Guidance from Quran

How dramatic that was! Alaya thought as she set in the bus looking at the magazine in her hands. The bold title on the page she’d opened read, “Interview with the richest business tycoon in Egypt – Raphael Hamidh.” And the picture below showed the face that swept away Alaya’s feet years ago. He looked more handsome than ever before. With his bold eyes staring right at her and square jawline more well-defined than she could remember.                 Alaya lost herself in the picture for a few seconds but quickly got to the text underneath as it occurred to her that it was his interview. She was not much of a reader but she started to read the page at lightening speed. Raphael had told the interviewer about his business plans which were quite the same ideas that he had shared with Alaya almost a decade ago. His words made Alaya realize how much he has learned and progressed in life. By the end of the intervi...

Alaya could not figure out how though. She was too young and immature to even the idea of ‘conquering one’s love.’ She’d asked her friends about it and they did give her some ideas. “You’ve got to show him some signs, you know?” one of her closest friends had said, making it seem like it should be so obvious to her. But Alaya had no clue at all as to what those ‘signs’ were. Was it the way she walked past by him? Was it the way she combed her hair? Was it the way she looked? Was it by the way she’d start a conversation with him? Alaya played out all those scenes in her head and found none of them working. It was impossible for her to imagine herself doing any of it with Raphael and getting any attention from him. Alaya thought that he was too mature of a boy to get carried away by such small things. As a result, she hopelessly counted days while looking at Raphael from a distance. When she was just about to give up all hope about being with Raphael, something amazing happened...

It was the first week of September and the first day of school for 10 year old Alaya who had just moved to Egypt from New York. She had grunted at every step she took away from New York towards her home town but had no choice because her father was apparently going through a financial crisis. Her father had lost his job in a during the downsizing of the company he was working in. Since they used to live in a rented apartment in New York for which they could not pay anymore, Mahmood decided to come back to Egypt where he could shelter his family in his father’s house. Everyone in the family including Mahmood was saddened by the decision. Except for Waleeda. “This is the best decision you could make! I mean…..look at what New York has done to these two stubborn heads. Living with their grandparents should teach them something. If you asked me I’d tell you to keep us in Egypt till they get married.” Waleeda had said during the last dinner they had in New York. Asma and Alaya had...

It was half past 11 when Alaya reached home. She felt exhausted as she closed the door of the taxi and turned towards her house. Not once did the thought of that stranger leave her mind during her long ride home. But she was forced to forget, as she saw the door of her house. Through the windows on the side, she could see that the lights were still on. A fear crept into her heart when she remembered the lie she had told her dad. Group study at Lilly’s place. Dad can come pick her up at 10. Goodness! He must have called her a million times by now. Alaya looked for her phone in her handbag. It was way deep under all the other stuff and when she took it out it was sticky. It took Alaya a while to realize that it was her leaked lip gloss. Disgusted at her clumsiness, she unlocked her phone to find 13 missed calls from her Dad. Shit! This was it. This was Alaya Mahmood’s end and she hasn’t even written her will.   What was she going to do? There was no way she was entering that hou...

The gentleman who got off the Range rover was well-built and six feet tall. He wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a light blue tie. His formally combed dark brown hair was getting swayed due to the wind when he closed the door of his car. He walked forward with his black shoes finished to shine tapping on the concrete road. He stopped when he was just one step away from the sketch that was under his wheel. He waited a moment and bent down to get a hold of it. He pulled the sketch from under the wheel, being careful not to tear the masterpiece. He stood up with the sketch and took a good look at it. After a while, for some unknown reason, he folded it twice and pushed it safely into the inner pocket of his suit. ** Alaya was not having a good day. Her frustration about going to the prom with Max didn’t happen to leave her even for a minute. She was thinking about it on her commute back home, while watching TV and while doing any household chore that her mother was...