Tie Your Camel & Trust Allah: A Muslim Student’s Guide to Exam Season

Assalamu Alaikum!

Exam season is here again. You know the drill — late-night revision sessions, colour-coded notes, the endless cycle of coffee breaks that somehow become full-blown snack feasts. But if you're anything like me, this time of year brings more than just textbooks and highlighters. It brings stress. Anxiety. Doubt. And that overwhelming feeling that there's just not enough time.

But here's a reminder that always grounds me: Tie your camel, and trust Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Tie your camel and trust in Allah." It’s such a simple yet powerful concept. Do your part, then leave the rest to Him. Especially during exam season, this balance is everything.

As Muslim students, we have two things fully within our control:

1. How much effort we put in.
   
   

2. How much trust we place in Allah.
   
   

That’s it. We can’t control the paper, the questions, the marking schemes, or the final grade. But we can control how many honest hours we revise, how sincerely we make duaa, and how present we are in our salah. Stressing about things out of our control? That just means we’re putting ourselves through the exam twice — once in our minds and once on the day. It’s not worth it.

So yes, study hard. Give it your all. Build your timetable, take active notes, and do the past papers. But don’t let stress consume you. Take regular water breaks, mental health breaks, and most importantly — don’t neglect your spiritual health. The Quran, your salah, and your duaa are just as essential as your revision guide.

And when you feel the pressure building, remind yourself: this dunya test is temporary. The real test is whether we pass as good Muslims. Whether we maintain our character, our prayers, our patience, and our trust in Allah, even under pressure.

Remember — Allah isn’t expecting perfection. He’s expecting effort. If you’re putting the work in, making duaa, and keeping your intentions sincere, then you're already doing your part. Just don’t fall into the trap of expecting Allah to give you the answers if you haven’t opened your books. Tawakkul is not about doing nothing and waiting for a miracle. It’s about doing everything you can — and then fully trusting Allah with the outcome.

So to all my fellow students: tie your camel. Revise smart. Pray on time. Sleep well. Eat properly. Trust in the One who has written every grade before we even entered the exam hall.