pitai from Khalu for blowing my nose or
making paratha. It would be a lot more boring if
you weren’t around. I’m impressed by your
dedication (to try to get abs) and your discipline
(to do chloe ting) and I feel like I’ve learned a
lot from you in the last month. Moving forward
I can offer some words of advice - things that
ave helped me. Fake it till you make it. If you

say things with enough confidence, people will
believe it. Also don’t be thrown off your goals by
people telling you that you can’t achieve them.
Everyone has their opinion but bet on yourself and
follow through.
Congrats on the achievement and keep working
hard.
Yahya

Dear Aizah (aka the only cousin who gets me)
- it’s kinda whack that you’re graduating already
but mashallah hats off to you (literally and
figuratively). Any over the age of 24 can stop
reading here btw... You’re my go-to cousin for
all the drama and I respect that because not a lot
of people can keep up with all the girls. It was
actually really fun last summer and i feel like we
had some good times (if you know you know
(that’s a joke btw for anyone still reading don’t
take that seriously)). Nah on a real tho i’m
proud of you - it isn’t easy to switch degrees so
many times and also bear with living with apa so
respect. I feel like we’re supposed to give advice
here but to be honest i feel as though the arbitrary

limits of this message can’t handle the depth of my
pools of wisdom but i’ll try my best to consolidate
into 3 words. Keep it Halal-ish. It’s as
simple as that. Know your values and limits and
inshallah all else will fall into place. Also you’ve
been a really big inspiration to me in terms of design
and graphic work and I know there’s been
countless time where i’ve called you in the middle of
the night to ask how to do something as simple as
using Sketch - put simply, you’re pretty much
always there for me and I hope I can do the
same for you!
Yusuf

Dear Aizah,
I feel like we say this every time one of us has a
birthday, but we really don't take enough pics
together. I was trying to find a nice picture of us
together, but all I could find were a collection of
random candid photos featuring unflattering angles
of either one of us. My favourite memory of us
from this past year was when a wasp flew into my
room. You had to become the man of the house
and try to kill the wasp. But HOLY
COW, you geared up like you were ready to
enter a war or something! XD Fortunately, it
was an easy battle thanks to your distant spray
foaming bleach cleaner. Looking back, I loved
how melodramatic we were because I wouldn't

have had it any other way.
I now realize that it has been a really tough year
for you since Nermeen moved out. You had to
move to a new place and share it with a messier and
lazier roommate (AKA me). To make things
worse, you had your graduation cancelled.I know
I don't say this enough, but I really do
appreciate you cleaning the kitchen, wiping down the
counters, and dealing with all the hair I shed onto
the bathroom floor. The older I get, the more
I realize how difficult it is to achieve a long,
lasting relationship with your friends. Our paths
continue to diverge, our lives constantly change, and
new people come in and out of our lives. I know

that for the past few years, we have drifted apart a
little, but I’m still thankful for having you in
mlife. Whenever I talk to you, I am always
able to hold a meaningful conversation, just like
during the old times.
So, happy graduation Aizah! These past 5
years you have shown tremendous growth, and no
longer the smol baby who first came to Toronto
and scared of the big city..I truly believe you will
excel at everything you do and any
organization/company would be beyond lucky to
have you. Believe in yourself and trust the process
because everything will work out in the end :)
Gigi

Dear Aizah,
Congrats on graduating!! I couldn’t be happier
for you, and I’m so proud of how much you’ve
accomplished so far. I’m so happy to have been
able to watch you crush your goals - Your
relentless work ethic and motivation, combined with
your realistic attitude and your determination, has
been so inspiring for me to see and i've learnt so
much from you. I can’t wait to see the mountains
you’ll conquer - you know you can always count
on me to be your hype man and cheer you on!!
Stay curious, stay creative and keep hustlin’, my
talented friend (and lets go skiing again).
Hibah

Dear Aizah,
Congratulations on completing this milestone!
I’ve seen you work so hard for this moment and
im incredibly proud of you. You’ve had a huge
impact on my life and I’ll forever be grateful we
crossed paths. I would have never thought the
person I was just casually asking for help would
become my closest friend here. Your generosity is
what connected us, and even today I know exactly
who will drop everything to be there for a friend.
I’ve met very few people who do that and you
continue to amaze me.
What inspires me the most about you is your
drive and ambition to always do better and be
better. I love that you never settle for anything

less than you deserve, and you don't let your friends
settle either.
You have immense courage Aizah, and I want
you to always be gentle with yourself. You’ve
given yourself responsibilities because you want to
see change in the world, you’re a visionary.
Remember to never let that be a burden on you.
Nurture that strength that makes you so unique
because you’re already on the trajectory to the
greatness you’re seeking.
Love you always broski,
Aniya

We are so proud of you Aizah!
XOXO