This is a series of fairytales... with a Muslim twist. How will Rapunzel let down her hair if she's wearing hijab? How will Snow White wake up if Prince Charming isn't already married to her? How will Cinderella make it to the ball if dancing and m...
"Hurry Mama, I wanna see him again!" Huriyah exclaimed. Her mother sighed.
"Stop dragging me Huriyah, we'll see him soon," her mother said. Huriyah kept quiet until they neared his stall. The merchant was there, reading a scroll just like last time.
"We're here, we're here!" she shrieked. The merchant looked up and smiled at his new friend.
"Huriyah calm down!" her mother scolded. She took her daughter by the hand and walked towards the merchant.
"Hello again young lady," he greeted Huriyah kindly. He noticed her mother. "And hello to you too ma'am," he greeted her politely. Huriyah's mother smiled.
"Are you the merchant that offered to teach my daughter how to read?" she asked him.
"Yes ma'am," he responded.
"Can I leave her in your care then? I need to buy more things and Huriyah won't let me," she said. The merchant smiled.
"Of course ma'am. I'll make sure little Huriyah won't get into any trouble," he assured her.
"Thank you so much," Huriyah's mother said. "Oh, how much does it cost? You know, to teach her to read and to care for her?" she asked.
"There is no charge ma'am," the merchant quickly said. "I enjoy the company and I enjoy teaching others how to read, there is no fee," he said. Huriyah's mother glanced at her daughter.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Positive," the merchant replied.
"Please take care of my daughter then," she said before turning to Huriyah. "Behave yourself, okay," she said to her before walking off. Huriyah jumped in excitement.
"Shall we get started?" the merchant asked her.
"YES!" Huriyah shrieked. The merchant chuckled.
"Let's learn the alphabet first," he said. He took out a scroll and began pointing at symbols. "Elef," he said, pointing at a letter that looked like a small line. "Baa'," he said, pointing at a letter that looked like a flat bowl with a dot underneath it. "Taa':" he pointed at a letter that looked like baa' but that had two dots above it instead. He continued to point at the letter and list their names.
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Huriyah paid close attention and learned their names quickly. The merchant began quizzing her by pointing at a letter and having her identify it. He pointed at a bowl shaped letter with a dot in the middle of it. "Noon," she identified. He continued to point at letters and she continued to identify them. "Thaa'," "khaa'," "laam," "meem," "wao," "raa'," she said. The merchant was impressed.
"You learn fast," he praised. Huriyah smiled happily. "Now that we've learned the names of the letters, we're going to learn how each is pronounced," he said. "It's very simple. The sounds they make are the same as the first parts of their names." Huriyah tilted her head, confused. The merchant noticed her confusion. "Let me give you an example," he said. He pointed at the letter elef. "What's this letter?" he asked her.
