the diaries of palestine.

Al_khalil Bride

2015

Damn it I'm late again!!

I've begged my mom for weeks to allow me to take this English course, I need it in order to improve my English skills as a preparation for my tawjihi exams this year.

I'm late because I stopped by the Ibrahimi mosque to pray and make dua'a for my academic future.
I passed the first and the second checkpoints, I wasn’t paying attention to the soldiers because I was still worried about my class and whether the teacher would accept my apology or not.

At the third and the last checkpoint, the soldier searched my bag and suddenly yelled at me telling me to rise my hands!!

" Put your hands up to you little rat"

I did as he ordered, he claimed that I had a knife in my bag! I didn't know what he was talking about, I opened my mouth to defend myself but......

_Meanwhile _in a house in AL Khalil city.

I turned up the volume of the TV,
My daughter said that she had invited her friends over for lunch and they would be home by 2 Pm.
I decided to make a makluba because it is her favorite meal, also because I forgot to ask what her friends like and since makluba was the most favorite in Palestine it was the best option.

" BREAKING NEWS"

" A teenage girl was shot at the checkpoints near Al_Ibrahimi mosque a few moments ago which lead to people's rage and chaos"
My heart broke hearing such awful news.
I can't imagine how the poor girl's mother feels like now! may Allah be with her and guide her heart.

Then I noticed something at the left end of the camera, and my heart dropped to the ground.
I jumped up and stood by the TV to take a closer look hoping and praying to be wrong.

There it was my daughter's bag!!
There is no mistake in it. I bought it for her myself! it even has the same smile medal and her books were thrown around it too.

I couldn't see her face because they had covered it.

I called her dad convincing myself that he would pick up and say that she is with him and that she is fine.
My hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped the phone, at last, my husband answered.

Through my wracked nerves I managed to find my voice and say " PLEASE tell me it's not her"
An answer never came, a few seconds later I heard my husband crying.

I don't know how much time passed.

It's like I got frozen in time
I passed out with my eyes wide open and my legs standing.
After a while, my husband snapped himself out of it and said " she is our bride,
She came here praying to get her shahada instead she got the Supreme one"

Note:
Shahada in Arabic means a degree in the academic vocabularies,
And it also means when someone dies as a victim or a hero and becomes a Shahid in the Islamic vocabularies.

This chapter was based on the story of alshahida Dania Arshed, may her soul rest in peace and may Allah grant her Jannah.