LITTLE MISS-CHIEVOUS

A young girl sat among an abundance of flowers as they were blooming in season. It was a coincidence because she wore a floral hijab and a long dress that wasn't revealing. She was waiting outside the masjid for her brother to come out after his Friday prayers.

Why do I have to wait for him this long?

She thought peevishly with flowers in her hands as she picked their petals one by one. How she longed to bail from this place because today she planned to go out for shopping. Her impatient character was still marked within her. She had a reputation of being a piece of troublemaker throughout her childhood years. A long list of troubles she had made in the past. She got punished a few times in her previous school, because of silly little things such as a prank on the girls in her class. Served them right. A bunch of gossip Queens, she thought. Though she never learned any wisdom from it. But that was a long time ago, and she wasn't like that now.

The minute when there was a familiar figure of a young man that came out, immediately she rushed after him.

"Ya Allah, what took you so long to come out, bro?" she asked, prodding his back. When he turned to meet her, she realized the face did not belong to her brother, and she knew she was doomed.

"Assalamualaikum, something wrong?" He returned, rather confused and all.

Oops.

"Ooh, sorry, I thought you were someone I knew-"

He grinned. "I look like your brother do I?"

"A little. It was more of your peci and the way you are dressed with a sarung," she stuttered. "I mean it's identical, he wears the same ones all the time."

"Your brother has the same color of peci and sarung as mine?" He joked.

"Ha-ha! If you can put it that way, yes." She chuckled and tilted her head for her to glance inside the masjid.

Ahh! Where is he?

"You must be looking for your brother," he spoke when he noticed this. "I think I saw a person in the masjid who has the same outfit as I do," he told.

"Really?"

"Yes, yes. He looks like he knows a lot of brothers in here since I saw him talking with a few of them. I can't be sure, but I have a feeling it's him."

"Astagfirullah, just unbelievable," she groaned while raising her arms in the air.

"It is definitely him. Jazakallah khayran for the information." She rolled her eyes, then went down along the stairs until she turned back again.

"Wait, I didn't get your name, yet?"

He smiled above. "It's Ali," He said, briefly.

"What is yours?"

Initially, she wanted to utter her real name, but instead of doing all those without any entertainment, a naughty idea suddenly slipped in her mind.

"Fatimah," she smirked secretly in the corners of her mouth. Ali raised his brows almost in fascination.

"Really? Subhanallah like the daughter of Rasulullah (peace be upon him)."

She nodded.

"Well, I must be going now." She said and after she ended that small conversation with a salam, she suddenly burst out a fit of laughter once she reached outside the parking lot. Her brother was there and witnessed this in a baffled look. Until to the point where he suddenly asked,

"Assalamualaikum. What is so funny, Zahra?"

"You missed everything, bro," She shook her head, stifling a laugh.

"Tell me if this is an important discussion to talk about, adek?" Her brother groaned.

"No, it's not. Never mind about it, it's not like it's going to make you laugh, anyway," she replied, screwing a ridiculous face she showed. "Buahaha! Let's go, let us go!" She laughed again, and this time, her brother shook his head. He was confused with the whole situation he never understood. The shaytaan must've been laughing all the way with her by now while the angels above are shaking in disappointment. It was only a silly prank she did, but that was something she couldn't change in the near future. If only she knew what would happen next...

*

Later on the same day, she burst into the room, hands filled with shopping bags. Her pleased smile was perfectly noticeable when her sister's eyes fell immediately upon her in the living room, and gazed at the heavy shopping bags she carried.

"Assalamualaikum, adek. What's that you brought?" A voice called inches away. A woman in her late twenties got up to her feet the moment they came in.

"Obviously I went out on a shopping spree. I've bought you a few shawls, Fatimah," Zahra grinned, spreading the items upon the table. "Neat, right?"

Fatimah's eyes flashed in stun.

"It's a lot." She acknowledged.

"Yea, it is. Big bro helped me out with it." Zahra winked, returning to her brother's direction.

Fatimah blinked at him in disbelief.

"I did, and yes it was quite expensive, but please don't ask me how much I had to pay for those." His expression said it all. He swiftly moved on to leave the room.

"Mom will not be pleased with this," said Fatimah with a little shook of her head. "You know if we want something, that does not mean we have to buy it." She calmly reproached her little sister.

Zahra gave her a small groan out of her frustration, whenever she had to listen to her sister's passive lecture. This would certainly go on forever. However, she was not going to let anyone in her way now.

"No, you need these," corrected Zahra. "I know it's a lot but it was an emergency. You see here we need these items. You need these for a change." Zahra batted her eyelashes significantly.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Zahra pursed her lips and lifted her ovaled chin high. "I'll say to you as bluntly as ever okay? Okay. I made a mistake. Today I met a man in the masjid and did a little prank on him."

"You What?!" Fatimah got up in flushed outrage.

"What did you do?"

"Well, I ah..." Zahra paused for a moment, and she found it hard to explain it decently. "I didn't say it directly. He wanted to know my name which I told it was yours. I know I shouldn't have done it. But the man seems interesting. Fit to be your suitable hubby I tell you," smirked Zahra playfully.

"He was neat."

"Wait, I want to make sure if it is clear, adek. You mean to tell me that you were trying to matchmake me with someone this whole time?"

Zahra slowly gave her a twisted smile.

"Not exactly, I say. He doesn't know your real face so it isn't official. Plus, I don't even know if we'll ever see each other again so it's in the past." "

"Ya, Allah! Do you even realize what you've done? First and foremost, you went and talked to a stranger, a non-mahram. Alone."

"Ya so what, kak? I've chatted with several boys my age. What's the difference if I only had a small chat with a grown man? It's not like he's going to pounce on me considering that's forbidden since we were both outside the mosque."

Fatimah shook her head at her little sister's disgusting response. She could not fully understand how her little sister managed to spat those words in such a fashion.

"How dreadful you put it. Not just that, little miss ninny. You used my name just for the sake of having fun."

"Exactly. Why are you making this such a big deal? It's as if what I did was a big sin."

"Because what you did was an act that could mislead our family name. Unintentionally. You got so bold in this whole thing and you're bringing the name of Islam by wearing a muslim outfit, that's something you have to be ashamed of."

"Then I guess wearing modest clothes isn't improving my character after all." Zahra muttered in remorse, lowering her head while she was taking off her hijab.

Suddenly, this scene softened Fatimah's heart. She quickly rested her hand on her little sister's shoulder for support. "Don't give up. I know this is just an impulsive way for you to get out of boredom. You must not let the shaytaan defeat you."

Zahra tossed the hijab away and sighed. "Will you forgive me, kakak?" she lowered her eyelashes in penitence.

Fatimah sighed then nodded her head with a smile coated across her face. "Yes, I forgive you. As long as you won't make a prank again on others. It's haram. It's like telling a lie," Fatimah groaned. "Insyallah this is just a lesson for you to change."

Glossary

Peci* - The songkok or peci or kopiah is a cap widely worn in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males.

Sarung*- A garment consisting of a length of cloth that is wrapped around the body and tied at the waist or below the armpits, worn by men and women in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Pacific islands.

Adek*/Adik - Younger Sibling

kakak/ kak*- Older Sibling