Time was running out. Sami's exams were already over but he hadn't found a place to stay. Every flat which seemed affordable was a mess! He wondered if seeking help from the government would be a good idea but Sami had no clue how to go through that.
So out of sheer desperation, Sami decided to ask for help. He waited until evening for when he believed for his friend to be free before dialing his number.
"Asalamu'alaykum," Sami said after Muhammad picked up the phone. He was sat in front of his laptop, trying to search on how to apply for a council flat.
"Wa'alaykumsalaam! How are things going, Samuel?" Muhammad asked and Sami rolled his eyes at his new nickname from their last phone call.
"Need help," Sami replied.
"You've been needing help for a long time," Muhammad said with a laugh but Sami didn't find it so amusing. Muhammad had no idea how true that statement was.
"I'm about to become homeless," Sami said, getting straight to the point. "I've been looking for affordable flats but it's so difficult. I'm trying to increase my hours at work but at the moment, that's not working out and I'm thinking about trying out an application for a council flat but I don't know how to do this. You're living in a council flat, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Do you want me to help you through the process?"
"Please!"
"It might take some time though," Muhammad warned. "Why don't you go back to live with your mum and sister for a while?"
"Being homeless is better than that," Sami mumbled to himself.
"What?"
"My mum practically kicked me out of the house three years ago. I don't think she wants me back."
"Needs are more important than wants. But if you're determined to stay away from there, how about considering renting a room in someone's house?"
"What do you mean? Like, living with a family. That's awkward!" Sami complained.
"I think one of Hina's mum's cousins or something like that, have a spare room which they're planning on renting out at a decent price. I think they'll even cook for you."
"They'll cook for me?" Sami asked, finding it strange.
"As in, they cook large meals and they'll give you some too. Last I heard, they preferred giving the food than having the person on rent hanging around in the kitchen. You can try that out while you look for your own flat. But I think going home would be a wise choice."
"Why is this so difficult?" Sami paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. Home was not an option. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to deal with the constant feeling of anxiety and rejection. "I think I'll prefer renting a room while applying for a council flat. And I guess I keep a lookout for a flat with cheap rent too."
"If you want, I can get more information about Hina's cousin."
"I thought you said it's her mum's cousin?"
"Same difference."
"If it's not too much trouble, that would be extremely helpful," Sami said, hoping this would be the solution. He wasn't planning on staying there for too long.
"Okay, I'll get back to you about that soon," Muhammad replied.
"Jazak'Allah khair, bro. Seriously, I owe you one."
"Relax dude, it's fine. Besides, nothing's confirmed yet."
"Yeah, but you still helped so thanks for that. Anyways, I imagine your wife's waiting for you to get off your phone so I'm going to hang up now."
"I'd try to deny it but I can't lie. She's waiting for me so we can eat dinner together," Muhammad said.
"Oh you lot are that kind of couple. Can't have dinner without each other!" Sami said with a chuckle.
"I'll see what it's like when you marry, Samuel. Anyways, talk to you later, bro."
"Okay, Asalamu'alaykum."
"Wa'alaykumusalaam." Sami hung up and then sighed. All he could do was pray for a way out, like he always did.
Sami thought about the amount he prayed to Allah to help him get through situations he found difficult. He found that he almost always felt as if he was in a difficult situation. It was as if he was praying to just get through life. Sometimes, Sami felt so detached from the world that he only saw it as a journey to get home, to Jannah.(1) But he didn't want to worship his Lord for a reward. He wanted to worship Allah because of his love for Allah. Though he made that his reason for trying his best to practice Islam, he couldn't help but desire Jannah, and eternal peace, as a reward.
Sometimes, Sami felt grateful that he was finding life tough. He reminded himself that Allah gives the toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. Perhaps if it wasn't for his difficulties, Sami wouldn't have the opportunity or desire to turn to Allah as often. Perhaps on the day of judgement, he'd be grateful for all these things he had to face now. Besides, he was quite sure that after death, all his frustration and anxiety would seem microscopic and all that will be left is their consequences, good or bad. He had to remind himself that he was in control of the consequences of his pain. It could help him hold onto his faith and strengthen it, or let it go and weaken it.
