"Assalamu alaikum" I said awkwardly entering the passenger's door of the car. Uncle Nour had been waiting for me for the past ten minutes. Immediately after the breakfast, the twins and him headed out. The twins took our car while he waited for me in mom's old accord, the car he would use before he gets a new one. I asked him to wait for me for a few minutes and he agreed. I didn't know why he had being kind of nice to me lately. Let's forget about the time he sprinkled water on my face.

After I had tried all I could to change Mama's mind yesterday and didn't succeed I just slept. When I woke up this morning I didn't remember he will be the one taking me  to school until about fifteen minutes ago when he asked me if I was ready. I freaked out when I remembered he will be the one taking me. When I calmed down,  I decided today will be the only day he will take me. In sha Allah before the end of the day, I will come up with something so that he won't be taking me to school through out the year.

"Wa alaikumu salam," he answered looking back at me. He stopped a little when he noticed my make up and realized I changed my skirt but he didn't say anything. There was no way I was going to school without my make up, I wouldn't let him ruin my life nor will I change my way of life because of him. The only thing I wasv afraid of  was he may tell Mama, but since he didn't tell her about the call incident , I doubt he will tell her about this.

"Finally you are here, you are always late, just like I remember," he said with a smile. He liked teasing me. He always teased me. When I was in nursery school he used to make me cry, like saying 'Ruqy is prettier than you' or ' your sallah kitso ( eid hairstyle) is not beautiful. I would cry for hours, he would hug me later on and buy me sweets or ice cream saying he was just joking. When I grew older I realized he was always joking so I didn't cry but sometimes I pretended to be angry just so that I could get a cone of ice cream. Well that was all before it happened.

"You know it's my tradition to show up fashionably late and I think I got it from one of my uncles, if I can remember clearly whenever I asked him why he is always late that wise man says,'it's better late than never,' " I told him smiling, remembering all those years, all that happened before he broke everything.

I then remembered how he broke everything, the bad summers I had been having for the last five years just because I had to go to Sudan and had to be seeing him everyday.  My expression immediately changed. He started laughing too, but then turned around and saw my expression. He knew what I was thinking about because his expression changed into a sad one too. After few minutes of silence, I broke it.

"Urhm Incle Nour?"

"Yes," he answered turning to look at me.

"I want to ask you something," I said.

"Sure go ahead,"

"Why didn't you tell mama anything about that night," I asked.

"Which night?"

"The night you caught me on a phone call with my boyfriend," I answered, playing with the ring Hamdan gave me. He kept quite for some minutes, analyzing me.

"It wasn't anything to tell," he said.

"Really? The Uncle Nour I know for the last few years will be the happiest person on earth if that news reaches Mama" I had been wondering why he didn't tell mom and I couldn't come up with anything.

"Well people change Amumu,"he said.

"Anyway thanks," I answered curtly. I had a feeling we were being too informal and close. And I didn't like it. I wasn't ready to forgive him.

"It's nothing to thank me for, I didn't do it for you. Islamically it isn't good to be spreading rumors that you aren't sure of."

So it wasn't to protect me from Mama's wrath that he didn't tell her. Who am I kidding of course he will never do anything to save me now. I kept quiet and continued looking at the road, trees, cars, keke napeps and every other thing except his face. It was when we were going make the turn leading to our school's street that I talked again.

"Urhm Uncle Nour please could you stop here?" I said. He gave me a questionable glance but just parked the car and turned around to look at me.

"I don't want people to know we are related. Please don't act like I am your niece in school. I will meet you here when we close," I explained to him, muttered a thank you and left him there looking a little bit rejected.

When I reached the school gate I was so exhausted. I didn't know how just walking from one street to the next could make someone to feel so tired. Many students were giving me weird glances, I gave them my normal beautiful smile and waved. I didn't blame them, it was the first time in my whole life that I walked to school. My driver always dropped me in front of the school gates which was now known as my private parking spot and my friends will always be waiting for me there.

