Meeting My Soul Sister Abroad

This story is about meeting my soul sister, Iqra. Our encounter was quite serendipitous. One morning, during the Fajr prayer, I found myself alone, as my group was staying in separate hotel rooms. Normally, I would have been with a friend, but that particular morning, I was by myself. While waiting for the adhan, I noticed a young woman and her grandmother beside me. We struck up a conversation before the prayer; she told me that she was from Pakistan and was visiting with her family. It was a brief chat, and then we went our separate ways after praying. I never saw her again.

Fast forward to the 5th day, when we traveled to Madina, about 5 hours away, where we stayed for another 3 days. On our final night there, I went to the mosque alone. As I entered, I noticed that one of my group mates was all alone and she's quite old. Concerned for her, as it’s easy to get lost in such crowded places, i invited her to join me.

In the mosque, as I sat down, I glanced around and was astonished to see the same girl from Mecca, 434 kilometers away, sitting next to me. We were overjoyed to reunite in the sacred space of prayer. Given the sheer number of pilgrims (13.5 million annually) the chance of crossing paths again seemed miraculous. It felt as though this meeting was guided by a higher power.

Iqra recited the Quran beautifully and shared her favorite chapter with me, one believed to grant wishes swiftly. Her name, Iqra, means "To Read," and is actually mentioned in one of the verses in Quran as the opening, which is fitting given how profoundly she read the Quran. The magic of the Quran, as she demonstrated, was truly inspiring.

Since then, we’ve stayed in touch, and our friendship continues to grow. I’m excited to attend her wedding on September 14th this year, where I have also had the honour of designing her gown. Her presence in my life has been a blessing, and the chapter in Quran that she showed me has been helping me a lot in life in making what once seemed impossible, possible. I am deeply grateful for her presence in my life.