Tricky Teen Girl: A Whisper of Peace [Ramadan Story]

Wings Against my Window

Wings against my window
are they birds or are they angels,
waking me for worship
at fajr, before dawn?
Wings against my window
are they birds or are they angels,
singing me from slumber?
soon night will be gone.
I hear sparrows whistle
making the adhan.
I hear their words telling me I am a lazy man
"Come fast to pray", they say,
"You will find success that way.
Stand up now from where you lay.
This is the best time of the day"
Wings against my window
Are they birds or are they angels,
waking me for worship
at fajr, before dawn?
Wings against my window
are they birds or are they angels,
singing me from slumber?
soon night will be gone.
My heart, it wants to wake up
my body wants to sleep.
The morning air is brisk and cool
my bed is warm and deep.
Birds, they call me to the way,
"Stand before Allah to pray!
Kiss the dawn and greet the day!"
But dreams, they just get in the way.
Wings against my window
are they birds or are they angels,
waking me for worship
at fajr, before dawn?
Wings against my window
are they birds or are they angels,
singing me from slumber?
soon night will be gone.
("Wings against my window", by Dawud Wharnsby Ali).

"You WHAT?" It's uncommon for Leena to be so loud. I don't blame her, though. When she came back from her room with her notebook to record the Quranic explanation in, she found me listening to Islamic poetry instead.
"So this is your grand choice?" She puts her hands on her hips. "I told you to choose a Quranic explanation clip! Not a poem!"
"Too much pressure." I pause the audio and lean back, folding my arms, not looking at her. "I've only ever listened to summaries and walkthroughs of the Quran every Ramadan. I don't remember much. It's all a blur in my mind. I don't know which Surah I'm interested in."
Leena glares at me for a few seconds. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, stretches, and becomes visibly relaxed. Opening her eyes again, she looks at me and actually smiles.
"I'm sorry. I should have known better than to push you into that position. It's useful to start from the last portion of Quran, because most of the short Surahs we learn and recite in prayer are from there." She brightens up. "How about we start from Surah Ikhlas?"
For a moment, I wonder which Surah on earth that is, but I don't dare voice my confusion. Suddenly, it hits me.
"You mean we should start with the four Quls!" I smile at her.
Leena looks like she could jump for joy. "That's exactly what I had in mind. Now, go ahead and select that audio." She settles down and looks expectantly at me. I click my way through to Surah Ikhlas and hit play.
As the audio plays, I find myself getting restless. Before, when I'd listened to summaries or walkthroughs of the Quran in Ramadan, it had been live, and I'd had no choice but to listen. I was stuck sitting there, after all. Usually, my mind would wander, then I would pull back and listen to the Quran teacher again. This is different. I have the option to pause or stop the audio, and if Leena wasn't with me, I would probably have abandoned the explanation and gone back to poem-listening instead. At least with poems you jump right into the good stuff. This Ustadh is still explaining the context of the Surah five minutes into the audio. I find myself thinking about explaining poetry in English class at school. We have to put down reference to the context and then explain the main body of the poem. So tedious. I feel Leena's gaze burning into me, so I snap out of my daydreams and pay attention to the explanation. It actually makes sense if I listen. To be fair, it's not really tedious like school references to the context are. It wouldn't be nice to say that. I'm just not used to listening in this way. The fault is mine. I need a break. I sneak a look at the time left for the audio. Oops. Break time is far away. I hold back a sigh.
"Surah Ikhlas has twenty nicknames," says the teacher in the audio. Nicknames? What a funny word to use. It got my attention, though. I lean forward a little as if it will help me listen better. Leena grins.
"Why don't you take notes?" Leena says.
"Sh, I'm listening," I reply, pointing at the screen.
"This is the Surah to be acquainted to Allah," goes the audio. It sparks my interest as well as making me sad as I realize that I don't really know Allah as well as I should. I listen, but get impatient quickly. When is the teacher going to open the truths of the heavens to me? He should hurry. I have to go to the bathroom. I can hold it, even though it's distracting.
The next thing that distracts me is mention of Surah Noor. Hmm. Maybe I should listen to that next, but then he mentions Surah Baqarah, and I'm confused. Where to begin? Then I realize that I already have begun with Surah Ikhlas. My heart swells with emotion. I gulp, not wanting to shed tears in front of Leena, but she doesn't notice; she has her head down, scribbling away in her notebook.
"It's a gift to the Ummah, a third of the Quran," says the audio.
"A third? What does that mean?" I ask.
"Reciting it thrice gives you the reward of reciting the whole Quran," Leena says.
"Really? How come I didn't know that?" I am thrilled and shocked at the same time.
"I have the same question." Leena frowns at me. "You should know that."
"I must have forgotten."
Somewhere along the end of the audio comes, "Is Allah one in my life? Is the The One for me? Or is there some other one in my life? Allah says, 'What deluded you from your Gracious Master'?" I swallow hard. I am glad that the audio is ending soon. I need time to digest this stuff.
After the audio finishes, I remark, "That wasn't complete, was it?"
"It has two parts," Leena points out. "Play the second one."
"How about we listen to that one later?" I make a hopeful face. Leena shakes her head at me. To my relief, she closes the notebook and caps her pen.
"Go ahead. Run off," she says.
"Hey, this is my room! You run off," I say.
"Inaya!" Leena is genuinely shocked. "How you little ones use words on me!"
I laugh. "Little? You're only two years older than me!"
"Yes, but I'm legal." Leena raises her head and strikes a proud stance.
"You mean you're eighteen? Pssh." I purse my lips and shrug.
"Oh, you." Leena goes to the door. "Behave." Then she leaves.
"You behave," I mutter under my breath.
"Don't talk to yourself!" Leena's voice comes from the hallway as she walks towards her own room.
I roll my eyes, getting up and going into the living room, where Jasir occupies the computer chair. Headphones on, he is engrossed in whatever he is doing. I wonder what he is listening to in Ramadan...
***
No, I'm not going to pull another "listening to a poem" joke on my dear readers, don't worry. Jasir is listening to something else. Guesses?
How did you like this chapter? Do tell.
If you liked it, remember to vote!
References:
Surah Ikhlas explanation: http://podcast.bayyinah.com/2010/05/27/112-ikhlas-pt-1/