I saw the four of them in our usual spot. They didn't hear my footsteps nor see me. I  quietly went behind Muklis and poked him on his waist. He shrieked louldy looking so frightened.

"This is the guy that said he is a big man," I said laughing. The other three started laughing as well.

"How I wish I got that one on snapchat," Bilal said in between his laughs.

"Hameeda it's not funny, I will surely revenge," he said glaring at me. When the laughs subsided , I greeted them. As I was hugging Hamdan, Mama's silver accord drove by.

"Hey, this looks like your house's car," Bilal said when he saw the car. I had no idea how he recognized the car. It was just a few times that I was dropped off with the accord. Boys will forever be obsessed with cars. Even though I knew he was talking about me, I pretended not to know so that they will never suspect the new IRS teacher is my uncle.

"Who and which car?" I asked.

"You and that car," he said pointing to mom's silver accord which was now parked in less than three meters away from us.

"It's not," I quickly said.

"But it really looks like it, it has this similar color and appearance and everything," he said.

"Bilal do you know that there are thousands of the same color and model of this car in Kano only?," I said. Thankfully Hamdan changed the topic.

" Well speaking of cars Hameeda, where is your car today or did you trek?"

I thought they didn't notice that.

"Urh our car has some mechanical problems so our neighbor dropped me by the street," I lied. And from seeing their expression, they knew I was lying. They were going to ask me when the door to the silver accord opened. Uncle Nour's hairy leg came to view first then his three quarter trousers ,his body and finally his face. He was wearing his normal clothes, white kaftan with a black pair of covered shoes, a black cap and a wrist watch. His curly black hair under the cap , his sideburns joining his hair and beard then his long pointed nose and full pink lips. He came out of the car and looked at the surrounding then put his black sunglasses on. The whole parking space froze. It was like that moment in a movie when a new kid enrolls in a school and he comes out of the car for the first time. The only difference wad that he was not a student but a teacher. I was the only one that knew that then.

"Oh my god, he is so handsome, the most handsome guy I have ever seen in my whole life. And OMG he is coming to our direction," Leena started freaking out. She then started smoothing her skirt and her hijab. Although Leena was not a Muslim she still wore a hijab. I looked up and saw Uncle Nout was really heading to our direction. It was then, I remembered Hamdan was still holding me. I tried getting away from his hold but he grabbed me even tighter. He was probably jealous of Uncle Nour. 'Don't worry he won't steal me from you. He is my uncle so he is my Muharram, I can't marry him nor date him.' I told Hamdan in my mind. Uncle Nour came staring at me. Even though he had his sun glasses on I just knew he was staring at me.  The expression on his face said it all.

"Assalamu alaikum" he said when stopped a few feets from us.

"Wa Alaikas Salam,"we all answered including Leena. He snubbed me just likr I asked him to.

"Please I want someone to show me the way to the principal's office, I am kind of new here,"

"Of course," Leena shouted and ran beside him excitedly.

"Thanks but sorry I could prefer a brother," he said. I held a laugh as I looked at Bilal holding his laugh too,  I nudged him to show him around. Immediately they left hearing sight, the three of us bursted out laughing while Leena frowned.

"This is the most arrogant and annoying person I have ever since in my whole life," Leena shouted kicking a stone.

"And this is the most amazing gwalewa I have ever heard in my whole life," Muklis said laughing so hard that he almost fell down.

"Few minutes ago you were saying handsome," I reminded her.

"Well that was before I knew his character, I hate him now, he is not even that handsome and I will never talk to him nor talk about him ever again. Muklis you should shut up or I will kill you," she said angrily ,took her bag and left the place. All of us started laughing again.

"But I really fell sorry for her, imagine if it was you, how will you feel?" Hamdan said few minutes later when we had finished laughing.

"I know right, but it's kind of her fault,"

"Why are you backing the guy up?" Hamdan asked .

"I don't know, I just feel like its her fault, tayi shishigi" I answered , but deep inside although I hated him I knew I backed him because he was my relative. You know, blood is thicker than water. And actually I knew he did the right thing.

