Fiction
Short Story | The Commission
The cubicles were still, the hum of the computers absent and the office nearly empty except for one woman. She was typing intently, turning only to check what she was writing against various charts strewn around her desk. Once she looked at her watch and then began to type with renewed energy. At 6:15 she finished with a flourish of fingers across the keys and then saved her document. She sighed and then gathered up the sheets of paper, sliding them neatly into a folder and then into her desk.
Still sitting, she unpinned and readjusted her headscarf without removing it from her head and then pinned it back into place. She stood, shrugged into her coat, slid her hands into her gloves and then left. As she threaded her way through the maze of cubicles, she heard a sound, a small cough perhaps, and stopped. It came again, this time louder, and unmistakably the sound of illness. Someone else was still working, invisible behind the chest-high carpeted walls dividing the workspaces, and they had a cold. Safiya pulled the collar of her coat more tightly around her neck and bent her head in the direction of the elevator, eager to be home.
Outside of the office building, Safiya turned left and began walking to where her car was parked two blocks away, two blocks through biting wind on a dangerously frozen sidewalk. She buried her gloved hands in her pockets and passed by the Salvation Army Santa who had temporarily abandoned his bell and bucket for a cigarette and a doorway sheltered from the wind. Walking to the end of the block, she came to a cross-walk and waited for the signal to change. She stamped her feet as she waited and turned so that the sharp wind was at her back. In doing so, she found herself facing the glass window of a brightly-lit and busy restaurant – Roscoe’s, where several of her coworkers could be seen drinking coffee. Though she knew none of them personally, there were two she knew by name. Janice, from accounting, who sometimes stared, and Alexander, who worked silently in the cubicle next to hers and radiated apathy like a disinterested sun. They were sitting with a broadly-built man that Safiya had seen around the office only once or twice.
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In the brief second that she recognized them, they had recognized her as well. Janice rolled her eyes, turned away, and said something to the man seated on her left. He looked at Safiya, then laughed and elbowed Alexander. Alexander looked to him and then looked at Safiya, who felt her face turning color. Safiya turned away quickly and crossed the street, the light having changed.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“I can’t stand that rag-head,” Janice said, watching Safiya grow smaller in the distance through the restaurant window. Janice was in her late thirties, a small, fit woman in a short navy skirt and white blouse.
“What, has she ever said anything to you?” the broadly-built man asked, his eyebrows raised. His name was Martin.
“She’d better not,” Janice said coolly, “Or I’d knock her self-righteous head off.”
Martin slid his muscular arm around Janice’s shoulders and said, “Don’t worry about it, Janice,” he said, shifting closer, “She hasn’t got a thing on you.”
Janice disentangled herself from Martin’s arm and leaned across the small round table to appeal to Alexander. “You know what I’m saying, don’t you, Alex?”
Alexander looked down from the ceiling that he had been studying and smiled indulgently. “I know she offends your modern sensibilities and that you feel her backwards ways are setting womankind back a thousand years.”
Janice glowered and Alexander continued. “And I happen to know that you find her intimidating, and you hate her for it.” Janice glared.
“What I want to know is what’s hiding under all those clothes. I mean, she’s a woman right? And I’m sure she comes with all the same parts that other women have.”
“Exactly,” Janice said, “Who does she think she is anyway, Mother Teresa? Or the Virgin Mary?”
At the word virgin, Martin smiled. Janice caught it and exclaimed. “You don’t think!” Then she shook her head. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see her knocked off her holy pedestal…”
“Well?” Martin said smiling and stretching his arms out over his head, “What wouldn’t you?”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
The next day in the office, Safiya looked up from her work when she realized that she was being watched. She turned to the man standing at the entrance of her cubicle and said, “Yes?”
The man was dressed in a dark shirt and tie, and he stood with his arms on the ledges that formed the cubicle entrance, effectively blocking the way. He was tremendous across the shoulders, and one of his thick hands held a manila file. “Hi,” he said. “These files were headed your way, so I thought I’d bring them myself.”
“Thank you,” Safiya said, and then waited. The man stood smiling at her without making any move to actually deliver the file. “The file?” she ventured.
“Oh, right, sorry,” he said, grinning. “You haven’t been here very long, have you. My name is Martin.”
Safiya nodded politely and accepted the file from Martin’s hand. He had taken a step closer to hand it to her and he stood there still.
“Is there anything else?” Safiya asked.
Martin shook his head as if waking up suddenly, “I’m sorry. I lost myself for a minute there, you have such beautiful eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“You’d be surprised,” Safiya said blandly, turning back to her computer screen. “Thanks for the file. Have a nice day.”
Martin nodded and backed out the cubicle. “Nice meeting you,” he said cheerfully as he started off again. As his footsteps faded, someone spoke.
“Charming isn’t he?”
Safiya turned suddenly in the direction from where that comment had come. “Excuse me?” she asked the pair of sleepy gray eyes peering over the cubicle wall. They turned out to be her neighbor’s, Alexander.
“Martin thinks he’s a stud,” Alexander said matter-of-factly, standing up and crossing his arms over the cubicle ledge.
Safiya tried not to smile.
Alexander continued, “He’s after you.”
Safiya’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Why?”
Alexander shrugged. “Beats me.” He sat down and disappeared behind the cubicle wall again.
“Thank you?” Safiya said, unsure of whether to be grateful or offended.
“You’re welcome.” His reply was muffled by the cubicle wall.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“Come on Martin, you don’t actually think you could get anything out of that saint,” Janice laughed. “You are so not her type.”
“What type would that be?” Martin demanded, seemingly hurt. “Come on,” he said, flexing his arms, “What woman could resist this?”
Janice rolled her eyes.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
A week later, Safiya found herself assigned to a last-minute project with three other team members. The first, strangely, was Martin. The second was a man with a Muslim name, Jamal Elbayoumy. She had never met him. The third was Alexander Kayahan, her neighbor from the next cubicle.
Safiya walked to her cubicle with the project outline in her hand, and paused before the entrance. Then, instead of entering, she walked a few more feet and knocked on Alexander’s.
“Yes?” he answered without looking up from his work.
“You’re on the Dadeson account, too?”
“Yeah,” Alexander said without moving his eyes from the computer screen.
Safiya nodded and looked down at her shoes. Alexander went back to typing.
At five o’clock, when most of the people in the office were turning off their computers and getting into their coats and gloves, Safiya was sitting in her cubicle waiting for the rest of her team. The first to arrive was Alexander, his trip being only a few feet from his workspace to hers. He stood facing a wall of graphs and notes that Safiya had posted to illustrate how far the project had gone and how far it had to go. Safiya, who had been watching him, wondered where he was from. His ancestry would be interesting to know. Black Irish maybe? He had straight black hair and gray eyes with thick eyebrows. He was handsome but also harsh to look at. When he spoke, his tone was unapologetic and brusque. When he made eye contact, it was direct and piercing. He turned and did so now.
Safiya looked away quickly and Alexander said, “There’s a lot more to do here, are you sure you’ve been working?”
“Overtime for the last five working days,” she answered in what she hoped was a conversational tone, “And I’m not the only one with more work than they can handle. Someone else has been here too, I hear them coughing when the office is empty.”
“Coughing?” Alexander echoed.
“They’ve got a bad chest-cold, whoever they are, they should be at home and not-”
Safiya’s sentence was interrupted by a cough, one she recognized instantly to belong to the person who had been working overtime. He was a tall African man, very dark with pink palms and teeth made startlingly white by the contrast of his skin. As he walked into the cubicle he finished coughing and nodded to Alexander. Then he turned to Safiya and said, “You needed help?” His accent was thick, but his words were clear and they carried a certain amount of force to them. “I am Jamal.”
Safiya returned the greeting with a nod and pointed to the project notes tacked to the wall. “Thank you, Jamal, there’s some information on the wall which you might want to look over. There’s one more person we’re waiting for, and once he gets here we’ll begin.”
When Martin arrived five minutes later, he greeted Safiya with a warm but unreciprocated smile and then read over the project notes. Chairs were then commandeered from other cubicles and the four of them sat down to discuss and delegate work.
The small group met this way the next day as well, comparing notes and progress and pushing to finish as soon as possible. Time was running out, the office’s end-of year Christmas party was in six days and the deadline a day after.
Time passed, reports were written, and as the project drew nearer to completion, an interesting thing happened in the dynamics of the small group. Martin began to stand closer, to put his hands on the back of Safiya’s chair when he was talking to her. Safiya became rather wary of him and took to standing up with her arms crossed whenever he entered. Jamal became sicker, but always stayed as long as the others did, even when sometimes his part of the work seemed complete. Alexander became less reticent and began spending time in Safiya’s cubicle. Three days before the office Christmas party, Alexander asked Safiya a question, the first time he had ever initiated a conversation.
“Going to the Christmas party?”
The question caught her off guard. There would be dancing at the party, and drinking, and mistletoe, and all of these things clashed rather violently against her beliefs of what was ethical and civilized. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, a moment in which Alexander interrupted them and said, “I didn’t think you would. And you shouldn’t either.”
“Oh?” Safiya asked with her eyebrows raised.
“No,” Alexander said, or ordered, rather. “The project isn’t finished.”
Safiya nodded and felt some small relief at not having to explain the real reason behind avoiding the Christmas party. Somehow it never failed to offend people when she told them that their ‘harmless holiday fun,’ fit into a category of irresponsible sin that seemed totally unfitting for a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. (Peace be upon him, she added mentally.)
“Are you going?” Safiya asked. “I mean, I’ll stay to work, and I don’t mind because this project is my mess and plus this isn’t a religious holiday for me, and-“
“I’m not going.” Alexander said.
“Not Christian?” Safiya asked before she could think better of it.
“An office party isn’t Christmas mass,” he said with an edge in his voice. “And I’m not Christian.”
“Jewish? Buddhist? Atheist?” Safiya trailed these words as she sat flipping through a stack of papers, trying to seem casually disinterested.
“D.,” Alexander said, equally blasé, “None of the above.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“Now you,” Janice said, turning away from Martin and giving Alexander a flirtatious look, “You’re much more appealing…”
“Him?” Martin laughed, “Oh come on, I bet no one would fall for him, he’s boring as hell!”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
The rest of the workday passed in a productive blur, and when things were finally finished, Safiya found herself alone in her cubicle with Alexander. Everyone else had gone home. She stretched and rolled her chair away from her computer then stood up and looked around the empty office.
“Five minutes ago this place sounded like the floor of a stock exchange,” she said quietly.
“Lost a big account,” Alexander said absently. “More screaming into phones than usual today.”
Safiya smiled. Alexander stood up and walked back into his cubicle. He came back with his coat. “Done?” he asked unceremoniously.
Safiya nodded and picked her coat up as well. Alexander walked her to her car.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Janice smiled and raised her eyebrows, “Oh you do, do you?
“Do I what?”
“Do you bet?” Janice smiled slyly.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
The next morning at work Martin entered Safiya’s cubicle whistling. He was holding two coffee cups and he held one out towards her. “Christmas cheer anyone?” he was grinning broadly.
“I’ll take one,” Alexander said, relieving Martin of one of the mugs. Martin gave Alexander an irritated look and then handed the other mug to Safiya. He then left, presumably to get a cup for himself. Alexander sipped his and then set it down on the desk. Safiya turned to her computer and got back to work. A few moments later, she heard the sound of heavy foot-falls coming quickly in her direction. She looked up, startled, to see Jamal in the entryway of the cubicle clutching his chest and wheezing. He looked breathlessly to her and then to the coffee cup. He then coughed, “La tashribi!”
