E i g h t
"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle."
-Lewis Carroll,
Alice in Wonderland-
☆
Mashal
"Okay Marwa now you can start reading." I smiled at the little brown eyed girl sitting across me on the dining table.
"Really?" She squealed in excitement making her chair totter.
I nodded a yes and she began reading, with her finger on the words "Alif.... Laam... Meem......Is this correct?" she asked in her cute low voice and her brown eyes looked at me expectantly.
"Yes it is Marwa! Congratulations you've just read your first words from the Quran!" My voice contained all the happiness and enthusiasm that I felt. It was just the first day of me teaching her and she already picked up a lot. Maybe it was because of her eagerness and love for Allah's book. Ever since Uncle Suleiman dropped her here, I had been teaching her how to join the letters to form a word and now she could finally do it.
"Yipeee!" She shrieked in excitement and jumped up from her chair. Her eyes glowed with happiness and her face shone from her black hijab.
But then suddenly her face fell as if she realized something and she stared at me gloomily.
I couldn't understand how her sudden happiness changed into sadness so I asked, "What's wrong Marwa, aren't you happy?"
"Alif laam meem is not a word. It doesn't mean anything" She sulked down into her chair "You're lying. I still don't know how to read."
It took me some time to register what she meant and then I grinned at her happily "You know arabic?"
"Mhm."
Yep Mashal you're an idiot. She's from Syria so obviously she would know arabic. Another imaginative slap for me please.
"Cheer up Marwa"
I couldn't help but give her a peck on her cheek. She was just so adorable. "Yes alif laam meem is not a word but it is in the Quran. You read it perfectly."
She stayed like that for a moment with a frown on her face and arms crossed. Then she finally uttered "Why would Allah do that? No one else does that."
I chuckled at her innocence and replied "Because only Allah can do what no one else can."
Hopefully my answer made sense because Marwa grinned in amusement and happiness washed over her face again as she pecked my cheek. "You talk like my sheikh!"
"Your sheikh?"
"Yeah! He tells me a lot about Allah. He's the best!"
Marwa's eyes glittered as she talked about her 'sheikh'. It was obvious that she really liked him.
"He even told me that you're a good girl." She added.
"Oh really? Your sheikh knows me?"
My eye brows knitted in curiosity. Now I was really surprised.
"Yep!" She giggled.
I scanned Marwa's face trying to get a clue about who that sheikh was. "What's his name?" I asked.
"He's mine!" She shook her head laughing "I'm not gonna tell you his name. What if he starts liking you more than me?"
"Uh-" I gulped, not knowing what to reply to that. I even felt my cheeks begin to redden because of her comment and I glanced away to hide it.
You better not become shameless again Mashal.
Suddenly our peaceful conversation was disrupted by loud music, which I immediately knew was coming from Minahil's room. I had told her not to play the music today because I had to teach Marwa but she didn't care about that.
"Ugh! This girl. Ya Allah give me patience." I muttered in frustration.
Beside me, I heard Marwa laugh at my words. I glanced at her with a curious look on my face, trying to understand why she would laugh at my misery.
"Sheikh also doesn't like loud music." She replied cheekily to take away my confusion. "He says if he won't listen to the music of this world, he would be able to listen to the Quran in Allah's voice in the hereafter"
I absorbed her words patiently and gasped "Wow!"
I had never ever thought of that. Yes I didn't like music but this was not my niyyah behind it. This "sheikh" whoever he is, is wonderful.
I just felt like I wanted to know more about him. I wanted Marwa to keep on talking about him.
"Ummm....Marwa...." I said hesitantly "What else does your sheikh say?"
She gave me a full gleaming smile and began speaking as if she could talk about this topic for her whole life.
"He says that ummi's not dead. She's sheed and I'm gonna meet her in Jannah."
Even though this was a completely new piece of information for me that her mother had passed away, I managed to ignore the dullness in it and smiled back at her, "Its shaheed Marwa, not sheed."
Marwa's eyes grew wide and she clapped her hands in amusement. "That's also what sheikh says every time! You two are made for each other."
Her words made me blush once again and I bit my lip to refrain from smiling like an idiot.
I don't think Marwa knows what she's saying.
And this 'sheikh' of hers, I need to know him.
Before Marwa could continue telling me more about her 'sheikh' we heard the main door being banged as if someone's life depended on it.
"What's the doorbell for people?" I rolled my eyes and Marwa laughed hysterically behind me as I made my way to open the door.