"Trust me, she will be talking about him in the next few minutes," Muklis said laughing again.

"Of course," I answered. We all knew her so well. She would never stop talking about him.

Sure enough that was all she talked about during lunch. We sat in our normal table of five. It was always the seat of the popular students of ss3( grade12). It was by the window side which showed a very beautiful view of the school's garden. The air conditioner was directly facing us and the fan was directly above us.

"So I made some kind of research and found out that he is not a student but the new IRS teacher," She said.

"I thought you said you are not going to talk about him again," Muklis and I reminded her.

"Ohh I forgot," she said biting her lips. She kept quiet then the next few minutes later continued saying.

" I heard he is from Sudan,that's where your mom is from, right?" She asked me.

"Yes, she is a half cast, her father is a Sudanese while her mom is a Nigerian ," I answered.

"She may know him,"she continued. I felt my heart beating fast but thankfully she asked another question.

"So what did you guys talk about?" She asked looking at Bilal. At this all of us held back a laugh.

"He is really a very cool guy, he is a Sudanese, he did his secondary school in this school though, after that he went back to Sudan and did his degree and masters in Islamic studies and the tafsir of Qur'an," Bilal started telling her about him,  I already knew everything. Leena just sat there day dreaming.

When I got tired of holding my laugh I bursted out. And the whole table except her joined me.

"What?" She asked, looking at me.

"You have that 'I wish I am the one' look on your face,?" I said.

"Yes you are day dreaming," Bilal said.

"No I am not," she said.

"Yes you are," all of us said.

"Well don't blame me, I couldn't help it, he is so freaking handsome, you have Hamdan so you don't mind but I have no one," she yelled. It was then I felt sorry for her. I decided I will never tease her about it again, but when I was heading to the last period of the day, I saw her following me I couldn't help it.

"Why are you following me," I asked her.

"Urhm.." She started. I laughed in my heart,  she had that face she used when she wanted to lie or when she was thinking of excuses to come up with.

"Urhm, Mr Fanth gave us an assignment and I didn't do it, he said he will punish whoever didn't do it so I want to hide," she said. As if I didn't know her well. First of all she had never done an assignment in her life. Secondly even if she hadn't done it, Mr Fanth could do nothing about it, after all her mom was the proprietor of the school. Thirdly why were the other three in the class, I was so sure none of them had done the assignment. And the last but not the least, if she was going to hide because of an assignment why was she going to hide in my IRS class?

"Okay," I said. I just decided to let this slide. I took my normal seat and Leena took the one besides me. I got another surprise, some minutes later the whole IRS class was full for the first time in the history of this school. Some people even had to take chairs from another class, while some stood by the window side, most of them offered further maths but had changed, some of them were even CRK students, others were not even in our set. I took a look around the class. All the girls including Leena were busy looking at the mirror and reappearing their make up.

Ikon Allah

Seriously? I laughed in my heart again. It won't take them a week to leave this class when he shows them he isn't interested in the tiniest bit.

"Why are there so many people in the class?" Uthman asked from behind me.

"No, Assalamu alaikum Uthman," I teased.

"Ohh Astaghfirullah, Assalamu alaikum and thanks for reminding me, gosh am so forgetful sometimes," he said looking guilty as if he commited a very great sin.

"Wa alaikumus salam, and to answer your question look at the door," I said just as Uncle Nour entered the class. At first Uthman had a confused look but immediately he saw all those girls checking Uncle Nour out he understood.

"Assalamu alaikum. Good afternoon class, my name is Muhammad Mubarak and I will be taking you Islamic religious studies till the end of the year," Uncle Nour said somewhat nervous and somewhat bold. The whole girls started smiling when they heard till the end of the year. Their lips couldn't close. I positioned my head on my table as usual to do what I did in last period of almost everyday,sleep.