“What?” Safiya asked, startled. It had been years since she had studied Arabic and it took her a moment to even realize that was what Jamal was speaking. He looked angry. Even as he stood coughing and gasping for breath, his eyebrows were pushed together in look of ferocious displeasure. “La tashribi!” he said this time in a steadier, angrier whisper.
Alexander, who did not understand the words but could not have been mistaken about the tone they were delivered in, stood and walked past Jamal, out of the cubicle and down the hall. Jamal moved over shakily and took the chair Alexander had just left. As he sat recovering his breath, Safiya reached for her cup of coffee.
“Do you not speak any Arabic?” he whispered with renewed fury. “I said don’t drink that!”
“Excuse me!” Safiya said, frightened and angered by Jamal’s rudeness, “What are you talking about? Who are you to barge into my cube and tell me not to drink my own cup of coffee?” She was beginning to wonder if Jamal had not been working too many hours.
“Who am I?” Jamal asked ruefully, “I am someone who cares to tell you when there is alcohol in your cup.”
“What?” Safiya looked down at the cup she had raised halfway to her mouth. She felt her stomach give an unpleasant lurch. “Wait, how do you know?”
“I saw Martin pouring whiskey into two cups of coffee and walking this way. I was afraid he would give one to you, and he did.”
“Martin?”
“Yes, I mean that man.”
“Why would he do a thing like that?” Saifya asked, her voice shaky with disbelief.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Jamal coughed again. “Half of the people in this office do it every morning. There’s a bottle near the coffee pot, it is labeled ‘Holiday Cheer.’ Have you never seen it?”
“I wasn’t looking for it,” Safiya snapped defensively. She felt embarrassed and irritable. “And how can you be sure this is one of those cups? Alexander took one of them and he’s been drinking it. If there was alcohol in it he would’ve told me.”
“Why should he have told you? You think he doesn’t drink? He doesn’t care if you do or don’t. He’s not a Muslim.”
Safiya set the cup down on the desk and stared at it. Jamal stood up to leave. As he stepped towards the hall, he turned and said to Safiya, “You should be more careful in choosing your friends. People in the office are talking about you. You should not be spending so much time with that man.”
“Who, Martin?” Safiya asked incredulously.
“No,” Jamal said pointedly, “Alexander.”
Safiya felt shame and anger burn up into her face simultaneously. “I thank you for your advice, Mr. Elbayoumy,” she said icily, “But I’m not a child, and I can take care of myself.”
Jamal’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth as if to say something and then decided against it. He turned away and left. A few minutes later Alexander returned. He sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. Safiya was sitting with her back turned to him, typing away at a lightening-fast but inaccurate speed. After a few minutes Alexander said, “What was that about?”
“Nothing,” Safiya said sharply, still typing. She did not want to believe what Jamal had told her, but unless she was to call him a liar, she had to accept that the coffee had alcohol in it. And that meant that Alexander had tasted it and not told her. She wanted desperately to ask Alexander about his coffee, to find out that Jamal had been mistaken and that Martin had delivered the coffee with alcohol in it to some other cubicle. But she couldn’t; she was too angry, and too embarrassed, and too afraid of offending Alexander.
Martin entered the cubicle with another cup of coffee in his hand and stood behind Safiya with one hand on her chair. Safiya’s carefully cultivated patience reached its limit. She backed her chair up against his legs and turned to face him just as coffee sloshed onto his shirt.
“Whoa! What gives?” he said, pulling the hot, wet stain off of his skin with two fingers.
“I didn’t see you there,” Safiya said without sounding altogether convincing. “Are you almost done with the accounts?”
“Almost,” Martin said evasively. “Hey, you didn’t drink your coffee.”
“No,” Safiya said, looking directly at him. “I don’t drink alcohol.”
Martin smiled sheepishly.
“Oh I am sorry, I didn’t know. Does this mean you can’t join me for a drink after work? How about just dinner then?”
Safiya turned back to the computer. Martin set his coffee on the desk next to Safiya’s abandoned cup and placed both hands on the back of her chair. Safiya pushed against him again, but found that this time he held her chair in place.
“Don’t you ever get hungry, Safiya?” Martin asked, his mouth close to the folds on her scarf that hid her hair and ears. “Won’t you let me buy you dinner?”
Safiya stood up and turned to face Martin. Standing at a distance, it had been easy to forget that he was a head taller and twice as broad as she. She felt her anger shrink into something like fear as she stood in such close proximity to him. “I’m not hungry, Martin,” she said, regaining her composure. “And more so, I never am, nor ever will be in your presence. Frankly, you make me sick.”
Martin was leaning closer and opening his mouth to speak when suddenly a hand appeared on his shoulder and he was turned about-face.
“I think,” Alexander said, pressing his fingers into Martin’s shoulder, “That you are violating the lady’s personal space.”
Martin tensed, then visibly relaxed and brushed Alexander’s hand from his shoulder. “No harm intended M’Lady,” he said, turning back to Safiya with affected gallantry. “Begging your lady’s pardon, most un-chivalrous of me,” he bowed out of the cubicle sneering.
Safiya sat down at her desk and put her forehead into her hands. She heard Alexander sit back down in his chair. After a few moments of silence she heard Alexander say, “Don’t throw up on the computer. Unless you’ve saved your document first.”
Safiya smiled. She looked up at Alexander, her cheeks flushed with humiliation and gratitude and the awkwardness of what had just passed. “Thank you, for-”
“Don’t mention it,” Alexander said briskly, scooting his chair back to his own corner. “Just get back to work.”
Safiya nodded and picked up where she left off on the computer screen.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“How much would you bet?” Janice teased. “Come on, or are you afraid you’d lose?”
Alexander had looked down indifferently from the ceiling, and was now looking at Martin, who bounced his knee excitedly under the table.
Martin looked at Janice, and then to Alexander, who seemed to be steeped in apathy as usual.
“Fifty bucks.” Martin grinned.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
At 8:00, the group’s third hour of overtime, Jamal stopped by Safiya’s desk with a CD in his hand. He looked at Alexander, who was sitting in the corner of Safiya’s cubicle proofreading, and then looked to Safiya with narrowed eyes. Safiya ignored the look and accepted the CD.
“It is finished,” he said flatly. “I have taken care of my accounts and the feasibility report. I am going home now.” He turned to leave, seemed to reconsider, and then said, “May I walk you to your car Miss Safiya?”
Safiya was about to accept his offer but then remembered what had happened not more than a few hours ago. How could she have forgotten, even momentarily, the rude and superior ground that Jamal had taken in all this, even going so far as to tell her who she could and could not associate with? And now, she thought, he was trying to see her to her car. Who did he think he was, her chaperone?
A taste of lingering anger found it’s way onto her tongue again. It was bitter. She felt her lip curling and did not try to stop it. “No,” she said frostily, “I can take care of myself. Thank you.”
“Miss Safiya,” Jamal said softly, “I respect you very much, and I respect your decision to wear a hijab, but I must tell you something. The scarf on your head is not the only part of hijab. It will not protect you if your behavior puts you at risk. That is my advice,” he said, “And I know that the best advice is sometimes the worst to hear.”
Safiya felt her cheeks burn with anger. Jamal turned and left.
Safiya turned away stiffly and glared at her computer screen as Jamal’s footsteps faded away. She was still staring at it blankly when she heard Alexander’s chair squeak. He was standing up and walking out of the cubicle. He returned with his coat on. “Done?”
Safiya fingered her keyboard. Actually she wasn’t done, but she couldn’t bring herself to work right now.
“Yes,” she said, saving her work and then shutting down her computer. She stood up and began to put her coat on. Alexander waited until she had buttoned it up and then began walking towards the elevator. Safiya followed. They entered the elevator together and then stood in silence as it descended. When the doors opened in the lobby, Alexander stepped out first and began walking towards the exit. Safiya walked behind him. He held the door open for her and then stood beside her on the sidewalk outside of the building.
Alexander turned and made eye contact. Safiya maintained it, looking directly into his gray, half-lidded eyes.
“Coffee?” he said.
Coffee.
Jamal was right, Alexander wasn’t a Muslim. He probably didn’t even know that Safiya wouldn’t drink, so it’s not like he would even know to warn her about the coffee. It wasn’t Alexander’s fault.
“Sure.”
Alexander turned and began walking. Safiya followed. When they had walked up the block and stopped in front of Roscoe’s, Safiya looked up at the great glass window again. The tables inside were mostly full, but there didn’t seem to be anyone from the office there. Safiya’s coworkers were the five o’clock coffee crowd, and this seemed to be a group of people drinking or eating dinner. There was a bar towards the back of the restaurant, which Safiya had not noticed before.
Alexander stepped inside and held the door open behind him. Safiya hesitated. But why hesitate? she thought, We’re just having coffee. I can take care of myself.
Safiya put one foot before the other and followed Alexander inside to a small table in a corner. Alexander sat down, made eye-contact with a waitress, and raising two fingers, said “Coffee.” A slow smile spread across the waitress’s face and she gave Alexander an appraising look before nodding and disappearing towards the kitchen.
Alexander reclined in his chair with one arm over the back and one of his legs extended beneath the table. “What happened?” he asked bluntly.
Safiya, who had been debating whether or not to sit with her elbows on the table because that might appear as if she were leaning towards Alexander, was caught off guard. “What happened with what?”
“With that jerk.”
“Oh, Martin’s been getting on my nerves, I guess I-“
“I meant Jamal.”
Safiya looked up from the lap she’d been twisting her gloves in.
“And why’d he come rushing in,” Alexander said.
Safiya was momentarily seized with the desire to ask Alexander why he had rushed right out, but checked herself. She had no claim on Alexander. There was no reason why he should get in the way when Jamal came rushing in angrily. It was none of his business. But then, neither was Martin, and Alexander had definitely intervened there. Alexander waited in the noisy silence of the restaurant as Safiya sat lost in thought.
“Where’s he from anyway?”
“Jamal?” Safiya said, stirring, “I think he’s from Senegal.”
“What language do they speak there?”
“Senegalese, and French too I think.”
“That wasn’t French.”
“What wasn’t French?”
Alexander looked at Safiya sharply. She had failed to follow the obvious direction in which the conversation was going. “What he said when he rushed into your office wheezing like an asthmatic and clutching his chest like a heart patient, that wasn’t French.”
“Oh.” Safiya looked down at the table.
“Well?” Alexander inquired in the same flat, disinterested way that he always spoke.
“It was Arabic.”
“And what did he say?” Alexander pressed.
“He said ‘don’t drink that’.”
“Thought so.” Alexander tilted his head towards the ceiling and stared for a considerable amount of time. Safiya sat in pensive silence while the restaurant around her murmured and clinked.
The waitress arrived and bent close to Alexander as she put the coffee cups on the table. Alexander paid her no attention. As she set down the napkins, she gave Safiya an amused glance, then sashayed away. Safiya picked up her coffee and took a napkin from the pile to place beneath her cup. There was something written on it, a phone number and a woman’s name, Anna.
Safiya stared at it and then at Alexander, whose head was still tipped towards the ceiling. He had unbuttoned his coat and his shirt collar was open. She held the napkin in her hand.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“Fifty dollars?” Alexander asked, obviously bored. “For a bet I’m not even interested in taking? Some of us have better things to do.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Safiya cleared her throat. “Alexander?”
“Call me Alex.” He said, still looking at the ceiling.
“Alex, you did, I mean, did you know there was alcohol in the coffee?”
“Of course. I never use that kind of stuff myself.”
“Oh?” Safiya brightened.
