Deeqa's Disguise
She was sat in her room angry, ashamed and bewildered! She was dying to find out who told her parents about her smoking habits. Deeqa was always careful and only had one cigarette a day. She also only smoked after her afternoon lectures. Now the secret was out and she knew she could never smoke again (without being caught).
As she lay in her bed, looking at the ceiling and thinking of ways to convince her family that she has ditched the habit and shall become a good girl from now on, her friend Huda slithered into the room.
Huda was very small for her age. She was short, petite and had a very innocent face. However, one look at her eyes is enough for any passing onlooker to realise how much of a snake she is.
She went and sat on the edge of the bed and started giggling at Deeqa.
‘I hear your smoking habit has been discovered’ she said.
‘I would love to know who was it that told on me’ replied Deeqa.
‘Probably someone that hates you! Hmm, could it be Maryam?’
‘No. Maryam never saw me smoking’ said Deeqa.
‘Well then, don’t worry yourself about it. What is done is done’
‘I suppose you are right’ replied Deeqa.
‘So, are you going to quit smoking now?’ Asked Huda
‘It is not that easy to quit smoking. I want to but I really don’t think I can, not that quickly anyway’
‘In that case, you will have to find a hiding place to continue with your filthy habit’ winked Huda.
‘What hiding place? I spend all my time either at home or at Uni. You already know that I only smoke at Uni. Now that I got caught, I don’t think I can smoke there anymore’ reasoned Deeqa.
‘Of course you can! You just have to do it in disguise’ chuckled Huda.
‘In disguise? HOW?’
‘Put on a jilbaab and niqaab, silly. That way you can smoke to your heart’s content and nobody would know it is YOU’ laughed Huda.
‘NO! That’s evil’ replied an appalled Deeqa.
‘Nothing evil about it, my dear. In fact, you get to hit two birds with one stone’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Deeqa innocently.
‘For a start, you get to show your parents that you have mended your ways and are now fulfilling your religious obligations. In addition, you will continue to indulge in your smoking habit without anyone knowing the person under the niqaab’. Hissed a smiling Huda.
‘It does not sound right to me. I don’t want to be a hypocrite’ protested Deeqa.
‘You think smoking behind your parents’ back is not hypocrisy?’ Asked Huda.
‘Well, yes, but it is not the same level of hypocrisy’.
‘Nonsense. Hypocrisy has no levels. You are either a hypocrite or you are not! You already proved that you are one, so what is with the coyness now?’ Said Huda.
‘Well, I am just not comfortable with the idea’.
‘Ok. Let us look at things from all angels, shall we?
Number one: you have been grounded
Number two: your family does not trust you anymore
Number three: you are getting a bad reputation because of this story
Number four: you are losing the respect of your nearest and dearest’ Shouted Huda.
‘I suppose you are right’ mumbled Deeqa resignedly.
‘The jilbaab and niqaab are not that ugly by the way’ said Huda soothingly ‘I have seen girls wearing lovely combinations of the two’.
‘True. I did too’.
‘Give it a try and see how it goes. Or, better still, quit smoking and save yourself all the guilt and hassle’ said Huda.
‘I wish I could. It is really not as easy as you seem to think. It takes willpower and dedication, which I really don’t have now’
‘Are you talking about the smoking or the disguise?’ asked Huda
‘Both. Though wearing the niqab shouldn’t be that hard I suppose.’
‘Do it and see how it goes, what do you have to lose?’ said Huda.
‘I’ll think about it’.
A week later and as Deeqa finished one of her lectures and was standing outside the University building ready to light up, she saw Huda walking past.
‘Psssst. Huda!’
‘Who is that? Do I know you, lady?’ Asked Huda as she peered closer to the niqab-clad lady.
‘It’s me, Deeqa!’
‘Oh! So you finally listened to my advice and started wearing the niqab? What does it feel like?’ asked Huda.
‘It does the job’
‘What do you mean? Islamically?’ asked Huda
‘Yes. That too! It also allows me to smoke freely without anyone around me batting an eyelid!’
‘Surely not! I would have expected the Muslim brothers and sisters to at least look down on your shameless shenanigans’ said Huda winking.
‘Not many of them saw me smoking. I still have enough sense to hide the cigarette whenever I spot one of them walking by’
‘Did any of them recognise you?’
‘Not a single soul! In fact, this niqaab idea seems to have had a strange effect on everyone around me. Most people look at me with a perplexed look on their faces. The Muslim brothers avoid eye contact and the sisters always greet me!’
‘A popular disguise, huh?’ Said Huda
‘Yes. Some of the girls even invited me to a couple of religious lectures’
‘Did you accept the invitations?’ said Huda chuckling loudly.
‘What else could I do? I could not really refuse, could I?’
‘We didn’t think of this possibility when we came up with this idea’ Said Huda whilst tapping her fingers against her lips thoughtfully.
‘No we didn’t. But it is not all bad. I went to one of these lectures last night and it was quite interesting’
‘From the way you said it you make it sound like you are going to go to more lectures in the future’
‘Yes I probably will’
‘Haha! Now you have had it. You really have to quit smoking, you know’ retorted a laughing Huda.