I put my head on my desk and was about to sleep when I heard his voice asking Leena to wake me up. Leena happily rushed to wake me up. He was trying to play the disciplined teacher. The whole class was silent as no teacher had ever had the audacity to ask me to raise my head up. To the surprise of everyone including myself I raised my head up and glared at him, he stared at me for sometime then turned around and continued.

" I don't have the course outline of what I suppose to teach you guys yet so can anyone suggest any topic for all of us to discuss," Everyone's hand went up. He looked around then asked one girl. She batted her eye lashes at him then said "what about marriage?" He said no which disappointed her and almost all the other girls in the class, all of them lowered their hands down and frowned. The suggestions continued like parenthood, raising children up e.t.c. Uncle Nour rejected all of them. Uthman hissed from beside me then raised up his hand.

"Can we talk about Ramadan?" he asked. Uncle Nour's face lightened up.

"That's a very good idea, your........"

"Uthman," he told him his name.

"So can anyone tell us anything about Ramadan?"

"It's the month that we fast,"someone said.

"Only fast?" Uncle Nour asked.

" It's the holy month in which we fast and pray night prayers and give sadaqah,"another one said. The other answers were all similar.

"It's the month in which Muslims become so religious all of a sudden, sometimes I really get afraid, one moment they are busy putting tight clothes, telling lies , touching the other sex and the next they are wearing baggy clothes and hijabs, listening to the Quran instead of music, praying at the right time, walking with that thing,what is it called again? that thing with beads on it,"Leena said. The other girls started glaring at her and telling her to stop speaking, that the Muslims will feel bad. Uthman and Uncle Nour and a few others bursted out laughing. I figured out these two were so similar in these few seconds. They will be great friends.

"So true,"they said.

I didn't laugh but kept quiet and thought about what she said. She was really telling the truth. I was afraid to say I was one of those she was talking about. I felt like she was indirectly talking about me since I was the closest Muslim friend she had. And I felt some how, was it regretful or guilty, I didn't know.

"What's your name?" Uncle Nour asked.

"Leena" she answered excitedly. She was so happy because Uncle Nour talked to her. I knew she would be smiling till the period is over.

"What you are telling is so true Leena ,I can't help but laugh. But that's not how it's suppose to be," Uncle Nour said when his laugh subsided. He removed his glasses and sat on the teachers desk , his brows furrowed and his lips were in a straight line showing  he was very serious.

"Ramadan is the month in which the holy Qur'an was sent down. It's the month in which the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of hell are closed, the month in which doors of forgiveness will be open, the month in which whatever you asked for will be granted to you, the month in which the Shaitans and Jinns are chained. It is also the month in which many people will be freed from the fire of Jahannam. " he continued. The class was was so quiet listening to him as he spoke.

"So do you understand why Muslims become so religious in the month?"he asked

"Urhm maybe," Leena said unsurely.

"It's because whatever act of kindness or whatever worship you do will be rewarded so much. Do you know that there is a night in Ramadan that is equal to 1000 months . Whatever act of worship you do is as if you've done it for a 1000 months, approximately 30,000 days or 83 years. This night is called Lailatul Qadr. Whatever you ask for will be answered." He continued, smiling.

"Which night is it?" Someone asked

"Our Holy Prophet ( peace be upon him) had asked us to search for this night in the last 10 days especially the odd days i.e the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th. In some narrations, it is usually the 27th. But no one knows the exact night except Allah the Almighty. So it is better to increase in worship in all the 10 nights." Uncle Nour answered.

"What are we expected to do in these 10 nights?" Another person asked

"We are expected to pray Tahajjud i.e night prayer, read the Qur'an and do all other acts of worship. A prayer our beloved Prophet(pbuh) taught us to read in the Lailatul Qadr or the last 10 days is: 'Allahumma in aka affuwun tuhibbul afwa fa'fu annee/anna' which means ' O Allah You are the One Who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me' ". Uncle Nour said.

