Maryam adjusted her phone for the third time.
Tilt. Pause. Step back.
“No… the lighting is off.”
She reached up and tapped her ring light, softening the brightness until it gave her that warm glow she liked, clear, but not harsh. Her room was quiet. Just the hum of the light and the faint buzz of her phone.
She took a breath.
This wasn’t just another post.
This one mattered.
She pressed record.
“As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu ikhwat…”
She paused for half a second, smiled slightly beneath her favorite niqab, then leaned in just a little.
“Okay… so quick reminder because a lot of people are asking…”
She lifted her hand, counting softly on her fingers as she spoke.
“‘Ashura is coming up, and yes Muslims fast on this day. But not just randomly. There’s a reason, and it’s actually really powerful.”
She shifted her weight, her tone becoming more personal.
“This isn’t about trends. It’s about remembering what Allah did.”
A brief pause.
“You know how sometimes people say it’s about Prophet Musa, peace be upon him?”
She shook her head gently.
“Not exactly.”
“It’s about what happened to the believers.”
Her voice softened, but it carried.
“This is the day Allah saved Musa and the believers… and drowned Fir‘awn and his army. Like… completely ended oppression in a moment that only Allah could control.”
She snapped her fingers lightly.
“Just like that.”
Maryam leaned a little closer, her eyes gave a more serious expression now.
“When the Prophet, may Allah send peace and blessings upon him, came to Madinah, he saw that the Jews were fasting this day. They said it was because of Musa being saved.”
She raised her eyebrows slightly.
“And the Prophet, may Allah send peace blessings upon him, said something deep...”
A small pause.
“‘We are closer to Musa than you.’”
She let that sit.
“Meaning… we follow the same truth. The same submission to Allah.”
She nodded slowly.
“So he fasted it… and told the companions to fast it too.”
Maryam relaxed her shoulders a bit, her tone shifting into that casual, big-sister energy.
“Now here’s the part people get confused about…”
She held up two fingers.
“You don’t just fast the 10th by itself if you can help it.”
She added a third finger.
“You either fast the 9th and 10th…”
Then switched fingers.
“Or the 10th and 11th.”
A small shrug.
“Why? Because we’re different. We don’t copy other religious practices, we stay distinct.”
She gave a quick half-smile with her eyes as an engagement to her followers.
“And also… balance. Intentionality.”
Her voice softened again, almost reflective.
“After Ramadan became obligatory, fasting Ashura wasn’t required anymore.”
She shook her head gently.
“But it never lost its value.”
“It became a Sunnah.”
A beat.
“Meaning… you do it because you love it. Because you understand it.”
Maryam glanced slightly off-camera, then back.
“And honestly?”
Her tone dropped, more sincere now.
“In a world where injustice still exists… where people feel powerless…”
She placed her hand lightly on her chest.
“This day reminds you that Allah is always in control.”
“No army… no system… no oppression… lasts forever.”
She exhaled softly.
“And that’s why we fast.”
A small smile returned.
“Not just because Musa was saved…”
She shook her head.
“But because Allah saves those who believed.”
She leaned back slightly.
“So yeah… pick your days. 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th.”
A playful shrug.
“Just don’t miss it.”
She lifted her hand in a small wave.
“May Allah accept from all of us.”
“Wassalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.”
She reached forward and tapped the screen.
Recording stopped.
For a moment, the room went quiet again.
Maryam stared at her phone.
Then…
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Her screen lit up.
3 comments.
27 likes.
She blinked.
“…Already?”
A slow smile spread across her face.
“Allahu Akbar!!!”
She leaned back, the ring light still glowing, as the notifications kept coming in.
…………………
Author bio: Abu Hudhayfah Edwards is an author of Islamic children’s books dedicated to amplifying the voices and experiences of young Muslims living in the USA and Canada. As the creator of WKTL Radio, also known as IslamLife Radio, and Medina Educational Institute (MEI), he channels his passion for education and community into engaging stories that reflect the cultural styles and realities of Muslim youth. Once featured in Style Weekly in the article “After These Messages,” where he was described as “stoic and deep thinking,” Abu Hudhayfah Edwards continues to write with purpose and vision, committed to ensuring that Muslim children see themselves represented in the books they read
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