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Maryam,
Lucy, and the School Assignment
A Story by Jamil Momand
There was once a girl who lived in the city of New York.
Her name was Maryam and she was a Muslim.
She was a good person but did not know too much about Islam.
She did not live near a mosque and her parents were too busy with their
careers to teach her about Islam. She
was the only Muslim at her school and most of her friends were Jews or
Christians. It was autumn now and
Maryam was getting prepared for her first year of high school.
She wanted to get into the same classes as all her friends so the night
before registration day she arranged to have all her friends gather at her
house. After a few hours they all
had the following schedule:
| Ecology
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Period 1
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| English
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Period 2
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Math
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Period 3
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| P.E.
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Period 4
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History
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Period 5
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Period 6
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They couldn't decide what class to take for sixth period.
Then Lucy announced to the others, "Let's take this class called
Comparative Religions." "That
sounds awful," replied Maryam, "I
don't know anything about religion." All
her friends agreed with her saying it would be much too hard.
They searched for other classes that would be easier but couldn't find
anything else. There was nothing
they could do except take the Comparative Religions class.
After her friends left, Maryam started to ask herself, "What
religion do I belong to?" She
knew she was a Muslim because her parents said she was, but she was not sure
what being a Muslim really meant.
The next week Maryam started school and just as was
planned she and all her friends were in the same classes.
She was very happy and she thought that this would be the best school
year ever. The class on Comparative
Religions was taught by Mrs. Jenkins. She
was a good teacher and the class was very interesting.
Maryam soon learned about Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and her own
religion--Islam. Sometimes Mrs.
Jenkins would show slides of the people who followed these religions.
She also showed films that were made in different countries which talked
about the rituals and customs of the people.
In one film about Islam Maryam saw people that reminded her of her
grandfather. She loved her grandfather but he died when she was very
young. Maryam and her friends
really enjoyed the films. On their
way home from school they often talked about their own religions and the things
they believed in. When Lucy asked
Maryam what she believed in she replied, "I know I believe in God, but I'm
not sure what else."
When Mrs. Jenkins began to cover Islam in class
Maryam kept her eyes and ears open. She
never knew about Prophet Muhammad. She
never knew about praying. When
Maryam went home she asked her parents, "Do we believe in these
things?" Her parents looked at
each other for a time and then her father turned to her and said, "Yes
Maryam we do. We believe in all the
things you are learning in school but we just never had the time to tell you
about them. Your mother and I have
been so busy trying to make a living."
Then, in an effort to change the subject, Maryam's mother said,
"Let's have dinner." While her parents were talking about their jobs Maryam
wondered about God, about Prophet Muhammad, and about the meaning of Islam.
One day, in her Comparative Religions class Mrs.
Jenkins made an announcement. "Today
I want to give you a major assignment."
Immediately the class became quiet.
"Each student will give a short presentation to the class about his
or her own religion. I want a
specific topic about your religion and it must be at least five minutes long.
This assignment is due in two weeks.
You must have your topic in by tomorrow." Maryam stayed behind after class to talk to Mrs. Jenkins
about the assignment. "Mrs.
Jenkins," she said, "I don't know too much about my religion.
Could you choose a topic for me?"
Mrs. Jenkins smiled and said, "Of course Maryam what is your
religion?", "Islam," she replied.
"Well, why don't you do it on the subject of fasting.
All Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.
I think that would be a marvelous topic. You can find books on Islam at the public library."
Maryam thanked her teacher and ran out the door to catch up with her
friends.
Maryam prepared hard for her topic.
She found out that Muslims fast to learn self-restraint. and that fasting
was described in the Holy Quran. She
learned that the month of Ramadan depends on the moon and is not like the months
in America. The night before the
speech she watched the news on TV. She
found out that the first day of Ramadan began the next day, the same day as her
speech. She was overjoyed.
She decided to tell her class about the first day of Ramadan in her
speech.
The next day flew by.
She was so excited about her speech that she forgot what was happening in
her other classes. While eating
lunch she read her speech three times. Finally,
the bell rang for sixth period. Maryam
was chosen to be the last one to give her speech.
When she got to the front of the class she was a little nervous.
Her hands started to shake and, as she started to speak, she felt her
throat getting sore. "I-I would like to tell you something about Islam,"
she stuttered. However, the more
she spoke the more confident she became. She
had practiced it so many times before that she had memorized it.
As she continued to speak the class grew more attentive and Mrs. Jenkins
nodded her head in approval at every pause.
Maryam became proud as she talked about the Muslims who fasted while
fighting their battles. She talked
about the meaning of Ramadan and the reasons why the Muslims fast.
At the end of her speech she said with a smile, "Today is a special
day because it is the first day of Ramadan and Muslims all over the world are
fasting." After a big round of
applause and a few cheers Mrs. Jenkins asked the class if there were any
questions for Maryam. Immediately
Lucy's hand shot up. "How do
you feel after fasting for a whole day with nothing to eat or drink?"
she asked. Suddenly, Maryam
began to turn red. She broke out
into a sweat, and she found it hard to swallow.
She had no idea what it felt like to fast--to feel hunger or thirst.
Maryam couldn't answer Lucy's question because she had never fasted.
After a minute of complete silence the bell rang and it was time to go
home. Maryam was relieved and
exhausted. When she got home that
night she made a promise to herself and God.
She promised to fast the rest of Ramadan.
She set her alarm for early in the morning.
When she woke up it was still dark because the sun had not yet risen.
She made her breakfast and whispered her intention to fast that day.
She went to school later that morning and saw Lucy.
When they met Maryam said, "Lucy, I think fasting is wonderful. It makes you feel very close to God."
From then on Maryam fasted every year during the month of Ramadan.
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