“No. It’s cheap crap. A good wine is better.”
“Oh.” Safiya sunk slightly into her chair.
Alexander looked at her. “You don’t drink.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Safiya sipped her coffee. She heard the tinkle of wine glasses being toasted. The explanation could be long. Or it could be very short.
“It rots your body and brain,” she said eventually.
“And compromises your integrity,” she said secondly.
“And damages society,” she said thirdly.
Alexander looked down from the ceiling and directly into Safiya’s eyes. “That’s not the case with just having a glass of wine with dinner.”
Safiya shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She found herself mentally struggling for an answer. “If you believe that a destination is bad, then all the steps taken towards the destination are just as bad, right? I mean, that’s why people are prosecuted for attempted murder even if they were unsuccessful.”
“You’re telling me that drinking is as bad as murder?” Alexander asked with one eyebrow raised.
“No no,” Safiya said shaking her head. She found herself getting frustrated. “Say you know of a bad road; it’s full of holes and it’s dangerous. But people have fun driving it, so they zoom down it and get themselves hurt or killed. You tell them it’s dangerous, and they tell you it’s fun. Not everyone who drives down it dies, but still, the fact that that specific stretch of road kills people means that either it should be fixed or closed.”
“Why can’t it be fixed?” Alexander challenged.
“You can’t fix alcohol; if you take away the fact that it intoxicates you then no one will drink it. How popular is non-alcoholic beer?”
“I don’t see why the rest of us should have our fun road privileges taken away just because a few idiots speed and get themselves killed,” Alexander said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.
Safiya leaned forward earnestly. “And I don’t see why a road that kills people should remain open just because a few people have fun with it. How can you justify the fact that drunk driving kills so many innocent people just because it’s fun?”
“Allowing alcohol is not the same thing as allowing drunk driving.” Alexander said with a cigarette dangling from his lips. The smoke from his cigarette rose and joined the cloud that was slowly gathering over the tabletops.
“But allowing alcohol is allowing for drunk driving,” Safiya pleaded, holding the coffee cup in one hand. “If there wasn’t alcohol, then there wouldn’t be drunk driving, or any of the other evils that are directly caused by alcohol. It doesn’t matter whether people are having fun because their fun doesn’t justify them hurting other people.”
“You have a point,” Alexander said, putting his elbows on the table, “But you forget one thing. As long as the road is fun, people will always drive it.”
“It doesn’t mean they should.” Safiya said sulkily into her coffee cup. “And it doesn’t mean that I will either. Martin was an idiot for giving me coffee with alcohol in it.”
“Is that where this all started…” Alexander trailed off and his eyes found the waitress. He studied her as she bent over a table to serve drinks. When she turned and smiled at him, he raised one finger and motioned for the check.
The waitress threaded her way between the tables and pushed-out chairs and delivered a bill to Alexander. Alexander reached into his wallet and pulled out a bill. Placing it inside the billfold, he handed it back to the waitress who gave him one last suggestive smile and then headed back to work, swishing her hips as she walked.
Safiya looked at the napkin that was still in her hand with the waitress’s name and number crumpled up inside of it and then looked at Alexander, who was buttoning up his coat again. She balled it tightly and dropped it into her empty cup. Alexander stood up and Safiya followed him out of the restaurant. He walked her back to her car.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“What’s the matter, Alex,” Martin challenged, “Or aren’t you interested in girls?”
“Much more interested in them than they are in you.” Alexander said calmly.
“Ooooh,” Janice winced, “Martin are you going to let him get away with that?”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Within two working days the project was finished. There were to be no more five o’clock meetings in Safiya’s cube and she no longer saw Jamal. Martin she saw often, but he no longer acknowledged her, passing her by without even making eye contact. Alexander she saw daily, but only as he passed by the entrance of her cubicle on his way to other places in the office. She found herself feeling dismayed.
Safiya mentally kicked herself after taking the third peek in the direction of Alexander’s cubicle to see if he had been standing there. You’re an idiot, she told herself. You spent less than ten minutes in a restaurant drinking coffee, what are you expecting?
Safiya wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but at 4:30 someone did raise their head over the wall of her cubicle. It was Martin.
“Safiya,” he said in low voice, “Can I speak with you for a moment?” His voice was curiously subdued, almost humble. Safiya blinked slowly. Martin gave a small hopeful smile.
“Alright,” she said warily.
Martin’s head disappeared and in a few seconds the rest of him reappeared in the entrance of Safiya’s workspace. He walked in somberly with his hands behind his back and his head lowered.
“Yes?”
“I want to apologize,” Martin said, speaking deliberately. “For the way I’d been behaving. I know that it was disrespectful, and I would like to make it up to you somehow.”
Safiya shook her head slightly. The apology took her aback slightly. This was too out of character. There had to be a catch.
A few seconds of confused silence followed. Martin took a step closer, but held himself upright, not leaning towards her at all. “I owe you,” he said. “And I mean this in the nicest possible way, so can I please take you out to dinner?”
Aha, thought Safiya. All is right with the world again. Safiya fought the urge to laugh out loud and instead composed her face into seriousness.
“I appreciate your apology Martin,” Safiya said, choosing her words carefully, “And I accept it. But you don’t need to take me out to dinner.”
“But I need to!” Martin said energetically, breaking out of character for a moment. “I mean,” he said clearing his throat and becoming earnest again, “I ought to. I should.”
Safiya’s polite amusement began to wear off. “Martin,” she said directly, “I apologize if I haven’t told you this before, but I don’t date.”
“Don’t date?” Martin said incredulously, both eyebrows raised. “Why is that?”
“Several reasons,” Safiya said immediately. “There are better and more logical ways of getting to know a person than taking them for a sexual test drive that leaves both people used and possibly abused.”
Martin did his best to suppress a smile and didn’t seem to be succeeding. Safiya ignored this and continued.
“It undermines the sanctity of marriage by making love as cheap as dinner and a date. It takes all the commitment out of relationships, and society – mostly children and family, suffers for it.”
Martin was no longer smiling and seemed to actually be thinking. “So,” he said gradually, “How do you guys find love then? A life-long partner? A husband?”
“A bit more logically I hope.” Safiya said, “You can get to know a person in a setting that isn’t a date and doesn’t involve romance before a commitment. Besides,” she said, choosing not to mince words. “You can probably learn a lot more about a person and whether or not you’re compatible by sitting down and talking than you can with your tongue down their throat in a movie theater.”
Martin smiled. “So you don’t do movies then?”
“Not on a date, no.”
“And no dinner either?”
“No dinner.” Safiya echoed.
“Not even coffee with me after work?” The smallest trace of a smile appeared and then disappeared at the corner of Martin’s mouth. Was he teasing her? Could he possibly know?
Safiya felt suddenly shaken, but she answered resolutely. “No coffee. Now if it’s alright with you, I have to get back to work.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Martin leaned back in his chair and relaxed. “It’s not me you need to provoke Janice because I’m already willing to bet. I’m not one to turn down fifty easy dollars.”
“Alright then,” Janice said, turning towards Alexander again. She smiled at him wickedly. “Come on Alex, fifty isn’t that much, but it could buy a tolerably good bottle of wine and someone to share it with.”
“It couldn’t be just that easy though,” Martin butted in. “I’m not giving this guy fifty dollars just on his word. I would need to see some proof first.”
“That’s fair enough,” Janice said. “Come on Alexander, it’s fifty dollars for whoever brings proof of victory first. Are you game?”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Safiya turned back to her computer and stared at the screen. She tapped the keyboard impatiently with her fingers and then put her hand on her forehead. She was frustrated by her own reluctance to just pop her head over the wall and ask how Alexander was doing. But she couldn’t, she wouldn’t.
I am not a clingy person, Safiya told herself. Besides, now that the project is over I have no reason to see him.
After a few more moments of staring blankly at her work, Safiya thought, I wonder if he’ll be at the Christmas party tomorrow?
The morning of the Christmas party very little real work was done in the office. People may have been physically on duty, but mentally they were already on vacation and had shown up at the office dressed for the fun. It wasn’t anything formal, just refreshments and drinks and a fat man from HR dressed up as Santa. Of course there was mistletoe being hung already, and the conference room had been set up as a dance hall and decorated with tinsel.
Safiya buried herself in her work and time flew. She drifted back into awareness at 5:05 when she heard the sound of a bell ringing and people laughing. The workday was over, the party had started, and Safiya had stayed five minutes more than she had intended to. She shut down her computer and picked up her coat. She walked briskly out of her cubicle towards the elevator and bumped directly into Alexander.
“Oh!” she said looking up, “I’m sorry!”
“There you are,” Alexander said coolly. “I was waiting for you. Let’s go.”
“Go?” Safiya echoed, “Go where?” Alexander was wearing a long black coat, and from between the unbuttoned lapels a deep red scarf showed. The color suited him.
“Out.” Alexander said. “I’m not staying for the party. Are you?”
“No.”
“Well then, let’s go.”
Alexander turned and headed for the elevator. Safiya followed, trying not to smile.
Out of the office building, Alexander turned left and headed up the busy downtown street. Safiya kept pace, brushing the occasional snowflake off of her eyelashes and doing her best to not bump into any of the hundreds of people on the sidewalk out for Christmas shopping. She had to sidestep at times to avoid a collision, but Alexander, she noticed, walked perfectly straight ahead, turning for no one. People stepped aside for him and turned their heads as he passed. Safiya stole a glance at him. Between the black of his hair and the black of his coat, Alexander’s face was flushed from the cold and his eyes were lit from the lights in display windows. Safiya looked away.
A few blocks farther and Alexander turned suddenly, stopping in front of an ice-skating rink nestled between the skyscrapers.
“You skate?” he asked.
“No,” Safiya said nervously.
“Me neither.” Alexander began walking towards the rink.
Skates were rented and laced up, and Safiya followed Alexander and ventured out onto the ice. Taking a few hesitant steps, Safiya looked up at Alexander, who was standing on the ice with his hands in his pockets. At that moment Safiya’s skates turned in at the ankles, causing her to lurch forward. Alexander started forward to lend her a hand but lost his balance as well and sat heavily down on the ice. Safiya gasped and looked at Alexander uncertainly, who was sitting with his long legs splayed and his head bowed, both hands on the ice beside him. A few children skated expertly by. Alexander looked up and a smile broke. Safiya laughed out loud and offered him her gloved hand.
They fell a lot at first, and Safiya giggled herself into a blush while Alexander only smiled. The hours flew by but Safiya didn’t notice. She was busy trying not to fall, and having fallen and then been helped up by Alexander, she was wondering why Alexander smelled so good even though he wore no cologne. There was something about his scent, something that made her want to breathe deeply when he was close, something that made her stomach feel tight and her cheeks feel warm.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Alexander blinked slowly and actually yawned. “You know what I bet? I bet that I could do in a week what Martin couldn’t do in his entire lifetime, but am I interested in fifty dollars to knock the holy saint off of her pedestal? No.”
“Boy,” Janice said, “You are a conceited bastard aren’t you…”
Martin wore a smug look that showed that he thought as much.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
At ten-thirty Safiya finally looked at her watch, and noticing the time remarked, “Oh no! It’s late!”
Alexander turned gracelessly on the ice to face her and said, “You have a curfew or something?”
“No,” Safiya said hastily, “But it’s ten-thirty and I have to be going.”
“Fine,” Alexander said sharply, turning and skating away.
Safiya was taken aback. Had she somehow offended him? She leaned in Alexander’s direction and did her best to skate behind him without slipping again. They made it to the edge of the rink where they returned their skates and put their shoes back on in silence, Alexander’s face as unreadable as ever and Safiya’s anxious.
