It's Friday night, and after salah I sit down and wait for the youth halaqa to begin and the new sheikh to arrive. Honestly, I'm kind of twisted still from the obstacles that school's been hurling at me so far, but I'm also excited about who this visiting sheikh's going to be. Will he be strict and straight forward? Or will he understand my life as a hopeless teen and give me helpful advice? I push those thoughts away as Bushra sits down next to me. "Assalamualaikum, Rani. How are you? I'm really sorry about last Thursday. I was pretty ticked off, you know?" "Yeah, I get it. Really. It's alright."
***
It turns out that his name is sheikh Ahmed Ansari, and he seems to be the most understanding person I've ever met. His topic for today was peer pressure, and once he started, every single worry washed away like water as the sheikh explained that it's a very common thing to want to combine with the others- and act like a completely different person. "We aren't slaves of people, or popularity," He stated. "Our main goal in life is to please god, and nothing can satisfy you better once you've achieved it."
And for some reason, everything in my mind shifted like clouds fading in a sunny day- resetting themselves, as if they too knew that it wasn't too late to start fresh and play the real way.
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Just Another American
ChickLitYoung Muslim American girl Rani faces the struggles of being strong in her faith while enduring harsh judgments about her religion. Rani tries to keep the two problems at bay, but the chance is either or.
