Ustaadhah Youssra Kamel Kandil is a motivational speaker whose objective is to reconnect hearts back to the spirit and light of Islam. She has captured the hearts of thousands of Muslims, as well as people from other faith groups, around the world with her online posts. The majority of her childhood was spent in Kenya and Zimbabwe, after which she moved to Egypt, where she worked with the world renowned Islamic personality Dr Amr Khaled. After moving to the USA, she continued her studies while teaching at a prominent Islamic school.
Concurrently, she ran religious classes, fundraisers and matrimonial events around the country. She has completed the Uwaylim Scholarship track – which gives individuals a solid grounding in the fundamentals of Islam – with Sh. Shadee El Masry, and is currently working on memorising the Qur’an. She serves as a board member of Legacy International Online High School and the head of the social services department at Cornerstone Counselling.
Ustaadhah Youssra Kamel Kandil will be conducting a women’s-only seminar – hosted by ILM for Women, a branch of ILM-SA – entitled “Blueprint for a Muslimah: Striving for excellence in character,” on Sunday the 19th of February from 11am to 3pm at the NMJ Islamic Centre in Morningside, Durban.
Tabloid Newspapers invited her on the couch to learn more about this remarkable woman.
Tabloid Newspapers (TN): In essence, who is Youssra?
Youssra Kamel Kandil (YKK): This question took me quite a bit to think and contemplate on. Who is Youssra? I think I am just another creation of The Almighty among the billions and billions of and trillions of His creation, just trying the best I can to bring about as much good as I can to the best of my ability. Trying to be as sincere and genuine as I possibly can, only with His permission. I try to bring happiness to those around me and connect hearts as much as I can and just striving, trying my best and hope that the Almighty will accept it.
TN: Your goal is to bring the focus back to the Quran and Sunnah and to reconnect the hearts back to the spirit and light of Islam. How did you come to realise that this is your purpose?
YKK: I think I realised this when I moved to the States in 2003, having lived my years of high school and college, and maybe two or three years after college, in Egypt where you are surrounded by people who are practising night and day. You hear the Adhaan five times a day and you don’t really feel the need or urge to spread Dawah (Islamic knowledge) because everyone around you, or the majority, are Muslim. But when I moved to the States, my first job was working as an Islamic Studies teacher and at one of the beautiful schools here in Jersey, I started realising that maybe this is what the Almighty has been preparing for me along the way. All these non-Arabic speaking, beautiful kids who were there to learn and their parents who were keenly wanting for them to learn the religion made me realise how important it is. Praise be to the Almighty, I grew up in Zimbabwe, I acquired the English language and I moved to Egypt and was exposed to religious teachings, classes and lectures and I felt that this is why The Almighty put me through this. I need to start really bringing people back to the Quran and the Sunnah.
TN: From your observations, in what aspects has the Ummah been lacking in their Islamic knowledge and how has this impacted our communities, families and daily lives?
YKK: I think it’s the disconnect. We lack the understanding that the Deen (Faith) and Dunya (World) are not two separate entities. Your Deen should be your way of life. So many people kind of fall into the idea that I am practising in the mosque, but once they are out of the mosque it is a completely different lifestyle. We kind of tend to forget that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) came to perfect our mannerisms, the way we interact, the way we deal in every aspect of our lives, starting from our very own homes, our families, children and spouses, to neighbours, work or commuting, it’s a way of life. This is one of those things that we really need to start working on, is that Deen and Dunya, our religion and life are one thing.
TN: You will be in South Africa for a speaking tour, what are you mostly looking forward to about your visit?
YKK: Apart from being in Africa again, especially South Africa, which is close to where I grew up in Zimbabwe and the culture and people, I really do look forward to meeting my sisters in Islam and having our hearts reconnect, share our life experiences and have these moments of growth, learning and inspiring one another, God willing.
TN: How have you personally found yourself keeping your connection with the spirit or light of Islam?
YKK: One word. Companionship.You have to stick around with people who share the same vision as you. I remind myself and everyone I meet, that it is very important to have a good support system and to be part of a community that shares your vision and that is heading in the same direction that you are going in, which is heading back to the Almighty and to Jannah in a manner that is pleasing to Him. The Almighty says stick or keep your eyes fixed on those who call upon their Lord, night and day, and don’t slightly even look away from them because the moment we do, we get distracted by the Dunya.
TN: Who would you say is your biggest inspiration?
YKK: Of course the beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him). One of my other inspiration from these times apart from being a mother of the children and seeing what is happening to the youth of the Ummah and how they are drifting away, these kids are a huge inspiration. Going to Muslim associations in different universities and seeing the youth really coming out and trying hard to hold onto their identity, hold these conferences trying to reconnect their hearts. Just seeing them with the drive and urge to learn what they have inside of them, it inspires me to continue to do what I am doing.