I was just about to open it when I remembered not wearing my veil so I ran back. "Oh my God! Where's my niqab?"
I stormed around the living room like a mad woman with Marwa's laughter, the idiot knocking our door violently and my sister's choice of music.
Honestly, I should get an award for being in these situations.
"Here it is!" Marwa exclaimed, handing me my veil.
I mumbled a thank you and quickly pinned it up before running back to the door.
"Are you okay?!" Zeyara asked breathlessly as soon as I opened the door. His swollen fists potrayed the effect of the continous violent knocking and an air of tension and worry surrounded him.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at his state, "Yeah Alhamdulillah. But are you okay?" I asked, putting an emphasis on the word 'you'.
At the back of my mind, I could see the flash backs of the last time I saw him and it made the situation more akward.
He took in deep breaths to calm himself down and then dejected in annoyance and irritation. "I had been ringing the door bell for centuries and I knocked the door like an idiot. Even the neighbours came out of their houses but not you!"
Before I could explain to him about my sister's amazing song choice, Marwa came running from the living room, screaming "Zaraaaaaa!"
She immediately leaped onto her brother and he embraced her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around before kissing her forehead.
Zara? ZARA? Wow! Marwa would be the only person who can turn the word Zeyara into Zara and still act cool.
Unaware that she had just changed Zeyara's gender.
I gave a teasing look to 'Zara' and he looked down in embarrassment. "Zara your sister is amazing" I chuckled "She learned to read today."
Zeyara open his mouth, probably to rant about how his name was Zeyara and Zara is a female name but before he could do so, Marwa began blabbing about her day. "Yesssss! I read the Quran today. It was amazing and Matal is amazing too!"
Matal? Seriously Marwa?
Zeyara smirked at me now. It was his turn to mock me on being called "Matal."
I rolled my eyes at him making a mental note that next time I'm gonna teach Marwa how to pronounce my name correctly.
"We should be going now." Zeyara announced as he turned towards his house with Marwa hanging on his back "Allah Hafiz."
"Allah Hafiz Marwa! See you tomorrow." I smiled at her and she waved at me as they walked off.
Good. The akwardness is over. Thank God Zeyara didn't talk about anything to me.
I stood there in the doorway, staring at them walk off, like an idiot who has nothing better to do in life.
Then, as if on cue, the curly haired male version of Marwa turned his head back to glance at me. People feel butterflies in their stomach but I felt eagles in mine as he mouthed without any sound "I prayed for you." Then he smiled and looked away.
Prayed for me?
I shut the door slowly and moved back into the living room, still thinking what he meant by "prayed for me."
And it occurred to me that I was the one who had asked him to pray for me. I gave myself an imaginative slap ( for the second time that day) and smiled with my burning cheeks, remembering the little sticky note that I left in the prayer room that day when I first met him.
"JazakAllah khairun" I mumbled beneath my breath.
Marwa is so lucky to have a brother like Zeyara. They both love each other so much. Seeing them like that today, made me feel an empty spot inside me. I wish me and Minahil were like that.
I wish I had a sibling like Zeyara.
But at the same time, they don't have their mother.
That's just heartbreaking.
Marwa said that her mother is a shaheed. I wonder what actually happened to her.
Thinking of all this, I walked up to my room in exhaustion. All I wanted to do was snuggle in bed and doze off but I dragged myself to the window and peeked out through the curtain.
I don't know what I wanted to see there or why I looked out the window but what I saw was just exceptionally interesting.
Zeyara was standing outside his house, shaking his hand with none other than the Imam from Madina masjid. That same man with black eyes.
I backed off from the window and rubbed my aching temples.
This was just getting crazy with every passing day.
So now I know there's this black eyed man who knows me somehow, then there's Zeyara who happens to be my neighbour and somehow knows the black eyed man....
And then there's that 'sheikh' who also happens to know me.
Wow.
Just wow.
Everyone in the whole wide world somehow knows me and I know no one.
That's it.
I'm not taking it anymore. I'll talk to Zeyara tomorrow when he brings Marwa to my house. I'm gonna clear it all out because I just can't handle it anymore.
☆
I wanted to write more and actually clear out who the sheikh is but I'll save it for next time because otherwise I'll end up writing an extremely long chapter.
But I'll update on Thursday in sha Allah!
And then again on Friday.
(College!)
Thanks for sticking by.
Have a good day!
-Muskaan.