As Alexander led the way back through the busy downtown streets Safiya struggled to keep up with his long strides. He was walking quickly back in the direction of the office, and since he seemed to be keeping a step ahead of Safiya she could not see his face.
As she walked, she tried to put her scarf back in order, it had slipped backwards and sideways during the ice skating and a few of her dark curls had made their way out and on to her face. One of her pins seemed to be missing too, the one that usually held the scarf closed at her chin.
From the path she walked behind Alexander, Safiya heard the trilling of a mobile phone. Alexander reached into his coat and answered it.
“Ten thirty-five,” he said into the receiver without a greeting. “I know how to tell time.”
“Last day of the week,” he added after another pause, “And it isn’t over yet.”
Alexander walked on, listening to a voice in the phone that Safiya could not hear. “I don’t need an hour and a half,” he answered businesslike. “You be ready in fifteen minutes. When I call, you come to my desk.” Alexander hung up and slipped the phone into the pocket of his jacket. Safiya shivered a little and walked faster.
Within five minutes Safiya found herself standing in front of the office building again. She was nervous. It was late, and she had a gut feeling that told her she should be heading home.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
“Not fifty,” Alexander continued. “Make it a hundred.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Alexander turned to Safiya and said, “I have something for you at my desk, come on up.”
“Oh no, it’s alright,” Safiya said hesitantly. “It can wait until tomorrow. I have to be going.”
“It’s got to be now,” Alexander said simply, “Because tomorrow will be too late. Today is the Christmas party.”
“But I thought you weren’t Christian?”
“I’m not,” Alexander said, “But I still have something for you.”
Safiya looked up and into Alexander’s gray eyes. “Alright,” she conceded after a few seconds of hesitation. Alexander slipped his arm into hers and began leading her through the lobby. Safiya’s first impulse had been to pull away and say the same thing that she had said hundreds of times while carefully navigating her way through university- that she did not touch unrelated men, but now it was too late. When she had taken both of Alexander’s hands to be lifted off of the ice, when she had held the lapels of his coat and laughed while trying to steady herself, how could she tell him that?
Safiya figured that five more minutes in contact with Alexander’s arm would be the last. On Monday she would break everything off. On Monday she would tell Alexander that there was nothing and no point to anything, that as bad a Muslim as she was, she would never marry a non-Muslim and therefore had no reason to pursue a relationship with one. Not that he couldn’t ever be one, she added mentally with guilty hope. What was his religion anyway? But a non-Muslim was out of the question, absolutely. That’s exactly what she would tell him, and she consoled herself with these thoughts as the elevator glided up to the proper floor and the doors opened.
Upon stepping out of the elevator she saw a few small groups of people standing around the cubicles with drinks in their hands. The Christmas revelers had lingered on and spilled into the cubicles, and more than a few of them were obviously drunk. One or two people turned as the elevator opened. Safiya tried delicately to withdraw her arm from Alexander’s but he had started forward, drawing her along past the people who were now openly staring.
Arriving at his desk, Alexander slid his arm out of Safiya’s as he stepped into his cubicle. Safiya sat down in the nearest chair and began trying to readjust her scarf, but without the lost pin it was impossible. She could pull it over her forehead but it would just start slipping backwards again. Alexander opened his desk and drew out a red velvet box, which he dropped in his pocket. He then turned and looked at the various staff members who were trying to gawk and linger from an inconspicuous distance. He pulled out his phone and Safiya watched as he punched out a quick text message. That’s right, she thought. He’s supposed to meet someone here soon. It’s not like I’m here with him alone.
Alexander slid the phone back into his pocket when he was finished. “Too many people here,” he said flatly. “To the lounge.” Safiya stood up quickly and led the way, this time keeping a step in front of Alexander so that he would not take her arm again. Heads turned as they passed, and whispering followed.
Once inside the employee lounge Safiya turned and stood to face Alexander. It was dark in there, the only light coming from the open doorway they had just entered from.
“Well?” she shrugged with anticipation, “Now what?”
“I have something for you,” Alexander said pulling the red velvet box from his pocket, “But you have to close your eyes first.”
Safiya looked at the box. It was square and fairly large, too deep to be a jewelry box. Alexander stepped close to Safiya and smiled. Safiya paused and then smiled uncertainly, closing her eyes.
“Are you ready?” Alexander asked.
Safiya nodded, and at that moment two things happened. The first was that her scarf slipped entirely off of her head. The second was that Alexander kissed her.
Safiya was stunned, and as she opened her eyes to see Alexander’s face, a tear slipped out. Alexander withdrew his lips and with one hand touched Safiya’s exposed hair, tucking a tendril of it behind her ear. Then he traced the path of her tear with one of his fingers.
He spoke quietly in the darkness. “Why are you crying?”
She had many reasons. One for the foot that was planted between hers, two for the arms that held her. Ten for each of Alexander’s fingers. But one came to mind as more tragic than the others.
“My first kiss,” Safiya trembled, “I was saving that…”
A few moments passed in silence. Alexander looked at his watch, still holding Safiya.
“What do you want,” Safiya moaned, trying to pull her scarf back up. “Let go already.”
“Any second now,” he said, peering at his watch in the darkness and drawing Safiya closer.
Safiya heard footsteps and gasped. Alexander turned to her quickly and stopped her mouth with his. Safiya tried unsuccessfully to cry out. Just then the lights in the lounge flickered on and Alexander turned nonchalantly towards the door, his arm now hanging loosely around Safiya’s waist. Martin was standing in the doorway along with at least six of the Christmas party revelers.
“Hey,” Alexander said sharply, “Can we get some privacy here?”
Time stopped.
It resumed again when the people in the doorway, every last one of them, burst into laughter, harsh and unmistakably cruel. Alexander looked around the room disinterestedly with his arm still around Safiya’s waist. Safiya stood with her scarf tangled around her shoulders and several other tears joining the first. When the laughter finally ended and most of the people had wandered away, Martin walked reluctantly up to Alexander. He stared at Safiya first, studying her hair and the lines of her neck as if he was looking one of the strangest things he’d seen in a while. Safiya turned away and tried in vain to cover herself, but the scarf had become too tangled. It couldn’t cover her unless it was straightened out.
Eventually, Martin dug into his pocket and took out his wallet. He counted out one hundred dollars. Alexander took the money from him and counted it again.
“I can’t believe it,” Martin said, shaking his head and putting his wallet back into his pocket. “I can’t believe you did it. How it is that you attract women by pretending to not give damn, that is just too amazing.” Martin shrugged and headed back towards the door. “Janice is not going to believe this…”
Alexander slipped the money into his pocket and headed for the door himself.
“Wait!” Safiya called after him, a realization dawning on her. “What just happened?”
“No big deal, “Alexander said, turning to face her with both his hands in his coat pockets. “Just a little bet.”
Safiya placed her hand on her forehead. “You bet him that, that-” Everything in her body ached, screamed and cried out in shame and fury, but she couldn’t find the words. “You sold me,” she whispered, “You sold me for a hundred dollars…”
Alexander shook his head and held out the red box. Its lid was up. It had been empty. “You sold yourself for nothing.”
Safiya gaped.
He spoke again just as he walked out the door. “I just made a hundred dollar commission.”
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AbdulQ
December 7, 2011 at 3:01 AM
….woah
charmander
December 20, 2011 at 4:28 AM
mind = blown. michael bay should make a movie out of this
Amin
December 7, 2011 at 3:34 AM
Sad story, good but sad.
May Allah protect us from the fitnah of the opposite gender
and help us benefit from the advise of other muslims, even if we don’t want to hear it at the time
Nawal
December 7, 2011 at 4:58 AM
Is it a Story or based on true Incident?! Lessons learnt can be women should avoid working! men can trick you No matter how on top of your faith you are.
Abez
December 8, 2011 at 12:35 AM
AssalamuAlaikum Nawal- Alhamdulillah, this story is not true in my own personal experience. ie- I wrote it, but Alhamdulillah, this did happen to me. Alhamdulillah.
hibi jeebi
December 8, 2011 at 10:41 PM
i dont get it, did it or did it not happen to u?
mw_m
December 9, 2011 at 8:57 AM
I think she meant “Alhamdulillah, this did NOT happen to me”
Abez
December 9, 2011 at 3:47 PM
Yes, sorry! Alhamdulillah, it did NOT happen to me. :)
I-am
December 7, 2011 at 11:27 AM
I hope this is not a true story…
Nuraini
December 7, 2011 at 11:33 AM
i gotta say, very neatly done. very hard to have avoided it even if there was none of the earlier preamble. ordinarily, i would recommend waiting out if you’re unsure what a guy’s intentions are – unscrupulous types generally can’t maintain the attention span to keep up the effort for months, let alone years. but in this case, i mean, it’s just into a familiar office space, and it’s just closing your eyes for a bit, the co-worker is someone you trust. i wonder if in the west a kiss can count for sexual harassment – considering they consider it so normal.
really though, you live and you learn. one can’t always control the evil of others even if we wrap ourselves in bubble wrap and never leave home (and what good to society would we be if we all did that?). if we could control others, then no innocent would be killed and violated in all kinds of places, ilke somalia etc.
on the other hand, it would’ve been better if the character jamal had given the warning in a more conscientious, concerned manner, rather than as a rebuke and “oh i’m someone who cares to let you know”. i mean, she didn’t know, and really when making assumptions one should err on the side that benefits the other person – so why be so condescending? wouldn’t it be better if he had been friendly instead, two muslims looking out for each other at the workplace?
burqa barbie
December 9, 2012 at 1:20 AM
Yes, a forced kiss is sexual harrassment and the character in the story shouldve gone to human resources or called the police. This is deeply illegal in workplaces in the U.S. What is punishable is the lack of consent. If they had been consensually dating and he kissed her (no putting his leg in-between hers and holding her arms) it generally would not be considered sexual harassment. It would be more controversial if the kisser had been in a position of authority over the kissed. Also, its not just the West where people have no issue with a kiss, its something youll find in Asia and Latin America among others as well. You come off very judgemental. I am a bit disappointed with the blaming the victim rhetoric in the story. It isnt about sins growing larger over time, but about a group of people and in specifically a man who exploited her for sexual purposes. The blame should all be on him. I think if the character hadnt been so over-sheltered and didnt fixate on small “sins” that she wouldnt have felt that she didnt have the power to tell him no in regards to other non-consensual contact such as when he put him arm through hers. She wouldnt be thinking so myopically and blaming herself thinking that if she had ice-skated with him and grabbed his collar that she now no longer has the power to tell him not to touch her in other ways simply because she presumes that he now thinks less of her or that she has compromised herself and now she can be even more compromised. I think the story sort of comes across as bigoted against non-Muslims. It seems to be suggesting that somehow non-Muslims are more morally compromisable than Muslims. I have a hard time imagining this actually happening at a corporate business party.
none
December 7, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Please lets no go to extremes over here. Not every muslim male is going to be highly successful. Sometimes sisters need a paycheck and have to seek the rizq of Allah. Obviously if it was out of her control then Allah can forgive her, she didn’t seek it out. These are the games that are played in any office environment. We can’t export the culture of the subcontinent and the Arab world here and keep the women at home restricted to the bedroom, kitchen, and kids, too much money/rizq would be wasted in that pursuit. It will breed the same stagnation here as it does over there (from a dunya perspective). However it would be nice to have some courses on how to deal with Corporate America (Christmas parties, gift giving, general MANDATORY interaction with the opposite sex, luncheons around alcohol). Lets not forget many office environments prohibit interoffice dating (if lightly monitored), she could still go to Human Resources and report the situation. Lets be realistic about it.
