"Rise and shine, mate." I heard someone say as I groaned and stretched my tense limbs, my whole body aching and my head pounding.
"What the hell ... " I trailed off, rolling around and looking at my surroundings only to see I was in some building with hundreds of lights decorating the painted rounded ceilings, all sorts of sick Arabic looking calligraphy on the walls, red carpets on the floor that I was currently lying on.
"Where's this?" I asked, looking up and only now realizing that it was Ahmad who was looking at me. What the hell was I doing with Ahmad?
'Our mosque." He said as he sat down cross legged across me. I sat up also, leaning my back against the wall and stretching my legs ahead.
"Where the hell are my shoes?" I muttered as I looked at my white socks. Looking Around the place, I took note of the extensive bookshelf against one whole wall, all looking like it had the same one book on the shelves.
"You can't come in here with shoes. I took them off." He said as he opened a backpack, taking out a bottle of water and handing it out to me to grab which I took gladly, gulping down most of it.
'I've never been drunk before but Google said Panadol helps so I went and bought some for you, I don't know.' He said with a shrug as I looked at him with half wide eyes, taking the packet from his hands greedily and popping out three pills before putting them into my mouth and chugging the rest of the water down. Even the little bit of water I had drank was enough to wake me up a little bit.
"You've never been drunk before." I muttered with a laugh. "Must be fun." I said sarcastically and he laughed also, extending his legs and resting his hands behind him on the carpet.
"Trust me when I say our idea of fun isn't the same." He said with a shrug, making me smirk. Yeah, I'd definitely agree with that. What sort of life did someone lead in order to never be drunk?
Boring, I know that much.
"Trust me when I say if you experienced my fun, you'd never go back." I said with a laugh that made my head throb, leaning my head on the cement wall, welcoming the coolness that calmed my headache a little.
"I'm good where I am." He said simply, not looking at all deprived or curious. Someone wearing the same dress as Ahmad, but a black version that looked better walked passed, reaching a hand out to Ahmad and saying a couple words that I didn't understand.
"Wa alaykum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, akhi.' Ahmad replied with a smile, taking his hand and shaking it. The guy turned his head to me and said the same thing, a small smile on his face. I stared back at him blankly. Was he cussing me? He raised an eyebrow until recognition took over his face when Ahmad told him I wasn't Muslim.
'Oh, sorry. How are you doing, mate?" He said instead as he extended a hand. Okay, maybe he wasn't cussing me then. I grasped it firmly and answered with a shrug and a small nod. He left soon after and I realized Ahmad was staring at me, his head tilted to the side slightly.
"What'd that mean?" I asked him, realizing that he was about to ask me a question and so I thought I'd ask one first instead of letting him ask something that I probably wouldn't be bothered answering anyway.
He said, ``May the peace and the mercy and the blessings of Allah be upon you, and I said the same back." He explained to me with a small grin as he watched me grab my forehead and rub it to ease the pain.
"Why not just say hi?' I muttered, rolling my eyes. Such a long greeting that wasted a whole five seconds when you could say hi in half a second and move on with your life. He laughed.
"I rather have the peace, mercy and blessings of God on me than just a meaningless hi." He said simply and I exhaled in boredom, looking at all the lights surrounding the place. I wonder what the electricity bill of this place was.
I took my forehead in my hands and squeezed my teeth, waiting for this headache to be over already.
"You sure your idea of fun is better than mine?" He asked me with a chuckle as he watched me experience my pain. "I don't think I've ever experienced the pain you're going through in my life besides from the stab I got from your mate." He muttered and I looked up to see the humor in his eyes. I don't know what it was, but it made me laugh.
"Shut up, man." I muttered as I released a chuckle, my body relaxing slightly and feeling a little more comfortable. As I looked around at the few people engaged in their own worship, a question came to my mind. "Was I here the whole night? Why didn't anyone kick me out?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Why would they?" He asked me simply, raising a brow.
