SIRAATHUL MUSTAQEEM

Chapter 1

8th December, 2018

"But perhaps you hate a thing and it's good for you and perhaps you love a thing and it's bad for you. Allah knows while you know not.."
(Al Baqarah)

Chapter 1

Living A Lie

"Ezzaah....," the voice of the woman downstairs ran all the way through the stairs to the keyhole towards the lazy queen's ears, who, on the other hand sat swaying her head to the beat of the newly released song, rocking the inexistent guitar, completely oblivious to the repeated calls.

Like every other human being with a headset on, she too had the feeling that somebody had been calling her,  so she slid through the banisters, calling out for her mom, Mariam. She saw her mother and an involuntary smile graced her lips at the sight of the sweetest person on Earth who never once failed to give her reasons to smile.

While reaching the milestone of her 40's, Mariam still looked young and beautiful. She had a face which reflected the purity that the soul nourished.

"Ahh! Finally, look who's here! Did you pray Asr* yet?" Mariyam asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I am going to pray soon." Ezza replied cheekily.

"Ya Allah! (Oh God!), there is no soon it's almost maghrib* Quick! Quick! Off you go!" Mariam said, "what were you doing all this while? Were you playing with your phone?"

"Mmmhh...I was..ahh..listening to...music?" Ezza said in a clipped tone.

"Oh dear, haven't I told you many times that you aren't supposed to listen to music and see, you almost missed Asr. These are the works of shaythan*" Mariyam said.

"And why can't I listen to music?" Ezza asked innocently.

"Because it's haram* for us and doing haram only makes shaythan happy, neither will it help you in this world nor the next. " Mariyam replied patiently.

"Can't listen to music, can't watch movies, can't touch the opposite gender, girls should cover their
head and should wear long dress. Why is islam so strict? " Ezza asked exasperatedly.

Heaving a long sigh, Mariam contemplated on what the right way to answer that question would be, for Islam and the vast ocean of beauty and logic it held could not be explained in a few minutes. Neither could it be accepted by a mind who refused to see. Mariam could well understand the dilemma of her daughter since she herself had not always been a firm believer, it had only been due to Allah's mercy on her that she had come to see the light and felt the peace.

"Habibti, It's not what it seems like on the outside, you cannot stand afar and know the depth of an ocean nor know what it holds within with a single dip of your finger. Nobody can let you see what they see. You have to take a step yourself, plunge in and start your own journey, I can only help you so much. As for me, I see and am certain about the truth and wisdom in what Allah has decreed for us, I shall in no way force down my views upon you, but I advice you ya binti(oh daughter), don't delay, for none of us has got time. There's no harm in knowing, is there?"

Sending a silent dua* for her beloved daughter's hidaya*, her motherly heart clenched at the thought of her daughter's ways of life. Nevertheless, she still cared, loved, hoped and prayed, for nothing was impossible for Ar-Rahmaan.

"Ok" Ezza mumbled her absent-minded reply, still unsure about a lot of things. She climbed back the stairs and to her room. She took ablution and went to pray. After prayer she wasn't sure if God would accept her prayer since she didn't know how to pray with her whole heart mainly because she had only a little to no idea about Islam, but she didn't dwell too much on the topic since it was least of her concerns.

She had many questions wandering her mind. As she thought more about it, all the more questions arised in her, and the curiosity to know more  about the religion her mother held in such high regards sparked in her. Right then she wished she had somebody who had enough time to blow away her mountain of doubts into dust.At the age of 21 she still was a confused mess. She neither had a sense of a direction nor a purpose to keep her moving. But what made her stand out from the YOLO crowd was the unextinguished fire in her soul that yearned for warmth and peace from its Lord in a world full of darkness and deceptions. A piece of her, try as she may suppress it, still yearned for the truth.

She broke away from her train of thoughts as she walked towards the mirror. From her auburn hair to the honey-brown eyes  to her tall features, she was a complete replica of her mother, that is exempting the heart of gold the latter possesed. She admired her mother for her strength, wisdom and manners. Heaving a long sigh, she shook her head clearing away her thoughts and left to prepare for the first day of  her final year in college. She had a long way to go.

***

Glossary

1. Asr: The third of the five daily obligatory prayers.

2. Shaythaan: The devil (a jinn who had vowed to lead mankind astray)

3. Haram: Forbidden (acts, things..)

4. Du'a: Supplicatiom

5. Hidaya: Guidance

***

Assalamu alaikum!  My first ever chapter is finally out! Let me know your thoughts about it. Feel free to express constructive criticism and point out my mistakes, in a respectable manner.
I hope we begin this journey with lots of love and prayers. Let's learn and enjoy our ride down this lane of Ezzah's life.

May His(SWT)'s infinte Rehma be upon you my readers❤

Vote 🌟
Comment 💬
Share👥

Ma'salama💙