ZULEIKA
On Friday, I experienced my first Jummah at the An Nasir Masjid on the Eastside of Detroit. When we first arrived at the masjid, Khadijah introduced me to the community. The women were very welcoming as they greeted me with hugs and kisses on the cheek. A lot were amazed that Asad and I got married so quickly. I was asked many questions about the meeting, but I barely understood the words. My English was not that great. Khadijah translated most of the questions.
When it was time for the khutbah, Khadijah and I sat in a different room adjacent to the Musallah. We watched the khutbah on HD monitors that are mounted on the wall. I found the experience heartwarming seeing Muslim women gather in mass.
However, I did feel uncomfortable as one particular person gave me unwelcoming stares. Suffiya was sitting to my far left. Her eyes were focused on me the whole time until we prayed for Jummah's prayers. After Jummahprayers, Kadhijah and I went to the Imam's office. Asad and Ummar were waiting for us with the residing Imam named Ayan Ibn Malak. Today we had planned to get another marriage for legal purposes for my citizenship.
Last week Asad had my birth certificate translated into English per request of the Wayne County Clerk Office as a requirement to obtain a marriage license. I was allowed to get an American birth certificate. During that time, Asad paid for the marriage license.
After retaking our wedding vows, we planned small family dinner. Before we left, I had to use the bathroom.
Once I was done with my business and washed my hands, Suffiya walked into the bathroom. When I saw her behind me in the mirror, I decided to leave, but Suffiya blocked my way.
"Well, hello there," Suffiya replied with a grin that made me feel uneasy. It was not a friendly grin but a grin that hid bad intentions. I tried to walk around her, but she remained in her position, keeping me from leaving the bathroom.
"Now, don't be rude! We can finally talk!"
"I can't talk; I have to go!" I replied with broken English."
"You can spare a few minutes."
"What do you want?"
"I want to see the woman who married my husband."
"What I hear, you divorced Asad. Asad is my husband now!"
"We'll see about that. Just remember who taught Asad how to move in bed when he is making love to you."
Hearing her how crass how Suffiya was talking made my blood boil. I could not see how a gentle soul like Asad could even marry an unclassy woman. I could not stand here any longer and let her talk like this in a holy place.
"Ya' Allah! Have you no shame!"
"Have you no shame sleeping with my man!"
"What I hear, you are the one that was unfaithful and left him. You expect him to come back to you after your act of infidelity?"
"I admit, I have my mistakes, but you sure made one marrying Asad. I will make sure he divorces you!"
"I will never divorce him. I will make sure I will be the wife he needs."
Suffiyah became upset. She pushed me against the wall. I could not believe she wanted conflict. "Listen to me, girl! I am going to remarry Asad. You can either step aside or get out of my way. The choice is yours," Suffiya replied with gritted teeth.
I stood there, confused, as I did not know what to do. I wanted to leave, but I had to pass Suffiya to get to the door. If I attempt to go again, she would see it as another opportunity to assault. I was frozen with fear and confusion about what to do. "That's right. You better recognize that I am not playing with you," Suffiya replied as she approached me in an intimidating manner. Suffiya's assault immediately stopped when Kadhiya came in. Mashallah, her timing could not have been perfect.
"Zulaika, are you okay in here," Khadija asked. Khadija's face immediately drained of cheerfulness as she saw Suffiya in the bathroom. Khadijah had a look of concern when she looked at me as I wiped tears from my eyes.
"What is going on in here!"
"Hey, mom..." Suffiya replied as she put on a fake smile. Suffiya had great skill in manipulating and deceiving. However, Khadija saw right through her.
"Hold it, don't you ever call me that." You had lost that privilege when you cheated on my son and left him for another man. I think you should go find your affair partner."
"Mrs. An-Nas..."
"Stop saying my name! What are you doing here!"
"I was just congratulating Zuleikahere!"
"I just bet. Listen to me, girl. You stay away from my son and my daughter-in-law. You disgust me!"
"I resent that!"
"Zuleikacome on honey, let's go!" Khadija commanded in Arabic. Khadija stood between Suffiya and me as I left the bathroom like a protective mother. Once I left the bathroom, Khadija followed.
Khadijah told Asad about Suffiya being in the bathroom as I sat in the car. "That girl is up to no good. You and Zuleikaneed to be careful," Khadijah replied.