burqa barbie
December 9, 2012 at 1:23 AM
Not to mention but if guys are the problem then they should be blamed. Keep the guys at home since theyre the ones with the problem. Women want to work and contribute outside the home, this is why women go to school and it certaintly would be crazy to suggest that because a character in a fake story sexually harassed a fake woman that somehow women should all be kept at home lock and key. Men have also been sexually harassed at work mainly by other men yet no one says they should stay at home.
sara
December 7, 2011 at 12:08 PM
assalamua alaikum,
Good and bad from this story. It is fiction—since it never happened saying it is an example of why women should not work is simply incorrect nonsense. However, some examples and lessons can be drawn–What if these characters were me or you? Jamal failed to respectfully give dawah and be present and positive to help his sister in Islam by simply acting in such a way that his concerns were positively respected and failed miserably in presenting a united front as Muslims—he neither needed to socialize nor cross boundaries, just introduce the sister to others he might know–wife, sister, women from the mosque…what about simply introducing himself to Alex and objecting to the comments he made behind her back? How about simply saying salaams at the cubicle and hello every time he noticed Alex around? As for the sister–sorry, but personality is interesting–I work and have for years–I would never dream of going to any social event with any man from the office, let alone something physical like ice skating…and just her and him????!!!! I have family and friends for those things….And I have been pressured into an occassional handshake, so I do see the merit of the article..KEEP YOUR BOUNDARIES!! Last of all, if any man ever tried to kiss me, if Allah forbid it, I ever got into such an isolated situation, a good slap and complaint to superiors would follow. The story is actionable and she did not kiss him–so she neither sold herself, nor gave up what she was saving–shame on the author for saying so.
As for women never working—some can do valuable jobs needed in the world, some need the money, and it is neither prohibited, nor was it unheard of in the day of the Prohet, peace be upon him. There is no haram if you keep your boundaries. Most people in my office were working moms too, because the hours were conducive to that. The few men knew alot about Islam and learned what they didn’t know by my explaining that, no, I would not be coming to a party, having coffee with the office, and they could not come to my office without leaving the door open and sitting across the desk from me, etc. A date never even entered the picture.
Rakah
December 22, 2011 at 8:20 PM
Jazakallah Sara for taking the words out of my mouth!! I seriously think those who think that women should not work need a reality check.
Many of us have to work in whichever industry or field Allah SWT gives them the rizq from. I have for 15 years and most of my colleagues have been men because that is how the Corporate sector in the US or UK is. Boundaries and limitations have to be built in during the time of upbringing, female or male. Men are also tricked by women just as women can be led on by men. Hence if you know how to deal with the western culture and keep to your limits, people will not bother you.
I have seen many ‘Muslims’ trying to appease colleagues at work. Why?? They are not the judges, if Allah SWT gave us the job then he will retain this for us. We should be prepared to face prejudices and differences.
People forget that nobody is the same and there will always be differences between humans, but they only conform to a certain work culture to keep the peace.
This was a sad story but there are lessons to be learnt from this. The words from the character Jamal should be remembered, ‘ The scarf on your head is not the only part of hijab. It will not protect you if your behavior puts you at risk.’
Sara A.K
December 7, 2011 at 12:37 PM
great story…with a great lesson
ummiummi
December 7, 2011 at 1:30 PM
I think this story is extremely instructional for those who don’t realize that these actual behaviors do take place in the society in which we live. Social contact and intimacy between the sexes (not always oposite) is treated like a game. However, a male could find himself in the same situation, and women are extremely agressive these days. By placing the main character as a female, it gives the impression that the author is arguing against women int the workplace. This skews the actual message of setting boundaries and keeping them.
Amatullah
December 7, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Sad Story….Traps of Shaytan … One fitnah after the other, that is how Shaytan gets his ways…
May ALLAH protect us from all fitnah’s and temptations from Shaytan! Ameen
Umm Qamar
December 7, 2011 at 1:52 PM
OMG this story had my eyes stuck to the computer screen…
Laila
December 7, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Sub7anAllah.
Some people don’t realize that this story is very close to reality. Almost EXACT (minus the bet).
Muslim women are lured just like any other women by men, and visa versa. It’s natural. What makes Muslim women different is when we establish boundaries, but there are times when we fail to ACT out the concept of Hijab when we wear it. And such events do befall those of us when we fail in maintaining the boundaries, because that’s when we become just like any other nonMuslim woman. Yes, the betting/$100 may not always be the driving force for the man to show interest, and in real life a man may actually be attracted to a Muslim woman. Either way it’s happened, both Muslim men and women have slipped into such sinning, small or big. And Allah is All-Forgiving when we repent. But the point is to be conscious and aware before any of the events begin to spiral.
It’s not about reporting it to HR; what would she say? “He took me out for coffee and ice-skating, then kissed me?” They’d laugh at her and tell her to take it as flattery and brush it aside. It’s about reporting it to Allah and sincerely acknowledge never to do it again. This story is showing that it could have all been prevented if we all follow one rule: Never make exceptions to the Islamic rules you’ve established for gender-relations, in the West or not.
burqa barbie
December 9, 2012 at 1:28 AM
“What makes Muslim women different is when we establish boundaries, but there are times when we fail to ACT out the concept of Hijab when we wear it. And such events do befall those of us when we fail in maintaining the boundaries, because that’s when we become just like any other nonMuslim woman.”
Wow, pretty judgemental? Cuz all those non-Muslim women are all just…what…crazy nymphos?
Gib
December 7, 2011 at 4:58 PM
Wow…so depressing…
Faysal
December 7, 2011 at 5:16 PM
Salaam, this probably wouldn’t have happened if she was married. But at the same time romantic expectations of bliss after marriage doesn’t help either, commitment, care and compromise are required on both sides. Finally, Muslims should expect (and prepare) for tests throughout our life journey, remembering that the hereafter is our destination.
none
December 7, 2011 at 10:16 PM
Well the point is that there is a certain etiquette in the workplace and we can’t remain aloof of the opposite gender. If we aren’t team players bringing a positive attitude, we could be fired, forget about discussing the performance appraisal. Thats why I think courses are sorely needed. Not everyone can be a top notch expert in their field and be invaluable to a company despite what some would regard as a lack of manners. The office environment is political and can be catty at times. You can’t run to Human Resources for everything but they are there for sexual harassment or anything that smells like it. I hope no one has a heart attack because of this story if it violated their modesty. I definitely feel for the imaginary sister though. Its difficult to cope with the jerks you run into at work for 8 hours straight.
mw_m
December 7, 2011 at 10:43 PM
My thoughts:
From a pure literary point of view:
The interspersed flashbacks to the first scene between Martin/Alexander/Janice were very well done. Kept the story going and added a good deal of foreshadowing.
The first paragraph seemed almost overly descriptive. I don’t know if it seemed out of place for a short story and would work in a novel, but it seemed drawn out to me.
The ending was extremely powerful. I would move the last two lines, however. Move the 100 dollar commission line to earlier and end the story with “You sold yourself for nothing.”
As to the lessons learned:
I liked the steady progression from small compromises to big. They very accurately mirror the path of many Muslims who fall into fitna like this. It starts out with small compromises, then questionable things, then things which are downright wrong. As to the people stating that this could never happen to them….I think you missed the whole point of the story. It started out with her never imagining that something like this could happen, drawing very clear boundaries. And then little by little, she walks into something she could never have imagined. If you still think this could never happen, thank Allah that you don’t know about the many, many, many stories of Muslim males and females who were the best of Muslims and fell lower than you could ever imagine.
Jamal: great character and a powerful reminder to us. Contrary to what others have written, I didn’t see him as an arrogant character at all. I saw him as a fellow Muslim reminding his fellow Muslims. He minimized his interactions with her and only passed on sincere advice. Her reaction was a mirror for ourselves, how do we respond when we are given sincere advice? Do we get defensive, start accusing the other person of being arrogant and condescending? Or do we take heed and change ourselves? Could he have phrased his words better? Been more polite? Less accusatory? Maybe. But when someone offers us delicious candy, do we get angry at them that the wrapper is an ugly color? Interestingly in the comments, I see many excuses for the sister, but none for Jamal. Coming as an immigrant, it’s natural that he would not be as adept at navigating the social scene and may be unintentionally rude. Again, I don’t see him as being rude, but if you were to argue that he was, why not the excuses for him? Ask yourself that question. As to Jamal behaving differently, acting “present and positive” as another commentator pointed out is often just code for crossing the bounds between genders and being “too positive” towards the opposite gender. Anyone who’s gone through an MSA knows what I mean.
If I could sum up the story in two ahadith it would be the following:
“sin is that which wavers in your soul and which you dislike the people finding out about.”
“Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.”
Overall, the best short story I’ve seen on muslimmatters.org, keep up the good work and I look forward to reading the next one!
SadiaH
December 8, 2011 at 12:50 AM
I didn’t see your comment before writing my comment. Mashallah, a really well worded comment that I whole hearted agreed with!
Ms Mohamud
December 7, 2011 at 10:52 PM
From the comments above, I see most people see this article as discouraging women from working.
I never thought of that while reading. I saw this as teaching us a lesson: Do not follow the footsteps of Shaytaan.
“O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan – indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” (24:21)
Safiya thought Alex walking her to her car every day was harmless. Well it led to worse. She thought going out for some coffee was, also, total harmless. It led to worse. Going ice skating was totally harmless. It led to worse.
What we see as harmless can actually lead us to major sins.
May Allah guide us all and keep us away from the fitna of this world
Ameen.
Fahad
December 8, 2011 at 12:10 AM
Asalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu,
Excellent story with an even better moral.
I’m currently a student at a college in the US, and I see that the lesson of this story is not practiced by many of my Muslim brothers and sisters (I took the lesson to be not to interact with the opposite gender unless there is a legitamate need to). Many people talk to the opposite gender just to be “social”, without realizing that this is incorrect.
Also, I disagree that the main character should have been a guy, as I think some of the readers wanted. One reason is because it’s the authors choice. Besides, I would have felt less sympathetic towards a male. The reason for this is probably because I’m a guy, and I was comparing what my thoughts would have been as compared to what the thoughts of the character of this story were when she was rationalizing her relationship with the guy. She thought things like “I don’t want to offend him, so I’ ll talk to him” whereas if I were letting a female talk to me in a haram way, my thoughts (and probably the thoughts of most guys) (and I’m stereotyping here about most guys) would have been more related to letting the woman talk to me to feed my own ego, or I would definitely think of her in a sexual way as opposed to an emotionally attached/ semi-logical way that the sister in this story did.
I know that probably sounds horrible, especially to the sisters who read this, but I think that if a male is pursuing a haram relationship, then his thoughts about that woman aren’t going to be pure. If a man is talking to a woman in a haram way, then his thoughts are not about marriage, they are just about getting with that woman (not in a good way). If he was thinking about marriage, he wouldn’t approach the situation in a haram way. This should be pretty obvious, but I just wanted to say it, because at college I see Muslims get into a relationship where the sister seems to expect that the guy will propose to her, but in reality his motives are much baser and have nothing to do with marriage. The same may be true the other way around, but I don’t want to say, because being a guy, I feel more entitled to comment on men as opposed to women.
Anyway, please leave a reply if you agree or disagree with me! I’d love to see what other people think.
Also, please don’t be offended by anything I said, that wasn’t my intention.
JazakAllahukhairun!
Halima
December 8, 2011 at 3:11 PM
I agree with you. You’re being completely honest in what you say..