'Cause this is a temple and I was drunk? I still reek of alcohol and drugs." I muttered, he chuckled, watching my movements with his head tilted sideways. He didn't have a judgmental glance or anything directed towards me and I found that odd. At first I thought it might've been because he 'knew' me from prior and that I had helped him, but the other guy who had greeted me two minutes ago didn't know men and yet he didn't have a single ounce of judgment in his voice or in his facial expression either. Despite my stench, he had still extended his hand in greeting.
"Firstly, this is a mosque. A Masjid. Not a temple. Secondly, you don't only reek of it; your appearance gives it away too." He smirked in a joking manner, making me roll my eyes and smirk. He was cocky when he got comfortable. I guess he had a sense of humor in a way. 'And thirdly, no one was going to kick out a guy who meant no harm.'
I looked at him, seeing the honesty in his eyes before sighing and looking around at the people minding their own business, some of them sitting in small groups or pairs, just like Ahmad and I were and talking. Big difference from what you'd think goes on in these temp ... mosques from what you see on the news.
Ahmad turned his head and saw someone in the distance who was looking at the books on the bookshelf. "Hey, Jones! Come here!' He called, not too loud to be shouting, but loud enough to be heard. The guy turned around and held up a finger as if to say one second before turning back to the bookshelf.
"I'll leave now." I said, getting ready to stand up, but Ahmad told me to hang on and wait for Jones to come. Jones? Was that a Muslim name? It wasn't a Muhammad, Ahmad or Habib or anything.
The guy eventually came over, a book in his hand as they did that greeting thing with Ahmad and shared a hug. The guy sat down cross legged beside us. He was also wearing a dress thing, but his was knee length, with matching colored baggy pants underneath. "Oh wow, weed and beer." The guy commented as he smelt the air surrounding me. "I'm Walter." He extended a hand, smiling at me slightly as I looked at him with narrowed eyes for his earlier comment. "Walter Jones." He added, looking at my hand with a raised eyebrow as if asking whether or not I was gonna shakes.
"King. King Patterson." I answered him, taking his hand eventually and shaking it firmly. "You got a lot to say about me, yet how'd you know what I've been having?" I muttered looking at him with a raised eyebrow and watching as his face turned into a look that told me he was expecting me to say something along those lines.
"I was in the same place you are now once before. Partying every night, drinking, smoking, and taking drugs ... all of it. Astaghfirullah." He explained, saying a word I didn't understand at the end of it. I didn't even ask him to continue speaking, but he did anyway. "I'm guessing it's your escape." He assumed correctly but I didn't say anything to let him know that and he kept speaking after my silence.
"I had an abusive dad and the only way I'd feel free for even a couple of hours was through what you're doing now. It's useless though. You go out, party, drink, forget about everything for five hours then the next day you wake up hung-over facing the same problems again. It's a never ending cycle and in the midst of it, the only thing that's actively progressing, is the deterioration of your liver to be honest." He said with a laugh as Ahmad also laughed at him telling him 'that was a good one'. The statement made me chuckle also.
Walter was looking as if he was replaying old memories in his head. He zoned out for a bit and I looked at Ahmad who had almost a proud look as he watched and listened intently to the story I'm sure he's heard before on multiple occasions.
Jones finally snapped out of his daydream, shaking his head slightly and looking back at me. 'All thanks are to Allah Subhanahu WA Ta'ala, the most Glorified, the most High." He shut his eyes and took a deep breath in and out.
"So what, you became Muslim?" I asked him. 'Is that why you don't have a Muslamic name?"
He smiled at me, a bit too wide, showing his teeth. "Yes. That is why I don't have an Islamic name." He corrected me.
"What did you ..." I cleared my throat, not knowing what I was asking, or why the hell I was asking.
"What did you find I guess that you didn't have before?" What sort of dumb question was that? I'm such an idiot. Just get up and leave already.
"Great question." He said with a smirk. "I found peace. I found refuge. Solace. Ease. See, the thing is, everything the drugs and alcohol was supposed to be, Islam just is. You put your faith in Allah Subhanahu WA Ta'ala, and you seek refuge in Him. Your worship becomes your means of escape. Your hardships become expiations for all your sins. Your prayers become your solace.
