My name is Nazeela beevi. I am from a small village called Karinganoor which is in Kollam (Quilon) District, Kerala, India. My father's name is Abdul Rehman Moulvi. About ten years ago my father was working as chief Emam (Muslim Priest) over many Imams who used to give religious speeches.
While my father was serving in many mosques he came to know through medical science that he will not have any kids. But my father took many vows, generously gave offerings and waited for the result. He went to Mecca for haj and became a Hajji and said to Allah like this, "Allah, if you give me a child and even if the child is a girl I will dedicate her and give her as an offering to the Mosque for your work. Usually, Muslims offer only boy child and do not offer their girl child or dedicate her for the work of Mosque because Quran, the scripture of Muslims says that girls should not go outside of their houses showing their beauty. This type of a law was given by Mohammad Nabi in the Quran.
Because my father was a person who loved to obey every law of the Quran as it is written in the Quran, he brought me up in the strict rules of the Quran. From three years of my life, my father would take me to the mosque, would make me do the works of the mosque and make me sleep in the mosque itself. My days were spent in the mosque itself. Only for a little time that also rarely I would go home with my father.
When my father got transferred he left me in the same mosque with the new Emam to do the work of Mosque. At this time alone I went to school for studies. After school, I would return to the Mosque. Like this, I lived in Mosque until the age of puberty.
When I reached the age of puberty, I was brought to my home and was made to sit in my home and learn the Quran and follow the laws of the Quran. According to the Quran, a child should start following the laws of the Quran when he/she is seven years old. So from the age of seven, my father strictly taught me to pray five times in a day, fast in days of Ramzaan, recite Quran loudly and give alms in the days of sacrifice. From the seventh year of my life, I did everything accordingly until my 16th year. From my 7th year, I wore a covered dress (parda).
When I went to school my father would put an extra black cloth on my face and covered my face. The reason behind it was that if the gentiles look at me, I would become cursed or unholy because I am a child offered to Allah and an offered child should not have any defect. In the Old Testament, it is written that sacrificial things should not be defective. You can see that several of these laws of the Old Testament are also in the Quran. So my father brought me up in the strict rules of Islam. In my black covering, there were only two small net opening to see outside. My hands were covered with black gloves and legs with black socks. I would go to school wearing all these black dresses as a black figure. If I had to go outside, I would go wearing this type of dress. There was no freedom to go to the neighborhood. No freedom to mingle with people of other religions. If close relatives came to the house, I could only speak a little bit with them. I have three young brothers but I did not have much freedom to carry them, to have fun with them or to fondle them. Only for a few moments, I was allowed to do that. All the other times I should spend time with the Quran in my room. Like this, I spent sixteen years of my life in a room of my home separated from others. I did not have the knowledge to speak a word wisely among four people who come together. Even if I want to mingle with such company, I did not have the freedom to go among them. I grew up in this type of Muslim home. I have taken great pains to follow the Islamic Law and I had completely dedicated myself for this purpose. But when I was 14 years old a thought came into my mind that I do not have any freedom to go around, have no freedom to wear the dresses which I liked, have no freedom to play or laugh as I wished, but always being with Quran and praising Allah and living alone in my room, "When I die and go what would be my reward?"
While my father was serving in many mosques he came to know through medical science that he will not have any kids. But my father took many vows, generously gave offerings and waited for the result. He went to Mecca for haj and became a Hajji and said to Allah like this, "Allah, if you give me a child and even if the child is a girl I will dedicate her and give her as an offering to the Mosque for your work. Usually, Muslims offer only boy child and do not offer their girl child or dedicate her for the work of Mosque because Quran, the scripture of Muslims says that girls should not go outside of their houses showing their beauty. This type of a law was given by Mohammad Nabi in the Quran.
Because my father was a person who loved to obey every law of the Quran as it is written in the Quran, he brought me up in the strict rules of the Quran. From three years of my life, my father would take me to the mosque, would make me do the works of the mosque and make me sleep in the mosque itself. My days were spent in the mosque itself. Only for a little time that also rarely I would go home with my father.
When my father got transferred he left me in the same mosque with the new Emam to do the work of Mosque. At this time alone I went to school for studies. After school, I would return to the Mosque. Like this, I lived in Mosque until the age of puberty.
When I reached the age of puberty, I was brought to my home and was made to sit in my home and learn the Quran and follow the laws of the Quran. According to the Quran, a child should start following the laws of the Quran when he/she is seven years old. So from the age of seven, my father strictly taught me to pray five times in a day, fast in days of Ramzaan, recite Quran loudly and give alms in the days of sacrifice. From the seventh year of my life, I did everything accordingly until my 16th year. From my 7th year, I wore a covered dress (parda).
When I went to school my father would put an extra black cloth on my face and covered my face. The reason behind it was that if the gentiles look at me, I would become cursed or unholy because I am a child offered to Allah and an offered child should not have any defect. In the Old Testament, it is written that sacrificial things should not be defective. You can see that several of these laws of the Old Testament are also in the Quran. So my father brought me up in the strict rules of Islam. In my black covering, there were only two small net opening to see outside. My hands were covered with black gloves and legs with black socks. I would go to school wearing all these black dresses as a black figure. If I had to go outside, I would go wearing this type of dress. There was no freedom to go to the neighborhood. No freedom to mingle with people of other religions. If close relatives came to the house, I could only speak a little bit with them. I have three young brothers but I did not have much freedom to carry them, to have fun with them or to fondle them. Only for a few moments, I was allowed to do that. All the other times I should spend time with the Quran in my room. Like this, I spent sixteen years of my life in a room of my home separated from others. I did not have the knowledge to speak a word wisely among four people who come together. Even if I want to mingle with such company, I did not have the freedom to go among them. I grew up in this type of Muslim home. I have taken great pains to follow the Islamic Law and I had completely dedicated myself for this purpose. But when I was 14 years old a thought came into my mind that I do not have any freedom to go around, have no freedom to wear the dresses which I liked, have no freedom to play or laugh as I wished, but always being with Quran and praising Allah and living alone in my room, "When I die and go what would be my reward?"
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