Nuraini
December 9, 2011 at 10:16 AM
actually i agree on the part that if a man thinks about marriage he wouldn’t approach things in a haram way. a non-muslim may still approach it in a way we think is inappropriate but which is totally appropriate for him in an “intending marriage” scenario due to his cultural background – at first. but if he is serious he will learn your boundaries and why, and then adapt. or give up if he is not interested in islam. i know this from experience, with my husband, whom i met while he was still a non-muslim. alhamdulillah God helped me and i somehow kept my head and managed to mostly make mostly the right decisions in a lot of gray area situations (don’t knock it – when you’re actually in this situation it is a lot harder than you think), and somehow God lent me the wisdom to explain things in the right way, and strength to wait when it was necessary to wait, and today he is a muslim and we’re married.
anyway what i learned was that indeed an honest man who is thinking of marriage will understand why a woman will take precautions, for the simple reason that he will think these are good precautions for his future daughter to take (a thought that will not occur to a man with dishonourable intentions). he will endeavour to earn your trust by offering verifiable information about himself, openly sharing his background, talk about his family and those who are important to him, introduce you to them, and will meet your family and guardian no matter how scared he is of them. he is investing, and so will share his real self with you. a man thinks about a woman who (in his mind) is going to be his wife a different way and with a lot higher esteem than just any other woman. note that alexander never offered any real information about himself or his background – this is a warning flag. look for a strong sign of risk and investment, which varies depending on what an individual values or finds difficult – in my husband’s case, he spent money he saved up for a year to buy a plane ticket to go to asia for the first time in his life, to see me and meet my family. also look for commitment over time, because dishonest men don’t have nearly as much attention span as a man motivated by genuine love.
so i think for us women it is a good rule of thumb – there’s a certain way a man will approach you if he is considering marriage. if you don’t see it, don’t get attached as it will likely end in tears. and if in doubt, just wait, hit the pause button and give it time, see what happens. my dad told me (and my best friend) that the man must change first before you agree to consider marrying him. because afterwards, your leverage is gone. this goes for jewelry too. lol :D i’m assuming he means men in general coz he seems to have no issues giving my mom jewelry – lucky for him my mom likes gardening more than jewelry.
us women need to pay attention to these real facts and motivators, and not be distracted by the emotional appeal of the moment. otherwise, we are suckers even for *ehem* undead vampires.
Mansoor Ansari
December 8, 2011 at 12:17 AM
I don’t think the article discourages women from working. But as ma, I would say don’t trust any non-mahram out there regardless of age.
Why Men and Women Cant be friends – random polling on a college campus gives an idea abt how men & women think differently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T_lh5fR4DMA
mw_m
December 8, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Someone’s been on reddit lately
none
December 8, 2011 at 11:35 AM
The dudes in this video don’t look like they are successful at mating/marrying. They don’t even look like they are successful at SHOWERING. Obviously fulfillment of an unknown desire trumps reasoning. Even in Islam we look at newly married people as weaker than people who have more marital ummmm experience(read something about that on islamqa about newly married people not being conscripted into the army). Please don’t hold the statements these DWEEBS make as a standard for the Western Hemisphere. I am not stating my opinion but just stating the results of this survey are skewed to reflect the views not of the Good, not of the Bad, but the Ugly. ….
Mansoor Ansari
December 8, 2011 at 2:56 PM
I can’t really tell ur gender by ur name but I m not saying this a standard for the Western Hemisphere, I m saying this is standard viewpoint of men thru out the world regardless of age. Yes, I did say regardless of age… most men no matter how old they get, check out young women while the same can’t be said abt most old women.
This video has been going a bit viral on FB and most men judging from their comments on FB & Twitter seem to be agreeing wit the men in this informal video survey.
none
December 9, 2011 at 10:47 AM
I’m a male and unmarried. America is economically successful (maybe not in the akhirah but I’m talking about right here right now) because they have integrated both sexes into the workforce. As Muslims we need to learn how to deal with it. And unless you are a social scientist, please don’t make blanket statements about men and women with imaan. If we lack the imaan then we have BIGGER problems than staring at/working with/sleeping with the opposite gender. Don’t confuse an action of restraint bourne out of imaan with a natural human tendency. There are numerous studies and various hypotheses. The expression might be different but women and men have the same or similar sex drives according to some research. My point is we need to learn how to cope in this society. Alhamdulilah women aren’t locked up at home behind the stove here and don’t need to be. Once we left the motherland we should leave some of the cultural baggage there too.
umm abdullah
December 8, 2011 at 12:17 AM
Please tell me this is not a true story!!
How many times do we kick aside an advice with irrational justifications and end up hurt and confused. SubhanAllah, we need to constantly check on ourselves..the decisions that we make…it is scary indeed.
And indeed like how my teacher said, the shaytaan does not come and say ‘Disbelieve!” or “go indulge in zina!”, but he tries to lead people step by step to the evil goal intended.
May Allah, Our Protector protect us from falling into the accursed devils’ plots and grant us wisdom!
The other lesson derived is to keep giving advice to our Muslim brothers and sisters, even if they don’t accept it or show hostility. Especially if you know that they are trying to practice the deen. It can be hard when they give negative reactions but we have to try to remind and help eachother.
SadiaH
December 8, 2011 at 12:42 AM
I don’t see why people are looking at it from a women working/not working perspective! To me, the messages were clear and simple and transferrable to any context:
Do not compromise, even a little. Ever.
Do not be hypocritical.
She told Martin she would never date, nor have coffee.. these were what she always knew to be ‘the right thing to do’. But just the night before, she crossed the boundary that she drew for herself. And from that point onwards, her words were being hypocritical.
It can happen to all of us… the moment you readjust the boundary you draw for yourself, you fall into a ‘no man’s land’, get so confused and keep compromising. I was thinking of the story of the Bani Israeli pious man, who got involved into eventual zina and murder after years of worship. He was caught off guard the moment he readjusted his boundaries and stopped listening to himself. And that happened to a man who secluded himself to his own house for worship. So even being a woman and shutting yourself behind closed doors won’t save you, if you don’t constantly seek Allah’s help, if you don’t repent the moment you falter, if you don’t listen to the sincere advice of the righteous around you. It can happen the moment you stop listening to yourself.
May Allah SWT save us from making sins (however small) that can make us forget ourselves.
Mansoor Ansari
December 8, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Jazak’Allah khair for this awesome comment. Very beneficial.
Abez
December 8, 2011 at 12:58 AM
AssalamuAlaikum everyone- I love hearing what the reader thought was the true ‘moral of the story,’ especially when it’s not something that I had intended for the story! It helps me write better, really. Because I never intended for this story to be a comment on the permissability/pitfalls of women working in society.
This story was not about working, or being insincere or hypocritical, it is- as some of your have very beautifully put it- picking and choosing your boundaries based on your desires. And since you guys said it better than I did- here are the words that sum up my intentions for the story best:
– Sadia H
– Umm Abdullah
MW_M
– Fahad
– Laila
umm hasna
January 21, 2014 at 12:40 AM
Exactly the same statements that reached out to me from the comments as the intended lessons of this story
Rameez
December 8, 2011 at 2:44 AM
I am not surprised by this article at all .
Red flags were all over the place . She was naive , I think . I really don’t understand the fact that , she was tricked by a non-muslim guy . She must have known about the society in which she is living . Worst of all , she rejected the brotherly advice given by Jamal . And to top it off .. She was a MUSLIM .
After reading this article , I remembered one incident in my early university years , although much worse happened to the girl . She rejected all the advises and went all the way with a guy .
Muslim women working in a mixed environment is an issue on which the scholars and ulemas have given fatwas . No need to argue on that .
Oh well .
Rameez
December 8, 2011 at 2:54 AM
I would also like to add that , it doesn’t really matter how much pious or practising you are . Satan can influence any one’s mind . Always seek refuge from Allah . Never think that , you are secure from all these sins .
Zari
December 8, 2011 at 5:00 AM
Abez , you’ve really outdone yourself this time masha’allah. Like someone else mentioned above, I had trouble peeling my eyes away from the screen!
This story made my flesh crawl, may Allah ta’ala protect us from such fitna! Sometimes the story takes a different direction, the girl thinks she’s safe with the Muslim “friend” and then falls into fitna. This is a great reminder how we should be on guard all the time. Truly like the hadith about taqwa being walking carefully through a path lined with thorny bushes.
Please keep writing!
abrar
December 8, 2011 at 10:48 AM
great story, my eyes were peeled as well….. one comment though I felt the attraction for Alexander came out of nowhere…. from my reading it did not seem that Alexander was even attractive even though you mentioned he was easy on the eyes… I think providing a little more description of how the protaganist viewed Alexander in the beginning might help…
keep up the excellent writing.
Mansoor Ansari
December 8, 2011 at 2:59 PM
I think the author did mention it:
Mohsin
December 8, 2011 at 12:56 PM
sA so powerful. This might be a funny thing to say but I think every single muslim should read this. This stopped me and made me think about how I need to guard myself: “My first kiss,” Safiya trembled, “I was saving that…” JazakAllah khair!
Abu Yusuf
December 8, 2011 at 2:53 PM
This is an interesting story. One of the commentators posted a Univ of Utah video showing how all the women thought that men and women can be friends while most men disagreed with that statement. This shows the naivete of women (at least Mormon women in Utah). Women love to bond socially and are adept at making multifarious connections because as a “weaker” sex, they have coped with financial uncertainty by evolving a broader safety net. Thus they sincerely believe in the bogus “just friends” concept. Whereas men know that the draw and seduction of women is far stronger than that of the ring in LOTR. As such, men would only agree with the “just friends” concept as a trojan entry way to ultimately (and sometimes nefariously) claiming what they are biologically driven to do – procreate. This is why the concept of hijab makes perfect sense to Muslim men but women find it difficult to understand why it is legislated because “oh I have a clean heart, so I don’t need to wear hijab“.
Here are some telling stats from Randstad USA (staffing company):
• 37% of working adults have flirted with a colleague
• 8% currently have a secret crush at work
• 17% of working adults have secretly dated someone from work
Indeed the safest, most honorable, most noble, most chaste, and most respectable profession for a woman is that of housewife and mother. I know far too many Muslim men who agree with this statement, including a veritable army of Muslim scholars. I cannot find myself respecting a Muslim woman who works (even though her husband works and she has no financial reasons to) more than a Muslim woman who stays at home. The latter far outshines the former in every single way. This is my humble opinion and I hope MuslimMatters as a progressive ‘freedom of intellectual discourse’ organization will publish this for additional commentary from readers.
Halima
December 8, 2011 at 3:03 PM
That was something….
