Imam Al Ghazali, sometimes referred to as Hujjatul Islam, once said that “You only truly possess that which you cannot lose in a shipwreck.” Throughout my life, things came and left me. Whenever I counted on someone else to help me or relied on my materials to please me, or even relied on myself to perform at my highest level, I was let down many times. When I was afraid of anything, I would rely on my mother's comfort, until I realized that sometimes I would encounter calamities on my own. Only through hardship was I able to appreciate the inescapable truth and wisdom of this quote by Imam Al Ghazali. All that I possessed in me at all times was the knowledge preserved in my memory, the deeds I have done, and my faith in Allah. The same thing applies to the functioning and success of society. Too often is improvement and urban development characterized by the enhancement of the standard of life and materials. Rather, a better standard of life is the byproduct of development, not development itself. If this is the case, then what is development? Development is a sustainable improvement that does not rely on material factors to exist. Imagine you kill a snake from its head, only to get bit by later because its tail regrew its head. The biggest problems that the United Nations says we face today, such as poverty, hunger, gender equality, health, clean water, infrastructure, economic growth, and climate are the apparent, dangerous head of the snake that we pour our focus on. Rarely do we consider the factors that move the head and allow it to grow again despite our efforts. Illiteracy and a lack of quality global educational systems are the foundations for the world’s biggest problems. Not only that, but they are the culprit for the persistence of dependence upon aid. Even if we raised the standard of living of all people, the persistence of illiteracy combined with limited resources would lurk itself through generations and destroy aid efforts. Therefore, combating illiteracy, and providing a well-rounded, fair education to the entire world is essential to the future sustainability of individuals and society. According to the UNESCO UIS, there are about 770 million illiterate adults around the world. This is a sharp reminder of SDG goal number 4, which is to ensure that all youth and most adults achieve literacy by 2030. This goal can never be achieved without true development that is not lost due to a conflict, sanctions, or limited resources. When seeking educational professions to combat this issue, we overlook the civil engineering discipline and jump to money, politics and government. However, this field embodies the long-lasting ability to improve our essential and social living naturally, unlike other fields. Architecture and infrastructure reflect the identity of a society. In such a pivotal moment, while our educational infrastructure systems are being abandoned in the mainstream, civil engineering is experiencing a downfall in interest. Thus, by the will of Allah, I am determined to improve the true development of current and future generations, especially in Muslim countries, with my college education and cultural approach to infrastructure. As a second-generation Egyptian Muslim, I have seen the negative effects of unplanned urbanization on the political and economic dynamics of society. Urbanization will only increase in the coming years globally, and lots of growth will be occurring in Muslim countries. It is essential to learn from past urbanization shortcomings and invest in the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of individuals and cities to tackle the emergencies of our time.