I was a young girl with no sister. I had two younger brothers who would get on my nerves all the time. I loved them. I would also take care of them and we played all the time. Some of the best childhood memories I have are with my brothers.
But they broke my Barbie dolls heads.
I could never dress them up or pretend to do makeup with them.
We couldn't paint our nails together.
We couldn't giggle on silly things.
That's when I started craving for a sister. I would look at other sisters.
Their companionship,
Their fun,
Their ability to share everything
And even their fights and arguments were cute.
I craved that. I desired that a lot.
I started nagging my mother and she would only shake her head in amusement. Once my khala (mother's sister) jokingly said make dua and Allah will listen.
So an eight-year-old girl was only motivated to pray salah just so I could make dua to Allah for a sister.
I would visit Masjid Al Haraam every month and when glancing at the Kaabah the first dua that would leave my lips would be a desire to have a sister.
Years passed, and I realized that such dua will not come true.
I turned into a teenage girl and I found companionship in my school friends, family friends and cousins. My craving for a sister slowly died. There was emptiness, a void but I never pondered on it and I believed this is what Allah had planned for my family.
But I was wrong...
Allah blessed me with a sister when I turned 17 years old.
She was my family's bundle of joy. All her siblings were teen boys and girl. To us, she was a doll but to me she was my little princess sister.
Years after, today, when she has become a teen herself, she is not only my baby sister but an adorable khala to my children who they know can play with and be friends with. She is a delight and knowing how fast she is growing makes me realize soon there will be a time when we will have the companionship I had craved for years ago.
I now know Allah always listens to dua. Dua are always fulfilled.
Sometimes I wished why Allah never blessed me at the time I really needed and then I know...
I never asked WHEN I wanted a sister...
