"رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي. وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي. وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي . يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي"
"Rabbish rahli sadri, wa yassirli amri, wah lul uqdatan min lisaani, yaf kahu kauli"
"My Lord, put my heart at peace for me and make my task easy for me and remove the knot from my tongue, that they may understand my speech.
[Holy Quran 20:25-28]
Dear reader,
Maybe you don't realize it, but at least one of your friends is a Muslim. She may be invisible, not wearing a hijab- that thin cloth covering her hair, or a turban, beautifully wrapped around her tresses. He may be your doctor or a classmate at your school. He may be invisible. His name is shortened to Mo instead of Muhammad. She may feel conflicted about her faith and her family and just trying to fit in with her peers. This story is not about them.
This story is about the girl who wears her faith visibly. The one who doesn't shake hands with men. The one who wears floor length dresses to go grocery shopping. She is still just human. She has quirks and feelings and hopes and she's scared too. She's visibly black. Visibly Muslim. And proud to be all of those things. She's someone you should get to know because you'd really be lucky to have her as a friend.
I hope you'll enjoy my first novel, Holding Hands. I welcome all critique and criticism about the story, characters, and plot, but please hold any arguments about Islam and Muslims for another forum.
Thank you for supporting diverse voices telling our stories in our own words.
Enjoy!
Love,
Sakeena
YOU ARE READING
Holding Hands
General FictionThere's no such thing as boyfriend/ girlfriend in Malika's Muslim community. So she just happens to be a super-virgin. She's quiet and reserved, never talked to a guy, kissed one, let alone even held hands. Sex is the scariest word she's ever heard...
