Light Upon Light

#7 The First Day

Assalamualaikum!

Hope you've all had an amazing day. And if it wasn't, don't worry Allah definitely has something good in store for you. You cannot enjoy the sweetness of ease without the bitterness of hardship. :)

Another chapter in the life of Junaina Ali!

Enjoy.

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#7 The First Day

Last night, for the first time in forever, I felt the need to pray.

I forgot about organizing my wardrobe and all the other things I had planned for the rest of the day. I just felt desperate to pour my heart out in prayer. Belatedly I realized, it had been so long since I last prayed, I didn't even know what to do. I am ashamed to admit I've never sincerely prayed in my life.

I didn't even know the qiblah, the direction towards which I should point my face while in prayer. Ayesha Di could help me with that. I walked out and stood in front  her closed door, fist raised to knock. Then I dropped my hand and went right back to my room. What on earth would she think of me if she found out I didn't know how to pray?

I ended up sitting by the window seat. The curtains were billowing about with a breeze which felt calm and cool. I gazed up at the night sky and this time I felt reverence. Beyond the beauty of the stars and the moon and the inky midnight sky, I revered the wisdom of Allah.

There weren't any words to my prayer.

I just closed my eyes and sat there for a long time, hands clasped together. Though my prayer was silent, it expressed much more than a thousand words. I was so lost in it that Ayesha Di's touch startled me. She was smiling up at the vision before us.

"Subhan Allah," she said.

Just two simple Arabic words. But the tone with which she uttered them was beautiful.

"It's a great view huh?" I asked.

"Yep, but you can enjoy it later. It is time for dinner and its better if you go to bed soon. You've got an early day tomorrow."

That soured my mood.

'I thought school started in June?'

'It begins a few weeks before June for the high-school kids,' Di explained.

Great. A punishment on top of another. And God only knows how those desi people would treat me.

Dinner time was fun. Irfan Phuppa was present this time around and Chachu was regaling him and Shoaib Bhai with Samar's brave exploits. The whole family errupted in laughter. He seemed to be willing himself into invisibility as he shrunk into his seat.

"Ohho Samar! So you're gonna play the macho over protective brother role from now on huh? Juni won't have to worry about the fools at Marwa," Shoaib Bhai said, clapping Samar's back.

"I don't think so. Juju is quite the wild cat," Samar pointed out.

The idiot grabbed the first chance to turn the spotlight away from him.

"So what if I am? Why do we girls have to rely on you idiots for protection all the time?" I questioned the boys.

The adults were being quite mature and letting us handle things on our own by laughing at each of us in turn. So much for being grown ups. Even Dadi could not hold back her smile.

"That's right! Our Juni is no damsel in distress," Didi remarked in my support.

"That's enough bantering kids! Finish your food fast, Samar and Juni you both get to bed soon. You don't want to miss your bus tomorrow," Phuppi said putting a full stop to our antics.