People keep asking if this was a true story? Yes. This sort of thing happens all the time, if not for the author then for others. That line really cut me, “You sold yourself for nothing.” The whole time throughout their “secret” convos. you’re thinking this Martin guy is a jerk, Janice is evil, but Alexander isn’t part of their little game. If anything though he’s probably the worst…
Sad. She really did sell herself for nothing…but for some reason I kept expecting her to figure this all out…like none of it made sense…they clearly laughed at her at one point and the next acted all “charming…” wow…this was a really good story with a good lesson too…
Nuraini
December 9, 2011 at 10:54 AM
i dunno. it’s closer to being robbed than a situation of selling oneself. but i agree, if she’d had her head together a bit more, she might’ve figured it out. and that is why i usually disagree with people who think muslimahs should be sheltered and coddled at home rather than know things about the world, learn about people’s mistakes and human nature, and are able to actually function in the outside community.
there is no way for you to protect yourself and understand when people who are not like you intend you good or ill (not just non-muslims, but also other muslims who may behave differently or are not very good muslims), if you have had a sheltered life. there is also no way you can teach your children how to engage effectively in the outside world, if you know nothing about it. not just in one-to-one interactions like in the story, but even just to explain how it came to be that somalia is in the situation it’s in and why it’s not easily fixed, why there is abuse in society and the human behaviours and weaknesses that create the cycle, etc. in an increasingly globalised world, and especially in a multicultural country, it is important to be at least a little worldwise.
besides, virtues often get thrown into sharper relief when we realise what happens in its absence, and understand its opposite traits (vice). you can’t appreciate contentment, gratitude and happiness, if you’ve never been sad. you can’t appreciate forgiveness, if you’ve never felt a keen need for it. you can’t appreciate safety if you’ve never known danger or fear. the only way that the unfortunate people in the world can be helped, is if the fortunate realise they exist, and understand something of their experience. a sheltered community, no matter how peaceful and chaste and honest, won’t be a force of change and good in the world, and would never cause injustice to be corrected, if they only kept to themselves. we would indeed be forced to keep to ourselves, if all our women must be sheltered and all our men forced to babysit the women. this is a stagnant arrangement, and so it cannot be correct because it cannot accomplish anything but itself, whereas we know that the dawn of the islamic age brought energy and change. the correct social arrangement must be a stable one but constructive and generative.
Tulip
December 8, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Impeccable elucidation of the encounter between the sheltered & curious Muslimah and the passive but all too familiar non-Muslim!
This story definitely opens my eyes & allows me to assess, with a fresh perspective, my encounters with non-Muslims at my university.
I like the character of Jamal alot. He is a recurring decimal not only here, but in the lives of all Muslimahs when we may find ourselves in such unusual situations! His character really reveals the way in which Allah swt would always send someone to offer a helping hand/words of advice that we may not necessarily be willing to receive at that particular point in time.
May Almighty Allah give us the strength to hold fast to our faith & protect us from the fitnah which surrounds us, Ameen.
Jazaak Allah Khayr Abez!
Maryam
December 8, 2011 at 4:20 PM
I hope my question dont offend anyone and neither weakens anyones faith in Islam. But I would like to know:
Safiya, will wrap her scarf back on, and vow forever to not repeat her mistake again and as per sunnah, pray 2 rakahs and ask for forgiveness. And inshallah she would be forgiven ( this is in the hadith). She will get back on her holy pedestal again.
‘Any servant who commits a sin and as a result, perform ablution, prays two units of prayer (i.e. two rak’ats) and then seeks Allaah’s forgiveness, Allaah would forgive him.’ (From Fortification of the Muslim which I believe is reliable)
But the kiss episode would leave her depressed forever. She would never forgive herself and would keep doubting herself and even suffer from low self esteem even after marriage.I am imagining she would say things like ” i dont deserve my perfect husband.” She would even contemplate suicide but wont because suicide is haram.
But Islam is supposed to be a source of peace. I doubt if Safiya will ever feel peacful because the guilt would literally kill her. She would feel depressed because she belongs to the religion of Islam which does not permit whatever she did.
So can someone please explain to me how Islam can be a source of peace. I frankly only see depression for the one who has erred. For a non believer such an incident wouldn’t scar them for life.
I am imagining Safiya being sleepless crying bucket of tears at tahjjud, and replaying her mistake in her head and questioning herself “how did I go wrong?”
I hope my question doesnt offend anyone. I am a muslim but still learning Islam.
I understand this a fictional story but it is also a great learning tool; got me thinking what happens next for Safiya. I imagine her as been depressed forever.
nahl
December 8, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Say: O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah az-Zumar 39:53)
Safiya obviously made a mistake because she is human, which comes from the arabic root word of nisyaan (forgetful). But that doesn’t mean her sins are too much for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. If she realizes Allah’s greatness and mercy, and that He wipes off sins as if they aren’t there, then she would not despair. Rather this incident should make her more Stronger. Between a stimulus and response, a human has the choice to make, how will he/she react? It’s a free choice. Is he/she going to despair in the mercy of Allah or learn from this incident and become more stronger? We have that choice to respond either way. We aren’t ‘determined’ by our circumstances, if we choose not to be.
Safiya was a prey, she was wronged. I could see her stepping up and reporting them for sexual harrassment, and becoming more strong. If she wanted to. I could also see her quitting her work, at the same time and coming close to Allah swt. Doing something more meaningful to her than corporate work. It could be a life changing experience. She’s obviously a victim of trauma, and for that she could seek counselling, but once again she doesn’t have to allow herself to be determined by circumstance.
And if she has faith in the aakhirah, even though justice may not be served in this dunya, then in the Day of Adal, it certainly will be.
This incident could either make her or break her.
Faysal
December 8, 2011 at 7:33 PM
Dear sister, Assalaamu Alaikum
You are right this is a critical juncture for Safiya, as for the sin, sincere repentance wipes out the sin as if it never occurred, i.e. we can restart from a blank slate. Whenever one is depressed by the “size” of one’s sin, they should recall the hadith about the story of the man who killed 100 men but still wanted to repent and after finally seeking guidance from a scholar went on a journey but died on his way, yet due to the sincerity of his intention to repent he was FORGIVEN. Touching and even kissing a non-mahram doesn’t compare so she should remember that she hasn’t (and I hope none of us have lol) committed such a crime, but even if we have there is still hope!
Also the hadith kudsi where Allah tells us that if we were people that didn’t sin, he would replace us with people that did sin and then repent. Just think about it – Subhanallah, our Creator truly knows us better than we do and is emphasising how much he loves to forgive in order to encourage us!
As an important side point I know that the nature of this story is emotionally touching, but we often misplace priorities, so while we make efforts not to go the xmas party (to avoid possible sin) or touch a non-mahram etc, we sadly become lazy, stubborn and negligent in our obligations with respect to our Five daily prayers and forget the graveness of this sin in the sight of Allah and his Messenger.
Regarding Safiya’s likely mental trauma, there are lessons we call learn from the seerah our beloved Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wassalaam), in the incident where our Mother Ayesha (radiallahu anha) was accused of much worse by the hypocrites. For days (which must have seemed like an eternity) no one would proclaim her innocence not even her parents or beloved husband Rasulullah (sallalahu alaihi wassalaam), there was unbearable silence and gossip spread like wildfire. Until an Ayat from the Qur’an was revealed exonerating her. Did she shrink and disappear from her community and society to save herself from ever going through anything like that again? Rather history is witness that she became one of the greatest women that ever lived and without her scholarship and wisdom much of our religion would be lost.
Safiya needs to be strong and positive, indeed our religion teaches us that this life is full of trials and hardships, but for those who are stay steadfast, it only expiates our sins and makes us closer to Allah. She can take it upon herself to advise and help her younger sisters in Islam and one day pass on her lessons of life to her children. Allahu Alim.
Hope this helps and May Allah shower his mercy on us and forgive our sins, Ameen.
Maryam
December 8, 2011 at 8:19 PM
Jazakallah Khair
Faysal and Nahl, thankyou for your answers.
Safiya will pray 2 rakahs and ask for forgiveness. Inshallah Allah will forgive her. Safiya will believe in her heart Allah has forgiven her. So she will eventually forgive herself.
Unfortunately Jamal wont forgive her. He will give her the looks of “I warned you “
But yes Allah will forgive her.
Say: O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah az-Zumar 39:53)
mw_m
December 8, 2011 at 9:04 PM
Why do you assume the worst about your (fictional) Muslim brother?
Maryam
December 9, 2011 at 4:10 AM
Its true, neither Jamal nor the non-muslims would ever “forgive” her. The non-muslims would forever ridicule her for falling off the holy pedestal. Why do I assume the worst about Jamal?
Because, the proof lies in these comments to this article. Most commenters have expressed shock that she was a muslim and that it happened to her. The commenters represent Jamal.
I seriously dont see it as a heinous mistake compared to other subtle but deliberate mistakes, such as those sins that are the secret sins or say for instance hijab tutorials. I may be digressing from the point but, the point to this story is after the kiss episode, Safiya eventually stops the bad deed (muslims who commit subtle sins dont stop) but I am sure she looses her own self respect; as one commenter pointed out in a similar true story situation the dawah brother indeed committed suicide. The dawah brother failed to receive peace from Islam because he couldnt forgive himself. So my first comment holds true.
The reason is although Allah has prescribed mercy and forgiveness for the erring, the muslim who sins may not be able to bring himself to forgiving himself.
mw_m
December 9, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Sorry, i vehemently disagree with that. My experience is not just that Muslims are quick to forgive, but that often times, we’ll respect people even more who have overcome obstacles and sins.
Believe it or not, there is a lot of good in the Ummah.
Maryam
December 10, 2011 at 3:21 PM
Jazakallah khair.
Well in that case, it boils down to accepting Allah’s forgiveness, by believing indeed Allah forgives.
Could you give us examples/stories/hadith of a Muslim forgiving another Muslim. That would be great.
Nevertheless I whole heatedly believe in Islam but feel sad for Muslims who over burden themselves with grief after they misstep.
zain
December 10, 2011 at 11:10 PM
I believe that very attitude of being judgemental is what made safiya not accept the advise of Jamal when he tried to warn her. She looked down upon him, and acted in anger rather than checking herself to see if what he said was true. What you are saying, in judging Jamal saying he will never forgive her (something in actuality is only known to Allah) is that very same attitude. And if persitent in that, we prevent ourselves from receiving naseeha, which the prophet (saw) told us it foundation of this entire religion. We are told that in this deen we must have the best thoughts (husn al-dhunn) of other muslims, and always make good assumptions of people – indeed this is an integral part of our eeman. Jamal repeatedily tried to help Safiya, and to look down upon him for doing so and assuming the worst of him is no way to thank him.
Maryam
December 11, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Could you plz quote the hadith for (husn al-dhunn) .
That would be helpful.
Jazakallah Khair.
Nuraini
December 9, 2011 at 9:26 AM
this is such a beautiful comment. truly pretty often the best of us emerge from having passed through trial. and some of the fallen are those who were once so compliant. it is said that in the afterlife we will see some people granted heaven that we thought would not be, and vice versa.
i think having accidentally strayed but realising it, is better than not realising one is gradually drifting from the qualities of justice, mercy, charity (including a cheerful, pleasant demeanour to others), gratitude, humility and patience, because if you don’t realise the little sins pretty soon you’d stray far before you realise anything, and might then commit a major sin. this is a major danger for those of us who pride ourselves on “never doing anything wrong”. whereas, it may be that those we look down on because they aren’t so “perfect” are in fact better than us, because they improve with repentance and effort, whereas we are complacent and may be slowly spiritually drifting away from God, because we don’t any longer feel the connection between our deeds and its intended spiritual effect.
ibn Ahmed
December 8, 2011 at 4:50 PM
Asalaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu everyone,
Since people keep asking whether this is a true story or not, I thought I’d share a true story on this subject. This story is taken from the lecture “Forbidden Love by Kamal Elmekki” (which was a great lecture, by the way).
Anyway, so there was one brother who started practicing Islam and became active in dawah, and then one day some old female acquaintance who was a non-Muslim calls him up. So she comments on how its been a long time since she’s seen him and that she would like to come see him. He said that now that he’s a practicing Muslim he would not be able to see her. She said she’d just pass by and they could just talk in her car. So she came, he came and talked to her in her car. Then she suggested that they just drive around, and so she started to drive them around. Then they stopped in front of a place. She said, “This is my house. Why don’t you come in?” He went inside.
