1. You were taught how to say "Allah" before "ammi" and "abbu".
2. Your bed time stories were from Alif Laila or "Arabian Nights".
3. Sometimes they were summaries of surahs in the Qur'an, about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and those who came before him.
4. This was your first toy.
5. And this your first accessory.
6. The struggle of finding your mom was real.
7. The first tuition teacher you ever had was Maulanasahab who taught you your Alif, Baa, Taas.
8. You could skip school but you couldn't hide from Maulanasahab, who came home regularly.
9. Besides school, you competed with your friends on who would start reading the Qur'an first.
10. Which later graduated to who would finish all the paaras first.
11. Piggybacking on anyone going into a sajda was the best ride ever.
12. Hosting guests involved an impromptu recitation where you recited various surahs to which you received compliments in the form of 'MashAllah!'
13. There was a daawat for every milestone, from fasting for the first time to finishing the Qur'an.
14. The first few times you prayed, you had to have your mom around so that she could recite/give you hints of the dua you were forgetting.
15. Every Ramadan you teased your older siblings by eating in front of them and were disappointed that it doesn't really affect them.
16. The first few years you fasted, you completely forgot about it and ate and drank normally.
17. Till you realised mid-bite and spat your food in panic.
18. Eid = Biryani + Sheerkhurma + MONEY.
19. You rarely required an alarm thanks to your mom who woke you up for Fajr every day yelling, "As salato khairum minan naum!"
20. Your mom continues to wake you up the same way to this day.
21. And even though it's your turn to shell out the Edis, you will cherish your memories like dua on a tasbeeh.
