MARINA

Chapter 01

                     MARINA

  THE GLORY OF A MUSLIM GIRL

Chapter  01

Fajr. 

(First prayer of the day)

It was Fajr and I barely recognized the time. I forced my eyes open and moved under the sheets. I looked at my radium clock and it read "5:23 a.m". I wiggled around and pushed the blanket off of me. Yawning, I climbed off my bed and walked towards my window to push it open. I looked at the dim lights of the city and the sky was barely lit up. It wasn't completely dark too. I could see the heavy smoke swirling in the air from some house just little far away. I lived in an apartment and ours was on the fifth floor. Fortunately, its height is good enough for the beautiful view of the city at nights. I don't have a balcony in my room. I just have a big window and it's the only place where I spend most of my time. I either study sitting here or write some poetry. The view really does help.

I don't waste another second and make my way to my washroom. When the cold water started flowing through the tap, I rinse my hands and perform wudu. It's what we do before praying Namaz. We need to get cleansed up. Wudu was a part of me. I felt uneasy if I ever stepped out of house without it. It's not the typical Muslim culture but it depends on who actually devotes themselves to it. Always staying in Wudu, not many of us do it in this century. But my story was different. Way different.

I was brought up in an orthodox family.

After I was done, I walked to fetch my Janimaz. It's the cloth on which we pray daily. I wrapped my long scarf over my head and got ready for the first prayer of my day. It took me about 5 minutes to get done with my Namaz. It was already 6 in the morning so I decided to whirl away the time reading the Quran. It has been my normal routine since my childhood. The difference now is that my mother wouldn't have to wake me up herself anymore. I have the habit of waking up at 5 in the morning without the help of any alarm. Today is my first day at college. The weather was pretty icy I must say. What else do you expect in Canada even in summers? Summer was an old story now and everyone got back to their normal routines. Schools and work.

We lived in Canada. My mother was strictly against me making any conversation with male strangers. Irrespective of her believes I was put into a co-education school since elementary. Ironic, ain't it? According to my father, there weren't many 'only girls' schools and even if there were the quality education wasn't as good. Therefore, I was sent to co-ed and to top it off they expected me to not make any male friends. I always thought it was fine because I barely had any female friends too. I wore scarf to my school every day so people thought it was kinda weird. There weren't many students who would put up Hijab at my school because they thought it wasn't 'cool'. I was treated like an outcast. But as days passed, I found some good friends. Clearly, no one lasted, nothing lasted. I was relieved I was done with high school. With all the girl drama and everything else, I managed to get through it wearing an invisible cloak.

I thought it was how I was supposed to live my life. It wasn't dull or boring; I would have quality time with my family and cousins. I had many relatives in Canada so it never really felt lonely here. This isn't the same case with every Muslim girl across the globe. It all depends on who follows the strict rules set up on us. Islam has never restricted us girls from having any fun but we had certain things we needed to follow. I was never actually rebellious. But we tend to change at a point. Everyone of us do, no doubt about it.  It was finally happening with me. The day my mother could never have guessed wasn't far enough. I could feel it.