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because you seem comfortable with this new disguise of yours and are already immersing yourself with all it contains. Being religious and being a smoker do not tally, my dear’.
‘But I don’t want to quit smoking, I can’t.’
‘You will have to give up one of the two. There is no two ways about it’
‘I can’t take off my niqaab now. The family will wonder and think me a fickle little girl’ Said Deeqa.
‘Give up smoking then’
‘I really don’t think I can, even if I wanted to.’
‘Something has to give, my dear’
Two weeks later, as Huda was standing by a traffic light and waiting for the light to go red, she felt a tab on her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall niqab-wearing lady with smiling eyes.
‘Oh hello, bat-woman! Long time no see’ said Huda.
‘Al Salaam Aleekom Wa Rahmato Allah, sister’
‘Ooooh! I see you got your disguise down to a tee now! Wa Aleekom Al Salaam’ said a laughing Huda.
‘It is no disguise. This is the way I am now’
‘What do you mean this is the way you are?’
‘I finally managed to quit smoking but decided to keep the ‘disguise’ because I feel comfortable in it’ replied Deeqa.
‘It is those wretched lectures you have been going to that did this, is it not?’
‘Yes, and they are not wretched. They are great. You should come sometimes’ said Deeqa.
‘What are you up to, woman?’ asked Huda whilst narrowing those tiny eyes of hers.
‘Up to? I am up to nothing. Just trying to tell you that those lectures are great’
‘You expect me to believe that someone could change their entire life in the space of a few weeks?’ asked Huda.
‘You make it sound as if I was not a Muslim before! All I am doing now is trying to be a good Muslim. What is wrong with that?’
‘Nothing. Nothing. It is just not YOU! I am finding it hard to accept that you have changed that much in the space of a few weeks’ replied a stuttering Huda.
‘I don’t think I have changed at all. All I did is try to adhere to the rules of my faith. I am not perfect you know’.
‘Nobody is. So, err, does that mean you will not be leaving the house on your own anymore? Would you need a muharam and all that stuff?’ Asked Huda eagerly
‘I don’t know. I have not thought about that. I shall ask in the next lecture I go to’.
‘But for the time being you will carry on acting as normal, right?’ Asked Huda.
‘Yes, around the girls at least. I have decided not to interact with any boys though’
‘No boys? Ok. But are you allowed to sneak a look here and there?’
‘I am not sure. It can’t do any harm I guess’
‘In that case, come on, I am taking you to this new coffee shop that opened recently. The workers there are to die for’ Said Huda.
‘Ok. I’ll come but I am not talking to any workers’
‘Fine. You just drink your coffee and ogle, I’ll do all the talking’. Laughed Huda as she took her hands and walked with her towards the coffee shop......
As she lay in her bed, looking at the ceiling and thinking of ways to convince her family that she has ditched the habit and shall become a good girl from now on, her friend Huda slithered into the room.
Huda was very small for her age. She was short, petite and had a very innocent face. However, one look at her eyes is enough for any passing onlooker to realise how much of a snake she is.
She went and sat on the edge of the bed and started giggling at Deeqa.
‘I hear your smoking habit has been discovered’ she said.
‘I would love to know who was it that told on me’ replied Deeqa.
‘Probably someone that hates you! Hmm, could it be Maryam?’
‘No. Maryam never saw me smoking’ said Deeqa.
‘Well then, don’t worry yourself about it. What is done is done’
‘I suppose you are right’ replied Deeqa.
‘So, are you going to quit smoking now?’ Asked Huda
‘It is not that easy to quit smoking. I want to but I really don’t think I can, not that quickly anyway’
‘In that case, you will have to find a hiding place to continue with your filthy habit’ winked Huda.
‘What hiding place? I spend all my time either at home or at Uni. You already know that I only smoke at Uni. Now that I got caught, I don’t think I can smoke there anymore’ reasoned Deeqa.
‘Of course you can! You just have to do it in disguise’ chuckled Huda.
‘In disguise? HOW?’
‘Put on a jilbaab and niqaab, silly. That way you can smoke to your heart’s content and nobody would know it is YOU’ laughed Huda.
‘NO! That’s evil’ replied an appalled Deeqa.
‘Nothing evil about it, my dear. In fact, you get to hit two birds with one stone’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Deeqa innocently.
‘For a start, you get to show your parents that you have mended your ways and are now fulfilling your religious obligations. In addition, you will continue to indulge in your smoking habit without anyone knowing the person under the niqaab’. Hissed a smiling Huda.
‘It does not sound right to me. I don’t want to be a hypocrite’ protested Deeqa.
‘You think smoking behind your parents’ back is not hypocrisy?’ Asked Huda.
‘Well, yes, but it is not the same level of hypocrisy’.
‘Nonsense. Hypocrisy has no levels. You are either a hypocrite or you are not! You already proved that you are one, so what is with the coyness now?’ Said Huda.
‘Well, I am just not comfortable with the idea’.
‘Ok. Let us look at things from all angels, shall we?
Number one: you have been grounded
Number two: your family does not trust you anymore
Number three: you are getting a bad reputation because of this story
Number four: you are losing the respect of your nearest and dearest’ Shouted Huda.
