Hana Saleh's life was a symphony of tradition and quiet contentment. At 20, she was a tapestry woven with the threads of her faith: the warmth of family dinners, the gentle rustle of her hijab as she walked through the bustling streets of New York...
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The sound of my alarm went off around 5am. You're thinking why so early? Well as a practising Muslim girl there are 5 daily prayers. One before sunset, which i'm up and early for. I turn off my alarm and switch on my lamp light on the bedside table.
"Al-hamdu lillahulladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana was ilaihin-nushur." I say the morning dua and got out of bed. I could hear my dad from the bathroom, already brushing his teeth and making that sound that all dads do. Why you ask me? ask them. I have no clue. At this rate he'll wake up the whole family, which isn't bad as they do need to get up and pray.
As I hear my dad exit the bathroom, I rushed out my door and into the bathroom. My brother frowns as he was only 1 second away from getting in.
"Better luck next time." I laugh and shut the door in his face. Me and my brother are close, closer than most Asian and African families. I grab my electronic toothbrush. I specify electronic as i'm a clean freak, not soo much that i have a problem but i like to maintain my health and cleanliness. After brushing, I do my intentions and then wudu. I always felt that this was the most cleanliness i could possibly get, even if i do shower everyday.
I finished after a few minutes and made sure to turn the water to cold to prank my brother. Me and him have this prank wars going on and it's 13:10. Of course I scored 13 points.
I smiled and pat his shoulder as he waits for me to exit the bathroom.
"Al-hamdu lilllahillahi adhhaba anninal-adha wa afani" I say the dua for existing and entered my bedroom. I was a minimal girl, and liked the colour brown. Even though I had the smallest room, I loved it. It was my safe place, my love and my comfort.
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I put on my prayer clothes, it was a cute cream colour with small red roses. My dad had got me two pairs of them from Saudi Arabia. They really did have the best modest wear.
