Unintended Consequences (Act One) Completed

Chapter 21: Study Circles

The Ustaz arrived at the house in the middle of the afternoon with his wife in tow. Zara greeted the couple warmly, kissing the wife and introducing me as her son's wife. The young woman smiled, or at least I think she did. Her face was obscured by her veil in the same pale pink as her headscarf. She threw an arm around me and welcomed me like an old friend. I was instantly uncomfortable and clearly out of my depth.

"Shalene is a teacher, she and her husband met when they were both studying in Azhar," Zara beamed.

The word "Azhar" rang a bell in my head. It was the Yale or Oxford of the Islamic world, whose reputation was rivaled only by those who studied in Madinah Munawara itself. The holy city of the Prophet in Saudi Arabia was another popular destination for students seeking to deepen their Islamic knowledge, whether they were seeking a degree or not.

It was clear that this pair were dedicated to their religion in a way that I had not yet glimpsed. I found it hard enough to drag my heavy body out of bed in time for the dawn prayer with my in-laws. I couldn't imagine how she managed all five prayers, and walking around in this tropical weather in a face veil. How do such creatures exist?

And yet here she stood before me, welcoming me warmly, making me feel ashamed for abandoning all the things I once swore to uphold. I pacified myself with the thought that I'd made those oaths long ago. Before the hurt and the disappointment. Back when I didn't know how easily wolves wore sheep's clothing. Back before...

"We should set up before everybody else arrives,": she said cheerfully. Zara nodded, leading the way to yet another room that I had yet to see. The room she declared the "Majlis" was decorated with a Moroccan theme. The simple calligraphy on the walls, geometric tiled tables, and embroidered floor mats.

"So how did you and my mother-in-law meet?" I still wasn't sure how to address Zara.

"Oh, well she was doing some charity work, last Ramadan, was it?"

"Two years ago," Zara corrected, moving some of the tables to the side and opening a cupboard full of lap desks.

"Yeah, two years ago during Ramadan, she was working to feed the needy. That's how we met. I saw her working, handing out food platters. She looked so out of place. Obviously, she is this fine lady, well dressed and everything. Why is she out here handing out food like that?"

Zara laughed at herself.

"SO I asked her and we started talking. She told me her story and I was really inspired you know. Mashallah, she came through so much and she was now out on the streets at night helping needy people," Shalene said, with genuine admiration in her voice.

"I was impressed by you. She was just married. Instead of spending time home with her husband she was out on the street."

"Oh, ALhamdulillah. So at the end of the night, I saw her husband come to pick her up. He was so sweet. The two of them together you can just feel how they are deeply in love. I was jealous. I didn't really know how to get my husband to be like that with me. So, I just asked her and she gave me some advice. And then she asked me a question but I couldn't give her an answer right away because I needed to look up the answer. So we exchanged contact information and we started like that. Slowly, slowly, we became friends like that."

The two women looked at each other from across the room. There was obviously a lot of mutual respect in their relationship, despite the differences in their ages.

"So it was an even exchange," I teased, helping Zara move the cushions as Shalene put handouts on each of the lap desks. "She taught you how to be a wife and you teach her more about Islam."

"Not just me," Zara said.

Within minutes the doorbell rang again and the room began to fill with ladies. they all greeted each other warmly, like cousins or old teammates. They asked after each other's families and inquired about missing members. It was clear that this lesson had become a new kind of social club for these ladies. I could tell that they all were also from relatively affluent families. The huge wedding rings and modest dresses in fine fabrics and intricate embroidery didn't come cheap. It was only after they were sure that everybody who was coming had arrived that Zara closed the door to the Majlis and the Ustaza removed her face veil.