Lost

Chapter 50: Beast Wars

"Ha!" James snapped his fingers. "I always knew Sally was psychotic!"

"Oh please." Salma rolled her eyes at him.

"Anne, Mum." Asim stuck his tongue out. "Explain yourselves!"

"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, really." Anne shrugged, running her hand through Salma's hair. "The true form of the command is what Sally follows. We are to cover from every Non Mahram . . ."

Anne trailed off. She was obviously feeling uneasy. How would she explain why they did not follow a command of Allah, so casually.

"The form you see mum and Anne following," Salma spoke up, " is a mixture of culture and Islam."

Dean and James frowned.

"What do you mean?" they asked in unison.

"You see Islam is straight forward on the issue," Salma explained, "Mahrams allowed. Non Mahrams banned. However, when Islam spread to areas where people were used to living in large families, they decided to be rather creative about it and made a distinction between family, and non-family non mahrams."

"Family Non Mahrams?"

Salma nodded, "Many Muslim families who observe the hijab or niqab have relaxed the rule around their cousins, brother in laws etc. to make it easier for them co-exist. Some, like my mum and Anne take care of a certain things like covering their hair and bodies and being respectful and stuff but most have totally removed that line. It's all permissible for them so far as they are concerned."

"Is that even okay?" James asked, incredulous. "I thought you said you don't have a say in what is commanded in Islam."

"We don't." Salma shrugged. "But this sort of thing has become so common and widely accepted that most don't even know, let alone follow, the true form of Allah's command. That is why people like me become the odd one out. Though to be fair, what mum and Anne do is still better and closer to the real deal than completely deserting the idea altogether."

Anne smiled at her.

"We're slowly reverting back to the real deal," her mother said affectionately. "Thanks to you."

Salma grinned. After her declaration of following the rule in it's purest form, her mother and Anne had started reforming their ways little by little too. They avoided hand shakes with the men in the family and tried to be as covered as possible.

"Then how did Sally end up being the psycho?"

"Stop calling me that!"

James grinned in response.

"I studied the Quran and found out the the clear commands." Salma shrugged. "It was a bit tough in the beginning and a few people were offended but, here we are. In short, I study what I follow unlike you, dimwit!"

"Oi!" James protested.

***

Asim opened the front door only to reveal Anne waiting outside.

"Anne?" Salma frowned, fixing her bag on her shoulder. "Assalamo'Alaykum, what brings you here so early in the morning."

"Wa'Alaykum Assalam. Can you guys give Will a ride?" Anne asked, "Dawood is busy and I need Will's car for later."

"Sure thing, Anne," Asim chirped.

Anne smiled and kissed his cheek.

"He's waiting outside."

Salma sat in the back to let boys converse with ease, which they did. She tuned them out, only snapping back to the present when Asim stopped the car near the 'Biological Sciences' block.