17 YEARS AGO
"Mama, why do I wear this?" Nai tugged at the scarf around her head, her tiny fingers grasping the fabric.
Her mother smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Because it's a part of you, my love. Just like your heart, your dreams, your laughter."
"Then I will never hide who I am"
Nai said it so fiercely, so certainly and giggled then, spinning in circles, not knowing that one day she'd question those words some day.
PRESENT TIME.
"And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He alone is sufficient for them." (Quran 65:3)
Nai closed her eyes, letting the words sink into her heart.
Trust.
It should be easy, right? If she trusted Allah, then why was she hiding? Why was she so afraid?.
"Ya Allah, guide me."
Her whisper melted into the silence of the night, her hands cupped in quiet desperation.
She had prayed for this opportunity, for her dream to come true. But she never thought the cost would be her own identity.
How do you hold onto faith when the world keeps asking you to let go?.