"Thanks for the heads up," Asad replied.
When Asad entered the car, he looked at it with concern. I looked down, trying to hold back more tears that forced their way down my cheeks. "Are you okay," Asad asked. I nodded my head, affirming that I was. However, that was not the truth. I did not want my husband to get upset or worry about me. "You can tell me if Suffiya said anything inappropriate to you," Asad replied.
I told him what Suffiya said to me. Asad was furious, but I grabbed his hand and begged him to calm down. "Don't worry, Habibi. Let's not let her ruin our day. We just got married for the second time," I replied with a forced smile. Asad looked at me and smiled back. "You are right; forget Suffiya! Come on, let's go enjoy our marriage meal," Asad replied.
I, Asad, Khadijah, and Ummar went out to eat. We went to a Halal open grill. There was a buffet of ingredients for customers to create their dish. Asad mixed a steak teriyaki stir fry. I made a chicken stir fry with General Tso glaze. Ummar and Kadhija decided to create a fish curry stir fry with mango sauce. The food was delicious. Once we were done with our meal, Asad and I went home.
*****
When Asad and I settled in our home, the doorbell rang not long before. It was a package delivery by UPS. Asad signed for the delivery before carrying it into the kitchen. I was anxious to see what was inside.
"What are those!"
"Oh, these are your wedding gifts."
"What are they?"
"You just have to open them and see," Asad smiled.
Asad carried the boxes to the kitchen table. Asad cut the sealing tape with a box cutter but did not open them. He gave me that privilege. When I opened one of the boxes, it was full of Mac makeup products. That included four different color palettes, brushes, eyeliners, and others that were a starter kit. I looked further inside and saw ten tubes of henna. The next box I opened was full of electronics. A laptop, a microphone, a light kit, and something he called a black backdrop.
"You bought this for me?"
"Of course."
"You shouldn't have! You already spent a lot on me."
"Consider it a proper wedding gift."
"What am I going to do with this."
"Well, you said you wanted a job, so I figure while you are working on your education, you can start your own Youtube channel."
"Will I make money from it?"
"At first, no! With time and patience and, if you build a good following, you can get paid sponsors and partnerships."
"The makeup is fine, but I don't know how to use half of the equipment."
"Don't worry. I have some training in media production. I'll help you."
"Where are we going to do the channel?"
"Well, I am going to make haste getting that living room painted and cleaned up."
"If you think I can do it, then I am willing to do it for you."
"No, don't do it for me. Do it for you."
"How about we do it for us," I smiled.
Asad had finished making repairs to the living room for the next week. Asad painted the living room an eggshell brown color and stained the floors to a cherry red color. Asad knew his way with construction tools, which I admired about him. Once the paint had dried and the floor dried, we decorated the house with new curtains and furniture.
Asad had set up my home studio equipment in the corner where he reserved it for my use. Asad showed me how to use them. Asad helped me make a few practice videos until I was comfortable uploading one to my Youtube channel. Asad and I publicly announced our marriage to the Muslim community on social media for our first video. We received many positive comments.
"Mashallah, I am so happy that you found love again, brother."
"Inshallah, you will have a bountiful marriage." These were only a few comments to the hundreds that were posted. However, all were not kind with their words, as I only saw one who has a problem with our marriage."
"Wow! You had to go across the world to find a wife? What's the matter? You could not find an American wife." The commentator had a pseudo name, "DA ONE WHO HE CALLED WIFE!" Asad told me not to mind as he knew Suffiya trolled us.
When I have finally recorded a makeup tutorial video, I posted it to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and my Instagram account I named "ZULEIKA's COSMETICS & FASHION." I know that there are many channels like mine, but I like to do them as a hobby. I did not get many views or comments for the first few days, but the number started increasing after the third day. There were very encouraging comments. Yet, Suffiya trolled me. She made hateful comments, such as; "Will someone please tell this woman who does not know how to apply to make up. Come on, give it up!"
I started to worry because Suffiya's behavior was becoming unbearable. I told Asad what was happening. He said to ignore her and keep up the great work. My hubby's words were very uplifting. I cannot see why Suffiya would give him up, and I can see why she wants him back. Asad is a natural gentleman. Within the next week, Asad had returned to work as his vacation was over. While he was at work, I created a daily routine to stay busy while he was gone.