LOOK AT ME (Muslim Story)

LOOK AT ME (8)

"Fatima I've said it about fifty times, I just can't get it right." I slumped my shoulders and pouted my lips. This was just impossible. How does she say it so smoothly?

"It's easy. Asalaamu alaikum." She spoke the words like water. Why was it so easy for her to say that? Ah maybe because she's been saying it her whole life idiot.

I sighed not ready to repeat these words again, "Asamalamalaakum."

She slapped her forehead.

I could've sword I got it right!

I've been at Fatima's house four hours now. I'm surprised my dad hasn't called, usually he gets worried about now. It's nine PM, and we're sitting on her bed doing math homework while she teaches me some Arabic Words that Muslim people say to each other.

"I just don't understand. Why is your 'hello' so long? Why can't it just be asamala instead asamalamakum?" I whined. I knew I was being annoying but what can I say? Muslim language was so hard to learn. I was trying to know how I can communicate with Ahmed, how I can prove to him that I am, in fact, aware of Islam and it's ruling religion.

She chuckled, "Because. When we say 'asalaamu alaikum, were techinically saying 'peace be upon you'. It's how we greet each other when we see each other."

Peace be a upon you? That's such a cool thing to say whenever you see your fellow religion practicer. I find that super respectful. What's Hello? What the hell does hi, hey and hello mean? Gosh.

I nodded actually pretty interested, "Okay so tomorrow at school, I'm going to tell him asamalamakum and he's going to like me."

Obviously that wasn't true. I had to do so much more than just say 'peace be upon you'. I really had to put effort into this one. But hopefully, he'll be impressed. That's the goal right?

"That's just one word though. And you still can't even get it right. Try learning something else."

"Like what?" I cocked my head.

After thinking about what she should teach me, she snapped her fingers when she knew, "Like how to say thank you!"

"How to say thank you?"

"How to say thank you!" She repeated before getting off the bed to make her entire speech a tad more interesting, "In Islam, we usually address each other with a Dua."

"A dua?"

"A dua." She flipped her hair, "It's like a small mini prayer that we say to each other just like asalaamu alaikum. The way we say 'thank you' is also a dua."

That's one of the strangest words I've ever heard. Who's coming up with these things?

A dua.

"It's jazakallah." After a while of my silence from hearing that extremely unfamiliar word, she laughed before repeating it again, "Jazakallah. And if you want to extend it, you can say jazakallahu khayran."

Does she really expect me to say that?

I scoffed, "Your crazy if you think I'm going to say that."

The way she said that word was crazy. She told me she was Indian or paki or whatever but she can pronounce that word with ease! She sounds just like an Arab. It's crazy, she's got the accent and everything. The way she pronounced the second part was unbelievably beautiful. I wish I can talk like that.

"Emerald, please." She begged, "Whenever Ahmed tries to help you another time against Avery and her friends, you can thank him this way. By giving him a dua. Try it."