The Executive Committee of the Muslim Student Association had done a great job organizing a gathering for the Seniors. There was an ample selection of food, from Za'tar, Tabbouli, and Hareesa, to Keema-Roti, Biryani, and Chana-puri. An unseen line in the middle of the Multipurpose Room served as the criterion of demarcation, separating the brothas from the sistas; the guys from the gals. It was left up to the individual to obey the rule of the line: Protect your gaze, and protect your modesty. Yes, there was an occasional eyeing incident here and there, some intentional, and some not so intentional.

Ali and Gibran greeted and embraced the brothers they hadn't seen at the prayers earlier in the day. Being roommates, the two already saw too much of each other, so they soon split and mingled with others. The same ol' chatter was going on, "So when are you getting married?", "What's her name?", "Where's she from?". Brother Hassan, just back from a winter break trip to the Emirates, pulled Ali to the side to say that he had found his One. A surprised and overjoyed Ali whispered to Hassan, "Who, what, when and where?".
"She's my dad's best friend's daughter, back in Dubai".
All Ali could muster was "Masha'allah wa Mabrook", and gave him just short of a bear hug. A few moments later, Ali ended the announcement to the brothers with "Insha'allah, we'll all be getting our invitations to the Nikah of Brother Hassan and Sister Laila sooner rather than later". As the brothers crowded forward to congratulate Hassan, Ali and Gibran both found themselves falling behind the crowd. They both remembered a conversation they had a few months agowhich they had come to the realization of how appealing a Hijab was. It wasn’t the ideal of the Hijab that they found appealing, nor did they care what it meant to the wearer of the loose outer clothing; all they knew was that it looked oh-so-good, like a well-styled coiff. Back to the present, Ali and Gibran couldn't believe what they were hearing; were they already so behind? Left and right they heard their brothers speak of their Ones back home, and their Ones across the room. They did have just one semester left before graduating, and it seemed like everyone had planned for their future but them.

There were about twenty minutes before dinner was going to be served, so the committee heads took this time to get people to sign up for a final hurrah of helping the MSA out. Brothers and sisters walked around the auditorium, clipboards in hand, getting people to help out. As Ali listened to Hassan talk about his trip, everything around him suddenly slowed down to a crawl. He watched the most beautiful face he had ever seen glide through the crowd, walk right in his direction. 'Twas the prettiest face ever seen, covered all around with the magic of a Hijab. He had never seen her before, and barely registered what she was saying when she got to him. Something about da'wah, and something about signing up. A few moments later, a few feet away, time had slowed for Gibran as well. He had this same most beautiful person say something about tables, and again something about signing up. He gratefully took the clipboard and signed up, a few names down from Ali. Time continued in limbo for Ali and Gibran... they were, for lack of a better word, smitten. Time snapped back to regularity with the call to the 'Asr prayer. After praying in congregation with the brothers, the time came to supplicate to the Almighty, and both asked for the same thing, or should I say, person. That night, both Ali and Gibran slept little. "She's my One", they both thought to themselves, and decided that they would spend the rest of the semester making her the One, forever. Both decided this intention would remain within themselves, shared with no one, and so these best of friends, these rommates, these brothers, would keep from each other what they had so long hoped to tell the other.

A week later, neither Ali nor Gibran had any luck finding this mysterious 'n' purty Muslimah. Ali spent each day of the week at a different place where people usually prayed, hoping to catch some sight of the sister, and hopefully moving closer to gaining insight into the sister's identity. Monday at the Cultural Center, Tuesday at the Study Lounge of the Student Center, Wednesday at the Library, and then back to the Cultural Center on Thursday. Gibran spent his week on the alien Women's College campus. The placed seemed so odd to him, and was a pain to get to, but sacrifices must be made when striving to find one's One. Alas, neither had any luck, and both sat dumbfounded when she didn't even show up to the weekly meeting on Thursday night. Both were at a loss, but their determination never wavered, so both continued to keep things to themselves.

