Is It Really Love? [complete]

Chapter Six Part II

Sophia's P.O.V

After getting our lunches which Michael insisted on paying for it. We went back to school prayed Duhur together with Ethan leading, and later settled around a circular table in the game room. Hanaan and Rayaan were sitting to my right and Ethan was sitting to my left after talking to Hanaan for a while and she seemed like a very nice person with a lot of funny stories to tell especially about her old high school mate. Surprisingly she knew Muhammad from high school and Ethan and her graduated from the same high school.I wasn't at all that surprised when she told me her major is early childhood education. She gives off the vibe of a person you could picture as a preschool teacher. I kinda had little stumbling when she asked what high school I went to. I mean I could just tell her I went to an all girl's private elite academy. But I told her anyways after a moment of hesitation because it felt right. Hanaan didn't ask any questions about the school. I think she realized I didn't want to talk about it.

"Ethan, Can I ask you a supper weird question?" Hanaan asked

"Yeah go ahead."

"I'm curious why did you convert to Islam? You don't have to answer I 'm just curious." she asked

Ethan smiled and rubbed the back of his head and I think I saw him looking at me from the corner of my eye "I prefer the word revert because we all start in this world as Muslims but it's a very long story why."
"Man I'm pretty sure they got the time just tell them." Michael urged.
"How long have you've been a Muslim?" I curiously asked
"Almost four years now."
"What where you before that?" Rayaan asked
"Jewish, He was Jewish." Michael answered
"For reals?" Rayaan asked
"My mom was Jewish. I just followed what she taught me because I never had the chance of meeting my father he was dead before I was born. I never really considered myself Jewish through. Even back when my mom was alive I used secretly experiment with other faiths reading through  the Torah, Tanach, Talmud, Tipitaka, Sutras, different versions of  the bible, Bhagavad-Gita, man there was a point in my life that I became agnostic. And went to Taoism and Confucianism claim all faiths that seemed to work for me."
"How did you find Islam?" I asked because I didn't hear him say anything about reading the Quran or the hadith
"Well after a while I went back trying to find a connection and mostly the Abrahamic faiths made sense to me Christianity ad Judaism but there was something missing it didn't all add up so one day I was reading this article that was anti-Muslim and they had a lot of really negitve very mislead things to say. And one thing I learn through my journey of trying to find myself was that not everything is what it seems. If a faith preached hate and destruction why would people want to follow it? It really didn't make any sense. So I did some research read the Quran went to some Islamic seminar and what I found was the opposite of what the person who wrote the article said. And that Islam taught a lot about what my mom taught me the stories were really similar it made sense and it felt right. The more I learned about Islam the more I felt like this had to be right. That Islam was there since the beginning of time and different prophets preached the same message from God and that that Muhammad was sent down as a completion and verification to all the words of God that where sent to all his prophet to their people from Adam to Noah to Moses to Jesus all the way to Muhammad but Muhammad Peace be upon him was sent to all of mankind while the other prophets were sent to their people So one day I went took my shahadah because I knew this had to be it."
"That's beautiful." I told him when he finished
"Thanks." he said chuckling
"Wow that's amazing." Hanaan told him "So how long have you and Meekaeel known each other?"
"I met him at a seminar six years ago." Ethan replied
"So how long were you searching into Islam before you took your shahada?" I asked intreserted because his revert story was very inspiring. And that the Allah does help those who seek the truth.
"Two to three years. I think."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, It's just that most converts or reverts change their name when they become a Muslim why didn't you." Hanaan asked
"Nah I don't mind I get asked that a lot. I just don't want to change my name. It's not haram or anything I asked a shaykh because someone insisted that I had to change it. The shaykh said no I don't as long as my name doesn't have a bad meaning to it. And it doesn't so I don't see why I can't keep it."
"True, I think that you're a very admirable and strong person. Allah sabarni." I said looking at him and our eyes met for a moment and he broke the eye contact bowing his head.
"Man you should tell your story in one of our MSA meetings this year." Michael suggested
"No man you know I don't do that. Not going to happen"
"Come on man it would be real cool if you did."
"You've been trying this for the past few two the answer is still no."
"Wait this is your third year?" Ray asked
"Yeah for both of us." Michael said
"Wow why hang out with a bunch of freshmens?" Hanaan asked
"Well we aren't prejudice. At least I'm not and you and you guys are really cool. Two of you are our neighbors so why not." Michael replied smiling and looking at Rayaan like they had some inside joke only they knew about because Ray laugh, I mean more like giggled why the rest of us looked at them weirdly
"Okay, anyways thanks guys Ray and I have to go now and catch the bus." I said getting up and packing my uneaten subway trying to stir the attention away from Ray
"The bus I could take you guys." Michael offered
"No its okay we'll take the bus." Ray said before I could say it
"It's cool, Ethan and I were just headed home. We could drop Hanaan off on the way. It's no problem." He insisted already getting up it was final Ethan drove us all home since we didn't have class later we dropped Hanaan off first and went home next we get into the building waiting outside was my dad with my three little siblings at our door
"Salaam Abi what are you doing here?" I asked aware that Ethan and Michael where right behind us and surprised to see him. I thought would never see him again after I left. Ray come up to him and hugged him as well as my siblings
"I came to see how you were doing and they missed you a lot so I brought them along." "awe they missed you?" Ray gushed she's always seemed to have a soft spot of little kids. "Oh yeah dad this is Ethan and Michael." I said introducing them because they were still there and I didn't want to make things awkward then it already was