Emdad's PTE & IELTS

TARA* (with her husband and one-year-old son) came to Australia a long time ago and finally got her PR after a lot of struggle. But not long after securing their PR, her husband fell in love with someone else and left Tara and their son for his newfound girlfriend. Tara is divorced now, struggling to raise her son by herself. Her son is 12 now. She has decided never to marry again.

RAMAN*, on the other hand, (with her husband and 5-year-old daughter) also came to Australia a long time ago. Unlike Tara, Raman hasn't got her PR yet, and her PR journey doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. However, she has a loyal husband who has been incredibly supportive since day one. Their daughter is 15 now.

When Raman shared her frustrations with me, I told her to look at the brighter side of her life and to keep trying hard for her PR.

I told her: "Raman, be thankful that you have a loyal husband who is there for you, no matter what. Think about Tara. She has an Australian passport and a good job. Money is not a problem for her anymore. But without a partner, she is extremely lonely."

Raman replied:

🇮🇳 "सर, हस्बैंड से क्या करूँ? हस्बैंड ले लो, पीआर दे दो।"
🇵🇰 "سر، ہسبنڈ سے کیا کروں؟ ہسبنڈ لے لو، پی آر دے دو۔"
“Sir, husband se kya karu. Husband le lo, PR de do.”
(Sir, what do I do with a husband? Take my husband, give me PR.)

Q Emdad's Williams Landing Timetable?

A 10am—11:30am, 4pm—5.30pm, 6pm—7:30pm

ALHAMDULILLAH! Congratulations Sigma!

While many lost faith in me, you didn't. This is just the beginning! I'll come back way stronger, in shaa Allah!

She studies hard.
She takes care of the kids.
She supports the family financially.
She prepares for her PTE.
She does the cooking, cleaning and whatnot.

But the way you treat her sometimes only shows how cold and uncaring you are. No matter what you call your relationship on social media by sharing Women's Day or Valentine’s Day posts with lots of 💓💓, it can’t be called love, unless every day is Women's Day for you.

Have you forgotten how many sacrifices she’s made since marriage? She left her beloved parents and siblings—she changed her entire life just to be a good wife, a good daughter-in-law and a good sister-in-law.

She doesn’t want money for all this relentless effort she puts in.

All she wants is a little recognition, a little appreciation and a pat on the back.

All she wants is a little reassurance from you that you actually care.

I’ll never forget an unexpected moment that happened a few years ago at the Car Wash on Leakes Rd in Truganina.

I was just starting to wash my car when suddenly, a young man with a huge smile came out of nowhere. He immediately bent down to touch my feet (which we Muslims don’t encourage) and excitedly said, "Emdad sir! Emdad sir!"

Before I could even process what was happening, he took the wash nozzle from my hands and started washing the car. I kept telling him to give it back, but he refused to listen. He wouldn't even let me put my own coins in the machine.

After he finished washing the entire car, I told him:

Me: "Sorry, I forgot your name. You really didn’t have to do all that—I feel terrible!"

Him: "Sir, I’m Shoaib from your Sunshine branch. Itne din baad ustaad mile, unki khidmat karne ka mauka mila." (Seeing my mentor after so many days, I couldn't just let it go when I finally had a chance to do something for him).

(اتنے دن بعد استاد ملے، ان کی خدمت کرنے کا موقع ملا۔)
(इतने दिन बाद उस्ताद मिले, उनकी खिदमत करने का मौका मिला।)

His heartfelt words brought tears to my eyes, reminding me once again just how fortunate and blessed I am! ALHAMDULILLAH. ❤️

TODAY is the day. Don’t procrastinate anymore! You’ve delayed enough. If you keep telling yourself, “I’ll start tomorrow,” ask yourself: does this 'tomorrow' ever come? You already know the answer. NEVER.

By saying ‘tomorrow’, we try to escape our responsibilities today. We know that tomorrow we’ll have the exact same excuse, and we’ll just say ‘tomorrow’ all over again. By deceiving ourselves like this, we are refusing to bring hope and colour into our lives.

If you’re happy watching everyone else move ahead while you stay behind, leaving you feeling like a complete failure, then that’s okay. Stay exactly where you are and live with the regret. Don't worry, you can always find someone or something to blame.

If you’re happy going to parties where your friends are celebrating their PR and talking about their future, while you’re still struggling with your score—leaving you feeling like a complete failure—then that’s okay. Stay where you are and keep regretting it. As always, you can use your spouse as the easiest scapegoat.

If you’re happy watching your friends get married after achieving their scores, having beautiful families, and building their new homes in Clyde, Epping, or Thornhill Park, while you feel like a complete failure, then that’s okay. Stay where you are and live with the regret. You can even blame your friends. No one will know the truth anyway.

BUT if you're ready to leave your ego behind and follow every single word I say—attending my classes 4 days a week—then, in shaa Allah, I guarantee you won’t regret it. Just let me take control of your daily routine for the next 6 weeks. That’s all I ask. Do that, and you will never look back at those sleepless nights and dreadful nightmares. Instead, in shaa Allah, your mind will be filled with positive thoughts, occupied with new dreams, and addicted to your own success.

Bagging horse sh*t for the plants! 😂 As Naz loves gardening, my weekend job was to collect some organic fertiliser from a beautiful horse farm in Mount Cottrell.

After 5 long years—from pouring the slab, to dealing with the Porter Davis bankruptcy and endless insurance headaches—we’ve finally made Taylors Hill our new home, ALHAMDULILLAH!

When I first moved to Australia in 2006, an old friend from Bangladesh gave me two pieces of advice—advice I haven’t forgotten, even to this day.

1. "If you’re so picky about halal and haram, you’ll starve in this country."
2. "You won’t get a job here with that beard. If you’re going to be so fussy about your religion, this country is not for you."

Today, when I look back, I feel so thankful that holding onto my faith has opened doors for me rather than closing them!

I only eat halal food. Have I starved for even a single day? No. Allah has helped me find halal food everywhere I’ve been. ALHAMDULILLAH!

I go everywhere in my beard and kurta. Have I failed to earn a living? No. Allah has blessed me with a career and a life far beyond what I deserve. ALHAMDULILLAH!

If your belief is strong, Allah will help you find a way. Had my faith been weak, I would’ve listened to his advice and compromised my values.