Loving Junaid ✔

9

          Inayat's POV

After we got to the masjid and did some Quranic recitations and hadiths revisions, the Amira of the MSS came and announced a general tafsir which would be held later in the day around 8:00pm immediately after Ishah in the faculty of life sciences. Sabeerah had welcomed the idea and decided we attend.

I escorted her to her family house at Emantos so she could pick up somethings as she might have to spend the night with me due to the scheduled time for the programme.

Over there, we were able to eat from the jollof sphagetti her grandmum had prepared, and she was also able to pick all what she wanted and we left back for school immediately. I don't really like it at her family house. It is so crowded and filled with her siblings, cousins and all. Rooms allocated according to gender specifications of course.

All she picked fitted into her mini back pack as it was just her beauty materials for cleansing and her laptop of course for movies streaming. Clothings wouldn't really be a problem so she just took a nightie for when she would be going to bed. Besides, she would be leaving early tomorrow as we are to begin our lectures by 10am.

We arrived at around 6:40pm exactly at the main gate and treked our way into the premises. We heard the call to prayer just as we were about walking past the central mosque.

I think it would just pay better if we perform our prayers here now, rest a little and then head over to the tafsir's venue since it's time was near. Sabeerah suggested.

Na'am that's right, I don't really see any need in us entering the hostel for now, let's just perform our prayers and get going. But what about your back pack though?
Isn't it heavy?? I asked with concern laced in my voice.

Lol, c'mon Don't worry babe.... It's going to be fine. She answered as we went in to perform out salats.

Several minutes later, that is after prayers and a lot of rests, we headed straight to the faculty of life sciences through the route behind the Senate building and arrived in front of FSLT in no time.

We checked the time and it was past 8 already.
I really hate walking into lecture theatres when students are already seated. It makes me feel as if all eyes are on me which is 80% true. If it were the red seat now or blue seat at the faculty of medicine,I would have scaled my way through by just walking through it's sides to my seat.
But here at FSLT, you have to pass through the middle.
Oh ya Allah, I feel like entering the ground right now.... I sighed in thought.

Okay then, Bissmillah let's go in.... Sabeerah ushered as she pushed me forward and I froze for minutes.
I summoned courage and muttered a very shallow Assalamualaikum and entered as Sabeerah followed.

I kept my gaze low immediately as we walked past the seats and of course, the males and the females were on separate sides of the theatre. I quickly spotted empty seats towards the back rows and quickly gave Sabeerah a heads up.

We got into our seats, Sabeerah went in while I sat at the edge. Just as I sat, my hijab got caught at the side of the seat and as I turned to my left in order to tend to it, my eyes met with his. He was practically looking at me widely.
I felt so shy.

Junaid??? My subconscious reacted. I stared at him for few seconds and just as I wanted lowering my gaze, he was quick to remove his eyes from me first.

I adjusted my hijab and faced my normal position. I tapped Sabeerah and whispered to her about all that just happened.

Seriously??? Is he here??? I wanna see him too. She chuckled in a girlie manner.
Ahbaaaaa Malama, too bad you can't do that ....
I teased.
She knows it doesn't speak well of a lady to stare at guys especially in a Muslim gathering. She was just joking.
But still, she had to stylishly peep at him and went like.....
Yay.... Seen him inny. He is with that his friend Mansur.

Okay sis, that's okay. Quit staring at my to be husband. I said jealously as we both chuckled.

A loud pitch from the microphone tilted our direction towards the stage where a good looking man stood.
Assalamualaikum everyone, he began as he introduced himself.

OMG! I know him. Sabeerah squealed gently as she stirred up. He is the prince of dawah.

Prince of dawah? I asked rather confused.

Yes, he is a surgeon and also teaches at shika. He is kind of popular in the MSS haven't you heard about him???? She questioned.

Look Sabeerah, unlike you, you know I hardly went to all the programmes held this past years, as I am always busy tending to my Haddah, Islamiyah and other school responsibilities. Plus you know very well I don't mostly like gatherings. So I don't really know him. Anyways, let's just listen, I think he is about to start he has recited the open recitation already. I silenced her as we both listened.

So, our topic for today is going to be on Halal dating in Islam. He began and silence filled everywhere as we all listened.

What is Halal dating in Islam???
          Halal dating is a way for Muslims to learn about one another to decide if they want to be married, while at the same time observing the beliefs of Islam.  When Muslim men and women date one another, it is with the intention of marrying one another or decide against marrying.

But,
  Dating is still linked to it's Western origins, which implies underlying expectations of sexual interactions - if not an outright premarital sexual relationships- which Islamic texts prohibit. BUT ISLAM DOES NOT PROHIBIT LOVE.

Mufti Ismail Menk, a renowed Islamic scholar argued in one of his lectures that love, within boundaries and with expectations of marriage, is an accepted fact of life and religion- if done the right way. This "right way," he says, is by involving the families from an early stage.

    Before the rise of a western cultural influence, finding a spouse was a task almost solely assigned to parents or relatives. But young Muslims have now taken it upon themselves to find their partners, relying on their own version of dating to do so.

For young couples like them, the idea of dating is common and it means balancing their religious views with their desire for emotional intimacy. But the term "dating" still invites an offensive suggestion for many Muslims, especially older ones irrespective of how innocent the relationship may be. He paused as silence still filled everywhere.

Could he be referring to what I feel for Junaid?? How comes I feel so attacked even though I haven't taken any step yet?
Allah knows I feel something special for Junaid but I don't know about how he feels in return because he wouldn't even spare me a glance or say a word.
My Dad has always taught us that there is always a time for everything, plus whatever Allah Subhanahu watahala has destined would happen at a particular time must surely happen.

So, I have left my feelings for Allah to help me deal with it. And if Junaid is really meant to be mine, we would surely meet again somewhere in the future and also at the appropriate time.

Fine, I love Junaid, I like him so much but for the sake of Allah. I know within me that I am not ready for marriage yet, so I shouldn't bother wasting my time looking for what I can't get right now. I rather let my feelings for him sway away with time and sit back and watch what Allah has kept in stall for me.

My thought was shaken as the echo of his voice woke me back to reality as he continued.

Before social media and the prevalence of pop culture, it was a lot easier to enforce whatever ideologies you wanted your child to follow. But as globalization increased, this changed. Young people became increasingly exposed to the rest of the world.
Today, their ideologies and values no longer find a basis in what their priest of Imam preaches but what social media or pop culture influencers might be saying or doing.

To be continued.......

Guess what??? I just thought of adding a Junaid's POV.

I hope it goes well😂😂

See you next time Allah's willing....

Yhu_so_shy🤩❤️