"The only mistakes Muslims do as it was earlier stated is that we forget about everything immediately Ramadan is over. It's not suppose to be like that though. We suppose to be doing tahhajud prayers, giving sadaqah, fasting, being kind and every other acts of worship not just in Ramadan. Even though the reward may not be the same as it is in Ramadan we still suppose to. Ramadan is like a school , whatever you learn in it, you should continue even after it's over." Uncle Nour finished his speech. I really felt like clapping for him. I didn't know when I shouted a loud Takbeer "Allahu Akbar". Many others repeated after me. I asked myself a question' Was I really the one that did that?' But what he said made a lot of sense.

"Does anyone has a question?" He asked. A few people raised up their hands. The first one asked which act of deen are we suppose to do in Ramadan. At that Uncle Nour answered,

" As I mentioned earlier, you can do anything or everything if you can, every act of deen you know. The most common one are tahhajud, sadaqah and reading the qur'an. But there are others like Tasbeeh ( Subhanallah, Walhamdulillah, WA la ila ha illah, Walla hu akbar), also it's good to make a lot of dua since those dua are automatically answered. Pray for everything you want. And it is always good to be kind and not to pick up fights. And also not to gossip and talk about other people. All these things reduces one's reward. The prophet was reported to have said, whenever someone tries to fight with you while you are fasting you should reply with inni Sa'ium Which means I am fasting."

"How can one finish the qur'an in just one month, isn't it like a thousand pages," someone asked. Uncle Nour laughed then answered.

" Actually it's just about 600 pages. And there is an easy way to do that. How many salah do we pray everyday?" he asked.

"5!!" Everyone chorused. They were probably like me wondering why he brought that up. Does he think we are one year olds that don't know the answer.

"Okay so each day five prayers. If you read four pages each day after every sallah , how many pages will you read each day?" He started his calculations.

"20," the class chorused again.

" Right, how many days are there in Ramadan?" His questions were really starting to annoy me, does he think we are toddlers that know nothing about Islam.

"29 or 30,"

"Okay, 30 multiplied by 20,"

"600"

"And how many pages did I say are in the qur'an"

"600" . Then I heard all sort of gasp. I was surprised too.  I didn't see that coming.

Uncle Nour smiled than said: "Okay you see if a person wants to finish reading the holy qur'an during Ramadan once he can read four pages after every prayer. If he wants to finish it twice he can read four pages before and after every prayer and so on". After that he continued explaining about Ramadan, the rewards, laylatul qadr and so on. The class was so lively. Everyone was bringing contribution and discussing with the class. With shaky hands I raised my hand to ask the question that has been disturbing me.

"You said we are suppose to continue doing all those act of worship after Ramadan right? But how can we? It will be so difficult. You know Ramadan has this atmosphere in it that no one can commit a sin. I think it's because the Shaitans are chained.But after it everything comes back to normal. So my question is how can we continue the acts of worship after Ramadan?," I asked nervously. The whole class turned to look at me. My hands were shaking. I didn't blame them, you don't usually see the miss popular that's always confident nervous.

Uncle Nour stood there studying me, he was staring at me trying to hide a smile. After a few minutes he said,

" I am not really sure Hameeda." I knew people were wondering how he knew my name, my nickname for that matter.

" I think it's dua, you have to pray to Allah to make you the right Muslim during and after Ramadan. And you know you can't just sit down and pray, you also have to work hard to be a very righteous Muslim. Anyway I promise I will get back to you when I find the right answer," he said looking at me straight into the eyes.

Even though I didn't ask how to be a righteous Muslim I think I got the right answer so I muttered a thank you to him and sat back at my chair. And for the first time in years I didn't sleep in the IRS class but sat, listened to the beautiful lecture of my uncle and thought about his answer to my question .

**********************

Assalamu alaikum.

This chapter is dedicated to The Wattpadians who always make me laugh with their surutu. And also my brother, Nour who helped me edited this chapter and is almost as wonderful as Uncle Nour. I said almost, and make sure you don't tell him so that it won't boost his ego.

Ramadan Mubarak! I hope you will make good use of the month. Don't forget to use Uncle Nour's advice.

And I won't update again till after Ramadan in sha Allah.