It was only a matter of days when Muhammad gave Sami the address of the place, telling him they would be expecting him to come to see the room. That made Sami feel nervous but he concluded that he didn't have a better option. For this reason, Sami didn't waste time before he contacted the owner of the house, setting a convenient time to visit.
Sami prepared for the outcome of his visit, uncertain whether they'd want to give a space in their home to him. He didn't see why they wouldn't. He planned to keep himself to himself and only to communicate for necessity. He didn't plan on mixing with the family and disturbing their peace. But Sami didn't want to have any expectations. Nonetheless, he couldn't shrug off the hope. He needed this.
The owners of the house were a middle aged couple and they had a few teenage kids. The house was quite clean and the room they showed Sami also appeared clean and unused. It looked promising to Sami.
Next, Sami was taken into the living room for questioning. He sat on one sofa with the couple sitting opposite him, asking about his life, why he wanted to stay there, what sort of life did he lead, what time he left for work and came home, what sort of social life did Sami have? So far, Sami was doing well.
"We have quite a systematic way of living and for you, the most important thing would be to try and stay in your room. We have a young daughter in the house, you see. We also expect you to stay out of family affairs and we'll stay out of your way too. We'll provide you with dinner and you may make your own breakfast and lunch since most of the house is empty during those times. You must inform us of the foods you buy for yourself so nothing gets mixed up and we advise you to keep anything that doesn't require a fridge or a freezer in your room," The woman said. Sami hadn't paid attention when they were introducing themselves and he couldn't remember what their names were. He decided he'd just call them aunt and uncle for now.
"Any questions?" The uncle asked and Sami shook his head. He was feeling nervous now. Though he had already planned on living by those rules, having had them spoken aloud made them seem quite difficult to live by. But Sami knew he could do it. He wasn't comfortable around families anyway.
"No... But I thought I'd... I'd just clarify that I only plan to stay temporarily," Sami admitted, trying to control the stutter which was creeping its way into his speech.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm looking for... For a flat but I need a place to... To stay before I find one," Sami told them. "Like I said, I can't stay in my dorm for much longer."
"We'll be honest with you, we want someone more permanent because we need the money," The aunt said.
"Oh," Sami said, feeling disappointed. The uncle then spoke to his wife.
"Nasima,"He began. They spoke in their own language which Sami didn't understand. He waited for them to end their discussion. He caught a few words such as 'Islam' and 'Muslim' while he wondered what that had to do with anything.
"We'll let you stay because we see that you need a place and it's probably our duty to help a fellow Muslim. You can stay as long as you want if you follow our rules properly," The aunt, Nasima, said.
"Thank you so much," Sami replied, feeling relieved.
"You can move in in the next few days," The man said and Sami tried to stop himself from grinning.
"Jazak'Allah khair." That was the end of one problem, sort of.
At least, that's what Sami believed.
***
Radia felt like she was going to burst with excitement. It was her first day at work and she kept trying to hold back her smile which she was sure looked quite creepy.
When Radia got to the building she thought to be her new workplace, she looked down at her phone, where she had noted the address to confirm she was in the correct place. When she was sure, she entered the building and approached the reception desk nervously.
"Hello, how may I help you?" The receptionist asked.
"I'm here to see Lisa Stellar," Radia said. She wondered whether she had said the wrong thing since she wasn't here to see her manager, she was here for her first day at work. But she needed to see her manager first.
"Give me your name and I'll give her a call," The receptionist responded.
"Radia Irfan."
The woman made a call and asked Radia to take a seat, informing her that Lisa would be down shortly.
Moments later, a middle aged woman entered the reception area. When her eyes fell upon Radia, she made her way with an extended arm.
"You must be Radia. I'm Lisa," She said with a big smile. Radia got up and shook her hand, wondering how the woman would have reacted if she wasn't Radia.
