Muslim students learned about stress and how to control it Monday night.
The Islamic Center of Gainesville and Islam on Campus hosted Majed Mahmoud, a mechanical engineer, for an audience of about 30 students. Mahmoud spoke about the text of the Quran, telling students stress is inevitable and to remain calm when faced with it.
Asad Haroon, a 22-year-old UF biology senior, said he attended Mahmoud’s last speech in September 2014 and looked forward to the advice he would give.
“He is not only a student of Islam, he is also a professional,” Haroon said.
Mahmoud focused on the Arabic word “fitna,” which refers to the trials and tribulations an individual goes through in life.
“Your true colors appear when you go through a hardship,” he said, during the speech.
Mahmoud broke his speech into two parts, with a prayer in between. He focused on how students perceive and deal with obstacles and the stress that comes with them.
“I think he is a really great speaker,” said Rania Saboungi, a UF microbiology and cell science sophomore. “He knows how to reach out to the youth.”
Haroon said he related to the topic. With the stresses that come from being a student, he relieves the tension with prayer.
“Prayer is big,” he said. “It helps put everything back in perspective.”
Mahmoud told the room that the Muslims living today are being tested more than any generation before.
“People will be tested according to their commitment to their religion,” he said.
However, Saboungi said he felt that the audience didn’t need to be Muslim to relate to the message of the speech.
“Anyone practicing a religion or not can relate to this,” she said. “A lot of things he said are universal thoughts that make sense.”
Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @MerylKornfield.
