A means to an End

Chapter One: Awakening the Dawn

"Allaaaaaaahu Akhbar! Allaaaaaaaaahu Akhbar." The melodic call to prayer resonated in the air. I turned over to my nightstand, fumbling for my phone amid the soft sheets. With a sleepy sigh, I silenced the alarm, lay back down, and stared at the ceiling. My fingers brushed over the silk eye mask on my forehead as I sat up, the cool fabric slipping away. As I removed my pink silk bonnet, I recited my morning dua and checked if my pin curls were still in place. With a flip of the bedside lamp switch, I hopped out of bed, drawing back the curtains to reveal the break of dawn. But instead, I was greeted by the sun's ascent.

My eyes widened in disbelief, and I scrambled to my phone, which read 06:30 am. "La Hawla wala Quwwata Illah Billah! What the..." I had missed Fajr. How on earth did that happen? I shuffled to the bathroom, attempting to make sense of the situation as I performed ablution. Clad in my prayer garment, I offered my Salat. 

My phone lit up with notifications—five text messages from Taheer. I rolled my eyes as my phone rang, displaying an incoming call from Taheer. I answered, voice laced with annoyance. "Asalaam Alaikum," I greeted.

"Walaikum Salaam," Taheer replied. 

"Why are you calling me at 7 in the morning?"

"Dang, I can't check on my intended?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"

"But I placed my intentions on you weeks ago, Amiyah!"

"And yet my wali has yet to hear from you. You think this is a game? Talk to my wali or stop hitting my line. I'm not one of those joints that fall for the 'I wanna marry you' line. If you want to marry me, do what is required. Until then, like I said, stop hitting my line. Asalaam Alaikum!" I hung up.

Taheer had been pursuing me relentlessly ever since he saw me leaving Eid prayer and approached me with a confident demeanor. But I couldn't help but wonder if his intentions were as sincere as he claimed. I sighed, reflecting on the moment I had regretted—writing my number on that piece of paper. What was I thinking? It must have been his charming smile and his appearance in a crisp white thobe and kufi that had initially caught my attention. I chided myself for my naiveté. If he were genuinely serious, he would have contacted my father by now.

My phone interrupted my thoughts with an incoming call from Zariah. "Asalaam Alaikum!!!!"

"Walaikum Salaaaaaaaam," I replied.

"Sis, what are you doing?"

"Just hung up on Taheer, trying to get my day started."

"He's still trying to run game on you?"

"Yes, girl. He's about to go on the block list."

Zariah laughed heartily. "The brother is definitely persistent. I'll give him that."

"He's persistently getting on my nerves. What have you got planned today? Are you going to Jummah?"

"InshAllah, I'm currently standing in front of my closet, contemplating which color I want to wear."

"You know me, all black with an accent color to add a little pop. But let me tell you how I woke up late for Fajr this morning."

"How did that happen?"

"Girl, I don't know! My alarm went off at its usual time, but when I looked outside, I saw the sun already up."

"You forgot about daylight saving time?"

Daylight savings time—I placed my face in my hands. "Oh, wow."

"You know it's forgiven if it wasn't intentional. Just ask Allah for mercy."

"Yeah, I know."

"You're always too hard on yourself. Relax. So where are we going for brunch?"

"I'm not sure. I want to try out this new spot; they have halal meat on the menu."

"Oh, word? Alright, send me the address. I'll check out the menu."

"Okay, I'm sending it now. Let me get ready. We're still meeting at the gym in an hour, right?"

"Uhhh..."

"Zariah!!!"

"Okay, okay, yeah, I'll see you in an hour."

"Asalaam Alaikum."

"Walaikum Salaam."

Me and Zariah had made this fitness and wellness pact to hit the gym together at least four times a week. It was easy to keep each other accountable, given that our apartments were right next door to each other. Our friendship had blossomed over the years since we were placed together in the big girls' group during Quran class at Masjid Tawheed a decade ago. We had tested each other's hifz and had been tight ever since.