TN: What is the biggest gift Islam gives to a person on this earth, in your opinion?
YKK: I believe the first gift that is given to us is the gift to repent. No matter what you might have done or where you are on your spiritual journey, or even what path you might have gone down, the Almighty tell us that we can turn back to him at any point of one’s life and He will offer forgiveness as long as we are sincere and it comes from the heart. The second thing is the ability to acknowledge his existence through everything that He has created around us from signs, verses or just watching a beautiful sunset and questioning who could have painted a painting such as this or who could have brought about such magnificent colour, or even witnessing the gift of life. Watching a child being born and seeing how they become cognisant and able to speak.
TN: In the age of the internet and social media, where misinformation is common occurrence not only about Islam, but in Muslim online spaces as well, how can Muslim youth separate and identify what knowledge is beneficial and true?
YKK: It’s very important to take knowledge from the people of knowledge. When you fall ill, you do not ask a mechanic how to heal your sore throat, you go to a doctor. When it comes to your religion and when it’s a matter between heaven and hell, you need to understand that not everyone who calls themselves a Muslim blogger or entrepreneur, or entertainer etc, that just because they identify as a Muslim, does not mean that they are a Muslim scholar. It’s not someone you can go to in order to learn about your Deen. Of course you can learn something here or there but when it comes to taking accountability in front of your Lord, you have to take the same seriousness. If, God forbid, you have a heart condition you will seek out the best cardiologist. With your Deen, you need to go to the people of knowledge, someone mainstream like a big scholar, or to your local Masjid to your Imam there, who has a sound chain of transmission or teachers.
TN: How do you find yourself spending your free time? Do you have any hobbies to help you relax and unwind?
YKK: I love spending time with my kids a lot. I home school them and spend lots of time with them, usually working. So any free time I have, I try to spend it with them, not working. Trying out new foods or visiting friends. I love socialising with friends and I love to bird watch. I developed this hobby during Covid-19. I like nature and going outdoors to be surrounded by things untouched by humans. It brings you closer to your natural inclination and closer to the Almighty.
TN: What do you love most about being a Muslim?
YKK: Knowing that I have a Creator that is all hearing, seeing and knowing. Knowing that the Creator can see me at all times and that it is Him who can hold us accountable. He is the merciful and that is soothing and comforting to the heart and something that allows the love of being a Muslim grow in your heart.
TN: Do you have a verse from the Quran that you hold most dear to your heart? What is it and why do you love is so?
YKK: Surah At-Tur, Verse 48 (52:48). “So wait patiently for the decision of your Lord, for verily you are under our eyes.” I love this verse because when you read it in Arabic it is telling you to just endure, be patient. The way it is translated does not do it justice. In Arabic when we say ‘You are in my eyes’, you are in the most precious place and I close my eyelashes on you to protect you. It’s a metaphor we use in Arabic, so when the Almighty says ‘You are under my eyes’, you are protected under my guidance and I see you, just be patient.
TN: You have lived in and travelled to many countries. What were some of your favourites and why?
YKK: Egypt holds a very dear place in my heart. Old Egypt, walking down the streets of Islamic Egypt and trying to kind of realise or comprehend that history happened here.
TN: What are some of your favourite ways to spend quality time with your family?
YKK: Just talking with one another. Sitting on the couch and chit chatting, sometimes we try to take goofy pictures together. We like New York City and we drive down there and try new restaurants and food. We are just very relaxed, there are no requirements of being somewhere on a specific time and we are very spontaneous. One of the things I love about my family is that we can wake up one morning with nothing to do and say let’s go, we are going to do something new and fun.
TN: Do you prefer sweet or savoury treats? What are your favourite comfort foods?
YKK: This is a very tough question because over the last few years, I have developed a few food allergies. Most of my favourite foods, I cannot have, I love chocolate but I am allergic to cocoa so I have substituted that with dates. I do love dates as well, so that is a great replacement as it’s much healthier. I do love savoury foods as well. I love chips but I cannot really have them because of food restrictions. Comfort foods, I can think of many but I love Sushi and I love many traditional Egyptian foods.
TN: And lastly, what words of wisdom can you impart on our readers, both Muslim and non-Muslim, about living the best and most fulfilling life?
YKK: Live life with intent. You have to have a purpose in your life. Do not just live without knowing why you exist on this earth, why God placed you here, where are you heading and why you are heading where you are heading. It is very important to understand your reason for existence. He created you to worship Him and part of this worship is daily interactions with other human beings. When you interact and go out, live with intent. Have a purpose for everything you do, say or don’t say. Reconnect with others and realise that we are all human beings.
Tickets for Ustaadhah Youssra Kamel Kandil’s Durban seminar are R300 each and are available online at http://bit.ly/youssra_DBN. A limited number of printed physical tickets are also available at the ILM-SA office. WhatsApp 083 271 4500 for further information.
