An American Muslimah

Morals and Take Home Lessons

Assalamualeykum/heyy guys,

I know im kinda late but Eid Mubarak!!! I hope u all had an amazing Eid :)

Now getting back to my book, i know this is long overdue but i really wanted to write a chapter based on all the morals one can take from this book as I strongly believe all books have morals. So here they are:

Be confident when wearing the hijab. I know many times we feel intimidated on wearing it but you should always remember that you're doing it for Allah and no one else. When Laila was bad mouthing Aisha in the washroom, Aisha was hurt but she didn't take off her hijab.

Choose your friends wisely, especially your high school friends! The friends you make in high school can drastically change you. Trust me. I've been to high school and I saw the change in me when I changed friends. Some friends can lead you the wrong direction with peer pressure. Dont do things you're not comfortable in doing because you will enter high school as a teenager, but will graduate as an adult. Its because of peer pressure many take off their hijab, date, smoke, etc. So if you know a couple of friends who aren't good role models, leave them.

Fight evil with good. In chapter 5 when Abraham was making out with Laila in front of her locker to purposely aggravate her, Aisha did not give in. Rather she ignored them and went her way. Fight fire with water and not with fire so guard your actions and think twice before you act.

Always knock before entering your sibling's bedroom. I can't emphasize this enough. Many times we think it's okay just to walk in as it is your house, but we forget that our siblings bedroom is their private area. In chapter 6 Suleiman made this mistake and walked into Aisha's bedroom without knocking and ended up seeing Maryam. Seeking permission before entering is a command in the Qur'an:
O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants. That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded. And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you, "Go back," then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is Knowing of what you do. (Qur'an:24:27-28)

Dress modestly even if you're not a hijabi. I purposely placed a scene in chapter 6 of Abraham's sister, Jennifer being harassed. She was wearing revealing clothing which attracted those men to her. Now don't get me wrong. Rape and sexual harassment is never the girl's fault and nor is she asking for it if she chooses to dress immodestly. It is however plain idiocy to dress like that and not expect to get those "looks" from men. Men will be men after all. I mean would you walk around with all your bling and jewelry in a place where you know there are robbers? I dont think so. Likewise why would you dress in revealing clothes where you know men will look at you. So girls please do yourself a favour and cover up.

Fix your hijab. In chapter 7 Aisha got bullied by a couple of guys who were talking indecent about her body shape and chest size. Allah swt tells us women to cover up and most importantly wear the hijab on purpose. From the Qur'an we are told:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. (Qur'an:24:31).

From this verse we learn that we must also cover our head and lower the fabric that we're using to cover our head with to also cover our chest. Allah swt is our Creator and He knows best how He created men and women. A part of a woman's beauty is her bosom and I think we all are very well aware of this. Aisha's mistake was that despite wearing a hijab, it did not cover her chest. It wasn't after this incident that she learned to also cover her chest area. No man should ever be able to guess your bra size. So if you don't already do this, please make sure to do this :)

Speak up! In chapter 8, the discussion of 9/11 came up. We should all learn how to speak up against ignorance and hate. After all, a believer encourages good and fights off evil. Many times it's just ignorance and baisness that lead people to hate others. So instead of remaining silent and leaving them in ignorance, enlighten and educate them.

Never think you know how other's feel. In chapter 9 Aisha started to think that her neighbour, Ms.Gale disliked her. But it wasn't after a while that she learned more about Ms.Gale's life and understood her. Always give others the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance. If someone's bothering you, instead of collecting evil thoughts about them, address them in a respectful and appropriate manner.

Inform non-Muslims about your limits and belief. In chapter 13, Ms. Jayce, their gym teacher had told them to wear shorts and shirt but Aisha and Maryam remained firm on their Islamic teachings and persisted on wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts. Trust me, when you're firm on your belief they will leave you alone and let you practice Islam. It's only when you're shy and hesitant about Islamic teachings when they use that opportunity to stop you. In short no one can stop you from practicing your beliefs so be firm.

Never think that you're ugly. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way as Allah swt is our Creator. Don't think you have to wear makeup, etc. to impress guys. Rather put your trust in Allah swt. Aisha had a bit of a low self-esteem due to being overweight for years which lead her to become anorexic bulimic , but at then end the same guy who bullied her ended up falling for her and marrying her. So always put your trust in Allah swt and be happy the way He created you.

So that's it guys. I really hope "An American Muslimah" benefitted you guys and you took at least one lesson from it. May Allah swt guide us to the right path and make us remain steadfast. Ameen.