A Day in the Life of a Muslim Teenager

A Day in the Life of a Muslim Teenager - Zayan

Hi! I am Zayan, pretty much your average Muslim teenager. I follow the five pillars and the Shari’ah (our law). My best friend Aabid and I almost always do everything together. My family is very religious, and they get angry if I forget to complete my daily prayers or forget to eat or drink something between fasting. Currently, Siyam is coming up, which means I will soon be going to the Hajj. Many people call me “the son of Muhammad” because they think I am caring and noble, but I don’t really think so.

“Zayan, come play The Path with us,” Aabid begs.

“I have to do my daily prayers first,” I respond, “would you like to join me?”

“Sure, I haven’t done mine, so I guess I will join you then,” Aabid agrees.

“There is no God, but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” is what we say because of Shahadah. We say this multiple times during our morning prayer and say our individual stuff. Then, we head off to school.

Our school is not much different than other schools. You learn basic subjects such as mathematics, science, social studies, and literature, but since I live in Bangladesh, we also learn and read about the Qur’an in order to perform the basic acts of worship (basically the Five Pillars). One other thing we do is that we pray at school since one of our daily prayers is at noon.

As we head home, Aabid asks me if I want to go to his household to have dinner before Siyam starts. I agree. At his household we first pray, and then we do homework and play games. Before dinner, we finish our last Salat prayer, and then we start to eat. As I wave my goodbyes and head home, I see many children and adults living on the streets, I feel sympathy for them and make a promise to donate 5% of my wealth to them (double of what is expected).

“Sweetheart, remember that today is the first day of Siyam and you cannot eat or drink anything,” mother reminds me.

“Yes, I understand,” I reply.

As I walk to school I hear many of my classmates talk about Siyam. My day at school is pretty much the same as usual. After school I head home, but when I get home, there is a note that says “Meet at Aabid’s household”. I remember that at sunset we have a feast and go through the Siyam schedule.

Towards sunset, Aabid’s mother and my mother both begin to prepare our dinner meal. Our dads prepare the dates that we would first begin with when it first reaches sunset. Sunset finally begins when both of our families are there.. We begin with the dates, and we have a fun time while we eat dinner and drink beverages. After dinner finishes, we begin the schedule of the Siyam. First, we begin with the special prayer session. Then, we begin reading the first portion of the Qur’an. Lastly, we said good-bye and head home.

The same thing occurs for the next month and finally, on the last day of Ramadan. We end with a feast of many special foods with at least five other families. This is my personal favorite time of the year because everyone is so joyous and everybody is together, which makes me happy as well

Since this is the end of Siyam, it means that Hajj will be beginning and we will be traveling to the Holy City. Hajj is basically the place Makkah (Mecca) and it is a very long journey to travel. For five days, everyone that goes wears white clothes and they all perform rituals. Once we reach Makkah, we circle around the Ka’ba seven times like the Qur’an instructs us to.

My second most favorite time of the year is Zakat, or Almsgiving, because I get to help those in need. I sneak in an extra 2.5% when my family donates the money. Later that day, I help some people on the street get some food and drink. They are always very grateful and happy, and so am I.

My life may seem busy, but it’s not that complicated. It’s mostly because of our religion (which is awesome) and the five pillars. Hopefully, you learned something from my life. This is my life in Arabia, what’s yours like?