This issue of becoming more “religious” around the exam period is a repeated phenomena I see among those who feel they have not been “best” believer and need to fix it quickly before an exam.
All year round, they may not always pray, they may fast but not always be able to hold up, they may refrain from sexual lust but a visit to Pornhub may get the best of them. They feel guilty at times but hold on to the belief that one day, when they go to Mecca, they will ask Skydaddy for forgiveness. By then, they would settle in a marriage where sex is easy, life slows enough to be able to catch up on prayer and fasting. That is the “grand plan” so what do you do when big exams come along and you have not been a good boy or girl?
Suddenly they are extra religious. Now they go back to praying, they refrain from meeting their friends, they stop lusting…if they can! And few use this time to “top up” by either spreading Dawah or attacking apostates online. Yes, I can time my watch to the day – around the late spring or December when the school and universities final exams tend to be scheduled – I get a large following of Mu’mens contacting me. They openly mention they are studying for their exams. When I say, why not talk to me after your exams. They refuse. I am like, why? (I know why but it is good fun to get them to think of an excuse. They need to debate me or argue with me to show skydaddy how much good believer they are in the hope this skydaddy forgives them for the few times they were not so good boys!) I debate them a little, then expose their reasons for choosing this timing. Insist we can have these discussions after their exams if they truly care about the truth and less about skydaddy helping them with their exams. Here is the catch. They NEVER come back after their exams. By focusing on their well-being to study, I help them see that education is more important for me than debating. And I leave them with sufficient doubt that when the results come out (pass or fail) they realise it had nothing to do with any skydaddy. It was purely the result of their efforts.
And just like that, we all win. I hope you take away something from this experience. Salaaaaam ❤️