Can you guess what happened next?
Well, long story short they committed zina. Not only that, but right after they did the deed, when they got up from it, she looked at him and mockingly said, “Huh, Islam huh?” to add insult to injury.
May Allah protect us and guide us all. Ameen
SadiaH
December 8, 2011 at 8:19 PM
I know of a guy who, after years of dawah work, somehow got seriously involved with a girl. He was eventually abandoned by his dawah buddies, and ALSO, months later, the girl… this handsome, charismatic, brilliant brother, who was studying medicine, felt like he lost everything and ended up committing suicide. May Allah forgive him.
If I read this story 5 years ago, I would have thought, this is just a fiction, faithful Muslims can never go this far. But Alhamdulillah Allah has opened my eyes and I have a better understanding of the struggles people go through to keep their Imaan. Indeed Shaitaan is very close to us, but Allah is closer and we are always in need of Allah’s mercy.
Bint A
December 8, 2011 at 8:27 PM
I don’t know if my comment will be read amongst the 40+ comments thus far but I just wanted to say phenomenal story! Being a literature major there are a lot of things where I actually went, wow that was just awesomely written. The most obvious was the hijab metaphor which worked so well and I guess you don’t need to be a lit major to appreciate that –which is another thing that works about the story, that it appeals to the general public and they too can appreciate the nuances of the writer.
Secondly I liked that the Jamal character acted as a sort of conscience to Safiya and then his sudden disappearance as she tries to constantly repress her guilt…. really well thought out!
Thirdly I wish you didn’t title it “Short” story as it took me more than an hour to read. Just “A Story” would suffice :)
Also I agree with one of the commentators, to end off the story with the “you sold yourself for nothing line” –much more powerful.
Finally the plot was so awesome I was literally hooked till the end. And the message more powerful than the plot was where I felt my time was hopefully not ill-spent!
Props to sis Abez, best story yet.
P.S. Question: About how long does it take for you to write a short story and to think up all the little details that accompany it? Do you ponder the lessons first and then structure a story around it, or do you start off the plot and then think about what lessons you can deliver with it?
May Allah make your writing a means of da’wah and a means of self-reflection and improvement (and not just entertainment!) :)
Abez
December 9, 2011 at 3:42 PM
AssalamuAlaikum Bint, JazakAllahukheiran for the feedback. In response to your question:
I think this story took me a week or so to put a story together, with 4-5 hours of time uninterrupted per day at night. Interestingly, I haven’t written any fiction for over six years now, as you may have seen from the comments in this and in other story threads- many people recall reading these stories a few years ago. I haven’t had the opportunity to write fiction since becoming a mother. (I don’t think I’ve had a proper night’s rest for a few years now, let alone the luxury of pulling all-nighters for writing) But I’m looking forward to trying my hand at writing again. And then I’ll be able to tell you whether I come off with the lesson first or the plot first, because for now, I honestly can’t remember. :)
Brother
December 8, 2011 at 8:38 PM
I’ve seen stuff on the internet that has made me feel seriously sick in the stomach (think wildlife and war footage). Just reading this story tops it all off. Ugh!
Siraaj
December 8, 2011 at 9:55 PM
Phew, was stuck to the screen with my heart pounding while reading this story. Feel sorry for the character, Muslims have to deal with a lot of this in corporate america on a regular basis, and a good reality check for us if we find ourselves sliding on our standards.
It was like a modern-day version of the Barseesa story (only without the totally tragic end of hellfire). Also, glad you made Alexander a real player – many women, muslim and nonmuslim alike, don’t realize there are pick up artists and pick up artist wannabes who use documented techniques for slowly seducing women, particularly breaking down the strongest among them.
Siraaj
umm_ismael
December 9, 2011 at 2:48 AM
Asslam u alaikum wr wb
MashaALLAH very well written. I kept praying throughout that she’d see the signs. But thats how it is- ALLAH does keep Showing us signs (Jamal, the waitress, the coffee, the conversation about intoxicants) bt we choose to throw them aside- i immediately thought this couldnt happen to me and then the next thought flashed but this could happen to anyone- shaytaan can make us this vulnerable if we choose to be this arrogant. May ALLAH Protect us! ameen. ( umm.. some parts were a little too descriptive like tongue down my throat… we can avoid that inshaALLAH)
K$
December 9, 2011 at 7:36 AM
Wow. That was intense. Thats why they say dont follow even the footsteps of shaytan. May Allah protect us all. Ameen
amatullah
December 9, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Scary is not the word!
I agree with umm_ismael about arrogance. It is an ingredient for multiple disasters (for this dunya and akhira). may AllahSwt grant us humility at all times!
I guess most of us in our duas don’t bother to ask protection from falling into zina seriously
and we better because
a. AllahSwt will protect us when we’ll ask Him
b. Everytime we make the dua it’s like a reminder so we’ll be more cautious about it rest of the day.
just my opinion..
Wallahu ‘Alam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNDc1vrt00
AnonyMouse
December 9, 2011 at 10:22 AM
This story mirrors true incidents that happen to Muslimahs everywhere – whether in middle/ high school, college/ uni, or at work. Similar situations happen to us every day, whether deliberately (as in the story where the men make a bet), or ‘accidentally’ (when a man approaches a Muslimah out of genuine curiosity/ attraction to looks or personality)… and it is so, so easy for us to slip during a moment when all we want is to have someone look at us with “that look” in his eyes – admiring, desiring.
An amazing story that hits really close to home – jazaakiAllahu khairan, Zeba!
zain
December 9, 2011 at 9:13 PM
this story scared me a lot, may Allah protect us all and allow us to overcome our desires
S
December 9, 2011 at 11:59 PM
Jazakillahu khairan sr Zeba, that was amazing! eye opening…insightful…teaching without preaching…can’t wait to read more of your work inshallah!
Umm ibraheem
December 10, 2011 at 3:14 AM
Sometimes we see the signs but pretend we don’t because our nafs actually wants the sin. the signs are always clear, but you have to be willing to see them.
Jamil S
December 13, 2011 at 6:53 AM
Bismillah.
In general Muslim womens role is to be be a righeous Wife and Mother. As she is the one fundamentally will be bringing up the next generation of Muslims. So she must be knowledgeble, educated of her deen, and have exalted manners and character. If a Muslimah needs to work, for what ever reason, then she needs to work amongst other women or Children and directing her efforts in contributing to the Muslim Community, and have no or minimul contact with men. If she is a Doctor, dentist, Nurse, school teacher etc, then her work should concentrate only on female to female or to Children and in extension to the Muslim Community. To work in corporate companies, shops, Restaurants, etc is not necessary for her and it does not contribute to the betterment of the Muslim Community. Most Muslim Sisters who wear the head scarf do not know as to why they wear it, its either a fashion, feminism statement or custom or culture. Or they merely wear it due to ther Husband or Parents. It is a licence to go out and work or study. It does not fullfill the condition of the correct Hijab. Many wear trousers, skirst up to the shin, arms bearing, tight tops, yet only covering their hair. So education, knowledge is the most important thing, Hijab must make the sisters behave in an Islamic manner.
Very embarrassing stories
Have any embarrassing situations ever happened to you because of mixing? Among the embarrassing moments mentioned by respondents in this study were the following:
*Comment Editor’s Note: Dear Jamil S: Please put link of the stories you posted instead of the entire content. Jazak’Allah Khairin *
Jamil S
December 21, 2011 at 6:57 AM
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/1200/MIXING%20BETWEEN%20MAN%20AND%20WOMAN
Sadaf Farooqi
December 23, 2011 at 6:06 AM
Riveting story, Abez, as usual.
I couldn’t get up from my seat until I’d finished reading the whole of it.
It imparts great lessons for all.
Barak Allahu feeki!
Sakinah
December 23, 2011 at 5:56 PM
Awesome story sister,
One thing I really liked was the fact that the ending was not what I thought it would be. The typical story would have Alexander convert to Islam and a nice ending but that didn’t happen. And this is the reality when people get into the haraam.
Despite what others say, I think Jamal was doing his best not everyone is perfect in dawah and sitting down calmly with people and advising them. When it came to the drink with the alcohol in her drink that was a dire situation and he reacted appropriatley, especially with the way things were going. We can’t blame Jamal she made her own decisions which led to what happened.
Though we can say that we would theoretically have acted differently and given advice in a better way, you never know what you would do in this situation. Oftentimes, Muslims stay SILENT, too afraid to give advice to someone slipping.
Jillscherb7
April 14, 2012 at 2:15 AM
This is good. Well written. It has something to teach non-Muslims like myself as well. There are many ways people may “bully” people from other cultures. This story is just one. Although the bet makes the motives of the young men ugly and manipulative, even unthinking disrespect of others can be distressing. I like that we are privy to her internal thoughts. This also helps remove some of the “mystery” of cultural differences. Sometimes, I think people are just afraid of what they don’t know much about. Maybe this works both ways. Maybe non-Muslim motives are not always intentionally manipulative or thoughtless. This could complicate a story even further.
Asmeeni
July 4, 2012 at 1:38 AM
This was brilliantly written Mashaallah and so scary because it could happen so easily. We start with the smaller sins and gradually those become “ok” and then we move on to bigger and bigger sins. And suddenly we’re committing sins that a while back we would have never dreamed of committing. May Allah guide us all to the Straight Path.
Wael Abdelgawad
January 10, 2013 at 4:33 PM
Intriguing and well written story. The Salvation Army Santa smoking and sheltering from the wind is a nice touch. Little details like that really bring the setting to life.
I found Safiya’s answers to why she doesn’t drink or date to be a bit preachy and excessive. Most Muslims I know would simply say, “My religion doesn’t allow it.” If pressed, they might explain further.
The story kept me riveted all the way through. By that measure, it was a success.
In the end, however, I felt the story lacked credibility because every single non-Muslim was scheming and cruel. Not one of them was sincere or kind. I don’t think that is an accurate representation of non-Muslims. It’s alarmist and extremist in its way. It certainly does not reflect my own experience with non-Muslims. I have no doubt that there are sick and twisted individuals out there, but they are the exception, not the rule.
Berserk Hijabi
February 3, 2013 at 12:59 PM
I have to agree-this story blew my mind. I am in eighth grade and have never read anything like it. I applaud what one sister said:Shaytan doesn’t tell you directly what he wants you to do in the end. He guides you there with little steps, little moments of doubt, till they lead you to the big stuff. I literally cried after reading this. It’s amazing how a fictional story can get you so angry at a fictional character, but I think Alexander represents a lot of people in our world.
About the Jamal-bashing, I have to say that Jamal could definitely have been more thoughtful, more careful. He could have got his wife or perhaps some women at the masjid to help her out, etc. BUT he alos did what he could. I found his advice to be sincere and true.
But still…Safiyya, of course, takes some of the blame. The minute she found out that there was alchohol in her coffee should have been the minute that she limited her interaction with Martin and Alexander to the bare,bare minimum.
This story kind of freaks me out, not of getting a job, but of going to high school! Subhanallah. If a grown man will do this, what kind of disrespect will I find in high school?
Whatever. Allah is always present…
muslima
February 3, 2013 at 7:53 PM
Berserk Hijabi,
Just remember Safiyya’s biggest mistake, Being alone
with a non- mahram man. Avoid that and you avoid alot of
misunderstandings and future harrassment.
May Allah protect you always.
Firdaus Abubakar
September 2, 2020 at 7:49 AM
Salam alaikum. This short story is a beautiful reminder how shaitan can really fool you and how you really need to be cautious and consider peoples advice. Jazak Allahu khair