Now it was summer time...

Now it was summer time, very hot and humid and before me stood this woman covered from head to toe, a complete stranger and suddenly she was insisting that I come and eat with her. At first I completely refused, but she stood her ground and eventually convinced me. When I asked her why was she so persistent she replied Islam teaches us to be respectful and kind to our neighbors, you are my neighbor now and I must extend to you this courtesy.

Well I was quite shocked by this but somehow it put me at ease I felt that there was a real sense of sincerity in this gentle woman. From that evening on Umm Ali & I became the best of friends. It was a new experience for both of us, she had never had a close friend who wasnt muslim and I had never had a muslim friend so we enjoyed our differences and respected them.

She had a great sense of humor and we used to laugh a lot, and I adored her children and used to care for them as if they were my own nieces. From time to time we used to discuss religion, but it was never in a forceful way. I used to ask her about her prayers, about her dress, during Ramadan she invited me every night for iftaar (though I wasnt fasting). Much of the dawah she made to me was through her actions, not her words.

I began to respect and adore her so much as a person, woman, wife & mother. It was very obvious to me that she was at peace with herself. At the time I was still quite young but I felt something starting to stir, it was more than a curiosity or an affection; I was starting even though I didnt know it quite yet to really take Islam seriously. Once I started studying in the university I began to really think seriously about my life, its direction and purpose. What was my main objective in life??

Why was I on this planet, to do what, to serve whom??? I reflected upon my Christian roots but they seemed so alien to me at that point, so I started to search. I looked at Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, so many isms but I found a flaw in every one of them. Umm Ali was still with me at this time, she knew I was troubled and needed guidance but as was always her loving way she didnt force me in anything. She was there for me, to listen to my frustrations and fears, always kind and always caring.

It was a time of great turmoil and then one night I had a dream. In the dream I was surrounded by darkness from all sides and in the distance I could see a great light and under that light was my dear friend and she was calling me but I could not go to her.