Broken Foundations

Chapter5~ Meet Fariha

Bismillah Rahman Raheem
In the name  of Almighty Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful
~

Good morning, someone said right from behind me startling me out of my reverie.
Oh Fariha good morning, I graced her with a charming smile. Well Fariha was my neighbor and we were friends or acquaintances.

What are you doing outside staring at nothing, she stared at me amused.
Thinking of your kids and husband, she teased.

You could say that  I mean the baby kept me awake all night.  I teased her in return.
My aunt is out and I am bored out of my mind so why not stay outside and enjoy the scenery peacefully, I forced a smile. I really envy her, I mean what's not to envy she's beautiful, smart and lots of things that I haven't been able to discover because she never associates with people and it angers  me and so being myself  I did everything to make her my friend and it worked so here we are.

Faith Faith what's wrong she looked at me worriedly.

Nothing, I sighed.

It's not nothing if you are zoning out talk to me.

I oddly felt comfortable around her like I could spill my deepest secrets even though we were merely friends.

Tell me is it your aunt, she questioned again.

Why are you always so happy? I blurted out.

Hmmm? she asked perplexed.

I mean you always look so happy and I hate it so much. I just wish I could be like you..... Always smiling with no worries.

Don't say that, you can be happy if you want  to and FYI I am not always happy. I do have my moments but hasbi Allah, Allah is sufficient for me.

Allah? Your God?

Our God.

Yeah right, I snorted you want me to believe that he is our God I laughed sardonically. What has he done for me? nothing absolutely nothing.
No mother, no father nothing and you preach faith! I don't have faith in anything but myself, I yelled.

The only Faith I have been exposed to is not even concrete, we go to church last Sunday of every year and I am sure Christians don't practice their religion like that.
We didn't even have a Bible in our home so we couldn't even call ourselves Christians. My mum didn't understand what she thought she  practiced, it was simply a blind man leading another blind man and in such situations the both are bound to lose their way.

What has God done for you, you ask. We have gotten so used to special things being normal for us that we forget to thank God for it.
You don't have parents so what? You are not the first and you certainly won't be the last, you weren't even orphaned from birth.
There are many people out there that can't breathe without the use of oxygen masks, people that can't walk and use wheel chairs, people that can't eat on their own.
People that can't do basic things on their own without the help of others and we can and you say God has done nothing for you.
Very pitiful that's why God takes things away from you so that you can know the importance. Do you know how many people will give anything to be in your place, to just be able to move one part of their body.
So instead of you counting everything Allah has not done for you have you taken time to thank him for the things he has done. It says in the holy book
"if you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favour and if you deny indeed my punishment is severe." You have not been grateful so how do you expect good tidings to come your way.
I tell you to have faith Allah has a plan for you and I say give this a chance. You had no one to guide you before but you have me now, Try Islam she urged.

I can't I said resignedly ignoring her earlier rant because I had nothing to say to it. I have no choice I continued I can't  practice any faith and I don't want to because at the end when I am tossed at another family member I will be forced to adopt their faith. I can't practice religion alone. I won't be allowed to and I don't want to be thrown out or give my aunt another reason to hate me simply because I joined the religion of terrorists.
As you can see my Aunt isn't exactly fond of your faith neither am I but its not only your faith every faith in general.

It hurts to know that you think of us that way and since you have known us have I or my parents ever given you the impression that we could hurt you, she said through gritted teeth.

No but....

But what she yelled because the way I see it you seem to have the notion that that we are terrorists. Is that what you think when you see a Muslim or anything related to Islam, she asked softly. If so I pity your ignorance a person once said you believe in none of what you hear and all of what you see.
When you understand this come find me until then I am not ready to befriend a person who thinks I would blow her to pieces or shoot her dead at the slightest provocation.
You can't judge people based on the actions of some people, she angrily stalked off.

Hmmn.... I sighed what did I do now.

The next few weeks passed by uneventfully. My aunt was oddly in a good mood but Fariha avoided me like the plague but I didn't mind though she wasn't really that important and if she could get offended over something so miniscule as calling them a terrorist well she could as well blow me up for not being a Muslim and I wasn't even lying.
Good riddance to bad rubbish I thought.

Salam
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