Project Muslimah [COMPLETED]

Lesson Ten: When It Gets Hard, Pray

Amarah

If I knew it was going to be this hard, I would have still carried on with this journey. Because hardship only proves... that you're getting somewhere.

I found two members from The Red Society in one day. Finding the rest could take a year though. I wasn't really confident about doing this whole thing anymore but I was still surviving. It was a Saturday, almost a week since I found two of The Red Society members. I was with Umar's mom grocery shopping. Yup, I did grocery shopping just like every other mother, except... I'm not a mother... yet.

"How's school?" Umar's mom asked. I was looking at a red shiny apple. Personally I hate the taste of apples but sometimes they look so beautiful.

"Fun." I said, smiling at the apple.

"Really?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah. My boring school life has turned into a fantasy fair. Why wouldn't I be happy?" I asked, looking up at her.

"If that's the way you think, then it's fine...." She replied. "But if you can't take it anymore, come talk to me." She said, smiling. The whole week I suffered from them. Sometimes it got to me and sometimes it didn't. I was sort of mentally broken down by the fact they were trying to frame me for someone's murder. Where did those knives come from anyways? The truth is, I'm not fine with it, but I still don't want to let it to get to me so I'm ignoring the pain. I'm not in denial, but I'm just ignoring the pain. "Oh, I wanted to ask you this from the start, but how did you meet Umar and Ayyub?" She asked.

"It wasn't anything special. Binyamin wanted to pray some place and Mr. Keith told me to show him around the school. So I ended up taking him to the quitest room which was the art room, and that's where we found your sons." I said, plainly.

"When Ayyub started talking again, I thought it was a miracle. You told him a Du'aa right?" She asked. I nodded, smiling.

"I tried a lot of stupid ways before that du'aa" I replied.

After the grocery shopping ended, I realized it was Saturday and I hadn't been to the masjid at all. So I went there. When I entered, it was freezing. The AC was on at full blast which I was glad for. I mean, I just came in completely tanned and blazing hot, so obviously it was a blessing.

I didn't pray Zuhr yet, so I took the chance to do it. I saw no one there at all. It was the ladies section, but it was completely empty. After I prayed I went to the book shelf and looked through the books. I wasn't a reader , but I needed to learn it somehow. A niqabi came in and saw me hold The Sealed Nector. She walked up to me briskly saying salaam.

"Wa Alaykumasalaam." I replied. Another Muslim! Wait... it is a masjid.

"Are you looking for the Seer'ah classes?" She asked. How did she know?

"What? Yeah. How did you know?" I asked.

"You're holding The Sealed Nector." She replied. I could feel her smiling under her niqab. "The room's down the corner. I'm going there too so I'll show her." She said, gleefully. "What's your name by the way?" She asked.

"Amarah, and you?"

"Jasmin." She said walking me to the place. "Is this your first time in this masjid?" She asked.

"It's my first time in any masjid."  She turned to me.

"You're a revert?" She asked.

"Yup. I guess you could say that." I said, quietly.

"Wow! You're like the fifth revert I met!" She said, as we reached the room. Before she opened the door, she said, "It's going to be really quiet when we go in but the Lecturer's nice and funny." She opened the door and quickly went in and sat down on an empty spot. I stared awkwardly at everyone for a few seconds. The Sheikh was at the front talking, and the guys were sitting to one side and the girls were sitting to another. I slowly made my way through the chairs to find an empty seat in front of the niqabi I just met. Jasmin. I listened to every word and became so interested in the way the Sheikh spoke. He could charm people with his voice. He sort of sounded like Binyamin. But he looked nothing like Binyamin. He looked really young. Maybe twenty? Probably younger than Binyamin? After the lecture was done, I turned around to see Jasmin talking to a whole bunch of girls.