‘I suppose you are right’ mumbled Deeqa resignedly.
‘The jilbaab and niqaab are not that ugly by the way’ said Huda soothingly ‘I have seen girls wearing lovely combinations of the two’.
‘True. I did too’.
‘Give it a try and see how it goes. Or, better still, quit smoking and save yourself all the guilt and hassle’ said Huda.
‘I wish I could. It is really not as easy as you seem to think. It takes willpower and dedication, which I really don’t have now’
‘Are you talking about the smoking or the disguise?’ asked Huda
‘Both. Though wearing the niqab shouldn’t be that hard I suppose.’
‘Do it and see how it goes, what do you have to lose?’ said Huda.
‘I’ll think about it’.
A week later and as Deeqa finished one of her lectures and was standing outside the University building ready to light up, she saw Huda walking past.
‘Psssst. Huda!’
‘Who is that? Do I know you, lady?’ Asked Huda as she peered closer to the niqab-clad lady.
‘It’s me, Deeqa!’
‘Oh! So you finally listened to my advice and started wearing the niqab? What does it feel like?’ asked Huda.
‘It does the job’
‘What do you mean? Islamically?’ asked Huda
‘Yes. That too! It also allows me to smoke freely without anyone around me batting an eyelid!’
‘Surely not! I would have expected the Muslim brothers and sisters to at least look down on your shameless shenanigans’ said Huda winking.
‘Not many of them saw me smoking. I still have enough sense to hide the cigarette whenever I spot one of them walking by’
‘Did any of them recognise you?’
‘Not a single soul! In fact, this niqaab idea seems to have had a strange effect on everyone around me. Most people look at me with a perplexed look on their faces. The Muslim brothers avoid eye contact and the sisters always greet me!’
‘A popular disguise, huh?’ Said Huda
‘Yes. Some of the girls even invited me to a couple of religious lectures’
‘Did you accept the invitations?’ said Huda chuckling loudly.
‘What else could I do? I could not really refuse, could I?’
‘We didn’t think of this possibility when we came up with this idea’ Said Huda whilst tapping her fingers against her lips thoughtfully.
‘No we didn’t. But it is not all bad. I went to one of these lectures last night and it was quite interesting’
‘From the way you said it you make it sound like you are going to go to more lectures in the future’
‘Yes I probably will’
‘Haha! Now you have had it. You really have to quit smoking, you know’ retorted a laughing Huda.
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because you seem comfortable with this new disguise of yours and are already immersing yourself with all it contains. Being religious and being a smoker do not tally, my dear’.
‘But I don’t want to quit smoking, I can’t.’
‘You will have to give up one of the two. There is no two ways about it’
‘I can’t take off my niqaab now. The family will wonder and think me a fickle little girl’ Said Deeqa.
‘Give up smoking then’
‘I really don’t think I can, even if I wanted to.’
‘Something has to give, my dear’
Two weeks later, as Huda was standing by a traffic light and waiting for the light to go red, she felt a tab on her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall niqab-wearing lady with smiling eyes.
‘Oh hello, bat-woman! Long time no see’ said Huda.
‘Al Salaam Aleekom Wa Rahmato Allah, sister’
‘Ooooh! I see you got your disguise down to a tee now! Wa Aleekom Al Salaam’ said a laughing Huda.
‘It is no disguise. This is the way I am now’
‘What do you mean this is the way you are?’
‘I finally managed to quit smoking but decided to keep the ‘disguise’ because I feel comfortable in it’ replied Deeqa.
‘It is those wretched lectures you have been going to that did this, is it not?’
‘Yes, and they are not wretched. They are great. You should come sometimes’ said Deeqa.
‘What are you up to, woman?’ asked Huda whilst narrowing those tiny eyes of hers.
‘Up to? I am up to nothing. Just trying to tell you that those lectures are great’
‘You expect me to believe that someone could change their entire life in the space of a few weeks?’ asked Huda.
‘You make it sound as if I was not a Muslim before! All I am doing now is trying to be a good Muslim. What is wrong with that?’
‘Nothing. Nothing. It is just not YOU! I am finding it hard to accept that you have changed that much in the space of a few weeks’ replied a stuttering Huda.
‘I don’t think I have changed at all. All I did is try to adhere to the rules of my faith. I am not perfect you know’.
‘Nobody is. So, err, does that mean you will not be leaving the house on your own anymore? Would you need a muharam and all that stuff?’ Asked Huda eagerly
‘I don’t know. I have not thought about that. I shall ask in the next lecture I go to’.
‘But for the time being you will carry on acting as normal, right?’ Asked Huda.
‘Yes, around the girls at least. I have decided not to interact with any boys though’
‘No boys? Ok. But are you allowed to sneak a look here and there?’
‘I am not sure. It can’t do any harm I guess’
‘In that case, come on, I am taking you to this new coffee shop that opened recently. The workers there are to die for’ Said Huda.
‘Ok. I’ll come but I am not talking to any workers’
‘Fine. You just drink your coffee and ogle, I’ll do all the talking’. Laughed Huda as she took her hands and walked with her towards the coffee shop......
