The Other Side Of An Unbroken Mirror

The Unbroken Mirror: Sanity In Check.

Chapter 1

"Never compromise your faith for the pleasure of man"
~Umm Naml

Hilltop Hotel, Okene, Nigeria - May 2017

Through the dizzying crowd, Ameerah squinted her eyes to see the uniting couple; her step sister Rahmah and her eight-year-long fiancé, Kamaal.

The loud sound of music would render a sane person insane. It bothered her; she didn't want to be there. Her mind kept wandering to the hundreds of halal things she could be doing then; her tajweed session with her brother, her tahfiz session with her mu'allim, learning a new adhkaar, researching a da'awah topic...

Another thing had her worried - Rahmah. She was sweating profusely, yet only someone looking as closely as Ameerah was would notice the ring of wariness around her eyes; the wariness of early pregnancy. But really, who would care about that? Some families demanded that their daughter In-laws "proved their fertility" before the nikaah. It was their culture and their way of life, a proclamation - in Ameerah's opinion - of a lacking trust in Allah subhannahu wa ta'ala. And she soon discovered sadly that Muslim families practiced this detestable act, paying little regard to the dictates of Islam.

However, Rahmah's case had been different; no in-law had demanded such sacrifice. Even though she had been alarmed when she discovered she was pregnant, she hadn't been remorseful about her act of zinaa, no. Her worry had been different; what would Kamaal think?!

It had been a depressing realisation for Ameerah but what could she have done? Though unwilling, an amaana was an amaana; she couldn't divulge her sister's secret.

Luckily for Rahmah, her worry had been eased when Kamaal proposed to her the very week she agitated over telling him about her state.

For Ameerah, It had been a point of reflection over the greatness of Allah's rahmah to His slaves, and the depth of their ignorance of such favours, never mind being grateful. It was Allah Who had eased her burden when she had been in turmoil despite her disobedience of Him, yet as Ameerah had watched her sister's jubilation and excited wedding plans without once saying "Alhamdulillah" or "Astaghfirullah", her heart had sunk a million times over. Then, as though to further declare their ingratitude, they celebrated half of their deen in such a manner!

She needed to get out!

Ameerah peered through her niqab at the large, carefully decorated and well-lit hall in search of her mom. She immediately lowered her gaze in horror at the sight of a virtually naked serving bride's maid.

"You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you, inch by inch and step by step, so much so that if they had entered into the hole of a Dhab (a desert lizard), you will enter too."

She sighed deeply over the remembrance of the prophet's words (peace be upon him). When she was sure the lady had passed, she lifted her gaze again - though she knew there was no safe place in a lion's den.

Everyone was engrossed in the moment; some engaged in open zinaa, and others dancing as though their lives depended on it!

A thought crossed her mind, making her shoulders droop in shame and fear; If malakul-mawt were to descend that very moment, would that be her place of death? Astaghfirullah wa atoobu ilaihi, she chanted silently.