"Nice to meet you," Radia replied. Lisa asked Radia to follow her through the building to an office room where others were working. Radia was surprised to find that most of these people were a lot older than her. Only two people were young from amongst the workers.
They all introduced themselves and Radia did the same. Then, Radia was asked to choose where to sit. She decided to sit next to girl who looked around her age and also wore a hijab.
Lisa pulled a chair up and sat next to Radia, explaining to her about this team of hers and how they worked. Then, they took a brief tour of the building and Radia took in how different it all felt. So grown up! When they returned back to the office room, Radia and Lisa sat back at Radia's desk and she was asked to take notes while she learnt about what she would be expected to do and her role in the team.
Though Radia had barely started her first day, she was already set a task and was expected to do a presentation in two days. Radia tried to hide how scared she felt, remaining as professional as she could.
When Lisa left, Radia turned on her computer, wondering what sort of presentation was expected of her.
"Hey, Radia, don't be so nervous. It's just a standard presentation. I'll help you if you want." The girl in the hijab next to Radia smiled encouragingly. She had a really quiet and sweet voice which made Radia feel more comfortable to talk to her.
"Thank you so much," Radia replied, trying to remember this girl's name. What had she introduced herself as?
"You'll soon settle in and become friends with everyone. We're like a family."
"That's nice." Radia racked her brain but couldn't remember the girl's name. After a brief debate in her mind, Radia asked, "What's your name?"
"My name's Zayna."
"Nice to meet you, Zayna," Radia replied. She noticed how Zayna smiled a lot, as if she was holding back a giggle. It made Radia smile too. She hoped that she had finally found a friend she could relate to. She needed a good friend.
"Nice to meet you too," Zayna replied.
They both spoke while they worked until lunchtime. Zayna told Radia of a good place to eat and another worker joined them. She was in her late twenties or early thirties, Radia couldn't tell. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a high pony tail which swung every time she moved her head.
"This is Hannah, my lunch buddy," Zayna introduced. Then she turned to Hannah. "This is Radia, she's new here."
"Hello, Radia!" Hannah said. She also had a sweet voice but was much louder than Zayna. "I've checked out all the local halaal places thanks to Zayna. We should go through them all with you again!" Hannah said, enthusiastically. Radia could tell Hannah was the kind of person who was always bursting with confident energy.
"That would be interesting," Radia replied.
"I'm not Muslim but since Zayna explained the difference between how animals are normally slaughtered and how animals are slaughtered in Islam, I only eat halaal or kosher meat," Hannah said, intriguing Radia. They made their way out of the building and Radia followed the two women.
"Really? That's so cool! What do you know about how meat is slaughtered in Islam?" Radia asked.
"Well, Zayna told me that the animals are usually calmed down, and they're not allowed to see the knife. The knife has to be sharp, sharp enough to finish the animal within three slits to cause minimal amount of pain and then the animal is left to bleed, which is supposed to produce healthier and better quality meat."
"Yeah, it sounds worse than stunning but it's probably a lot less painful than being electrocuted, paralysed and possibly chopped up alive," Radia added with a shudder.
"I was trying to become vegetarian but I couldn't keep away from the chicken so I decided to go with halaal meat. I don't understand why it has to be restricted to Muslims," Hannah said
"We're here," Zayna announced they'd only walked a minute from their workplace. Radia looked up to see a cute little café. "They have the best sandwiches and hot chocolates and everything's halaal."
"Great!" Radia replied as the three of them went in.
They ordered food and sat at a table, discussing various topics.
Radia felt at ease with these two people. She had found a handful of people in the past who she had felt at ease around, but they always ended up distant even if they became good friends at some point. For reasons Radia was unable to understand, she couldn't connect to people as easily as others could. She was picky with friends and she had found two which she liked. She hoped they would stick around.
Pushing aside any negativity and worries, at that moment, Radia felt content with her life and recent success. She decided that perhaps it would be better for her to spend more time on her own rather than rushing into a marriage so quickly. There were other things to keep her occupied and happy. A new job, new friends and a whole new experience.
Glossary:
(1) Jannah – Heaven.