Life becomes easier to bear, because you know that after a few years, months or even days, you're not going to be in this world anymore. You're going to be buried six feet under and if you've spent all your time worshiping Allah Subhanahu WA Ta'ala, and not wasting your time on uselessness and sins, then glory is to Allah, you'll be admitted into a garden of eternal happiness.
No hardship. No stress. No worries. No sadness. No anger." He spoke almost as if he was picturing it in front of him before exhaling in comfort. "In shaa Allah ... if God wills, of course." He said, translating the foreign word.
It seemed like he spoke for five minutes and yet, I didn't even realize how intently I was listening to him. I wasn't going to lie, what he said made my heart speed up. It sounded ... nice. But it was all crap.
Why was I even still here!? What was the time? I needed to go.
'I've listened to your story one hundred times, and I can listen to it another hundred without getting bored, mate. BarakAllahu feek." Ahmad said as he tapped Walter on the back, which smiled at him and uttered another foreign word.
"I got to go." I said simply as I stood up, not knowing why my heart was beating so loud in my chest.
As I glanced around, I realized the place was now packed with people that I hadn't even realized had come in at all.
'Let me drop you off." Ahmad said as he and Walter both stood up after me but I shook my head no, telling him I'd call a driver or even catch a taxi myself. Hell, I still needed to get to school and be marked present for at least one class. Taking my phone out of my pocket I realized it was one p.m and I questioned once more in my mind why on earth these people would let me sleep here until one p.m in my drunken state.
"Thanks for these." I said to Ahmad, handing him back the box of Panadol and he laughed, telling me it was no problem and also telling me to keep them.
"You'll need them more than me. Your idea of fun, remember?" He said simply as he extended a hand, telling me to come back and hang out whenever. I shook it and nodded at Walter before turning around to leave as they also turned and walked further into the mosque to where the majority of the men were sitting around.
"For God's sake." I muttered as I saw the tens of shoes lined up on shelves, rolling my eyes as I looked for my own pair.
Then it happened.
Speakers around the mosque, interior and exterior turned on as a voice began saying something; the almost melodious sound was heard, resonating around the walls of the mosque.
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.
I had no idea what the words meant, but whatever they were, the only thing I was feeling were the tingles that surrounded my whole body.
The children who were running around beforehand stopped at the sound and sat down where they were, the conversations ceased, phones were put onto the floor, the laughing cut short. People who were lying down sat up right and the only sound that could be heard in the massive building was the one coming out of the speakers.
My heart beat increased and feelings of ease and peace surrounded my heart and body as the almost melodic 'tune' flowed through my ears and surrounded me.
I couldn't possibly explain the feelings coursing through my body with the use of a couple of flimsy words, but all I knew was that something inside me had changed. I felt something. I didn't know exactly what it was that I felt, or even why the hell I was feeling it, but whatever it was felt amazing. So amazing.
I walked further into the mosque, forgetting about my hurry to find my shoes completely. The phrase being said changed and I looked around the ceilings, focusing on the hundreds of tiny tiles decorating the domes along with the light bulbs and Arabic calligraphy.
I listened intently to the sound, not understanding what it was saying at all, but miraculously still feeling as if I understood every word ... like I had known what it meant, like I had heard it before. As weird as it sounds, it was as if I had been away from it for so long that I had missed it and was now, finally, reunited with something that I had been pulled away from my whole life. Yet, I wasn't. This was the first time I was hearing ... whatever it was.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I felt my eyes gloss over. What on earth was happening to me? The whole thing lasted about three whole minutes and once I realized it was done, I wanted to hear it again.
My body felt the need for hearing the beautiful words once more, but I knew that was it. The speakers had turned off and the light chatter of the men could be heard again.
I looked around me as I saw men and children getting up and making their way to the front of the mosque, lining up as they all began to raise their hands to their ears, and then standing still. I guess that was their worship.
This was what they found peace in and with the foreign words being said from earlier replaying in my mind over and over, I too felt at ease for the first time in a long time again.