Zeerak Ahmed, February 2009

Brooklyn, NY

From the very beginning, Zeerak Ahmad has been a rising star. This nine-year old Waqfe Nau child, son of Mubarak Ahmad Sahib from Brooklyn, NY has no ceiling for achievement and is shooting for the stars. Whether it is the Masjid, classroom or basketball court, Zeerak is shining ever so brightly. It is very hard to conceive such a young child to be so gifted, but when you talk to Zeerak, it is as if he is your age and not in the fourth grade. The confidence he has in speaking with others is remarkable and he truly is driven to become the best he can. Zeerak is a friend of all and a young star in his local Majlis. He is a rising star in Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya.

Both his elders and peers look upon Zeerak as a role model. Despite his tender age, older children trust and respect Zeerak. At his age, the respect of you elder brothers is a major accomplishment in itself. He is always asked by others to join their Atfal Jeopardy teams because he has a large grasp of both worldly and spiritual knowledge. When asked about Zeerak, local Nazim Atfal Nadeem Ahmad spoke with such conviction that “Zeerak is a young man who, InshAllah, will be a leader in Jama’at. He is very responsible and reliable.”

One example sheds light on how the “sky’s the limit” for Zeerak. When Zeerak was in his kindergarten years, he went to school for the first time along with many other children. The teacher had the children sit down and read them a story. When the teacher asked the children some questions about the story, no one raised their hand except Zeerak. From that point, his teacher recalls that she always saw a “shine in his eyes” and in her many years of teaching, she had “never seen a child like that.”

Zeerak does not only shine in school, he shines at home and at the Masjid as well. He is an active Waqfe Nau child who regularly participates in local classes, activities and ijtemas. He has actively participated in competitions and his team won an award for their science project in a recent Jalsa Salana USA. Zeerak has centered his life around his religion and does so in many ways. As a gift for his father’s birthday, he did not buy a present, yet gave something much more. At the time he was memorizing the first 17 verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. Zeerak decided he would recite these memorized verses and give a copy of the Holy Quran as his gift to his father. Such a child, whose intents are so in line with his faith are rare in such a society, yet Zeerak is continually showing why he is a star. Zeerak has a strong connection with the Masjid. He says, “Whenever I go to the Masjid, I am happy to just be there. To me the Masjid is the house of God.” Zeerak also says from very early on, his parents instilled in him such a love for the Masjid, and since then, he goes to the Masjid as often as he can. When Zeerak was asked how to encourage other Atfal to become active in Jama’at, he said they need to get interested. “It is very easy for someone to get interested in Jama’at activities” Zeerak said. “There are so many ways!”

Zeerak enjoys playing basketball and a variety of other sports. He has played for a local basketball team for three years and his favorite professional NBA team is the New Jersey Nets. He says his favorite player is Vince Carter, but as of 2000, Carter has been declining. Zeerak says this despite the fact he was one year old in 2000. It only goes to show how informed he likes to be about the activities he involves himself in.

Zeerak is rising. He still has many years to mature into a young Khadim and adult, but he is continually rising above others. And with him, the potential of spiritual and worldly growth has no limit. InshAllah.