In order to attain the Unknown Sister, the boys had decided that they would have to undergo a change, so an attempt at impressing the sister began the day after the first and only sighting. Both would stay awake after Fajr, Ali giving the excuse that the Comp Sci projects were just piling up, while Gibran would tell Ali of the rigours of writing a 50 page paper on the "Primordial Contract and the Necessity of it's Reflection in Achieving Purity of the Soul". Masha'allah, what hard working lads. They would finish their college related work by about 10:30 in the morning, and go to at least one of their classes each day. The rest of the day would be spent in search of another sighting, until about 6:30pm. After the Maghrib prayer, it was Gym-time. Since the One they were after was so simply stunning, it was only fair that they too be in the best shape possible. Lest I forget, now would be a good time to mention their change in wardrobe. Though the contents of their closets hadn't changed, the brothers' appearance had changed significantly. Both would usually throw the first, semi-unwrinkled thing on, and walk out the door. Gibran looked hot as desert sand in his Diesel fankers, and never-tucked-in H&M shirts(with sleeves rolled up, ofcourse). Ali looked scorchingly tasty, like a plate of Nihari at 4 in the morning, in his Slates flat-front khakhis, and tucked in Zegna shirts(again, the sleeves MUST be rolled up). Gel was a must now, as their much-worn caps collected dust in the corner of their room. Backbiting was avoided by most, but at first there was no shortage of comments to be heard from the brothers, and a healthy dose of snickering from sisters who had been acquainted with the smitten boys. They would hit the hay by about midnight, but wouldn't immediately go to sleep. Moving aside the usual Bollywood tunes and Junoonification, Ali listened to the soothing ghazals of Najma, while an equally enamored Gibran put away his N.Al-Zo and Amr Diab CDs, instead listening to some khaleeji love tunes courtesy of Abdul-Majeed Abdullah. Thusly they joined the starry-eyed dreamers of the night, under a spell brought on by the love bug's bite.

A month had passed with nary a sight of the uber-sister. Ali and Gibran were waiting at the bus stop on an unseasonably freezing day. It was nearly Spring, and the temprature was a wind-chilled twenty-five degrees.
"So what's been going on with you?", Ali asked Gibran.
"Whaddya mean?".
"Well, you've been lookin' pretty slick lately... anything I should know?", Ali inquired.
"I don't what you're talking about man, just the same ol'", GIbran responded, with a smug smile on his face.
"What about you?", Gibran asked Ali, "You've been dressin' purty smart the past few weeks... Anyone I should know about?".
Ali and Gibran both forced back their laughter, not knowing what the other knew.
"No One, unfortunately… just job interviews. The days of chasing the Hijab and Niqab are gone", said Ali.
"If only there was someone for us around here".
"Insha'allah Gibran.... we'll find the One meant for us... and hopefully it won't be Keanu Reeves". "Ameen brotha", said a snickering Gibran.
They had to turn away from each other to avoid bursting out in laughter, when finally the bus arrived. They got on the bus, and took a seat in the back.
Gibran turned to Ali, "What would you do if you actually had someOne in mind?".
"That's easy", a confident Ali started to answer, "I....". As the doors of the bus opened, time once again slowed down as it had done a month ago for our two brothers. There she was walking up the front of the bus, the One person they desired to see above all others. She was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt to shield herself from the bitter cold. As she walked down the aisle of the bus to sit in the third row from the front, the minds of Ali and Gibran were racing. Ali's mind rushed with images of finally being able to introduce himself to her, as Gibran's mind was clouded in the glee of hearing her acceptance three times over. Then this One they had so longed for, as stunning as she ever was....

She removed her hood, and her blonde hair flowed. The hearts of our two brothers sank deeply into a place that would be best left undescribed. Where had the Hijab and Niqab they had been chasing gone? Ali and Gibran did not even look at each other. At the next stop, these two brothers with the most disappointed, depressed, and heart-sunken looks on their faces, couldn't take what was happening. Gibran got up and walked out and off to... somewhere. Ali would get off a few stops later, and would end up going to class. This one they had been searching for, the one they had been so enamored with, was still on the bus. Her name was Jennifer Ramirez, a roommate of Sister Haifa. The infectious sisterhood she felt when around Sr. Haifa and the other sisters was just too much fun for her. She couldn't refuse an invitation to the Senior Dinner, where she gladly helped out with signing people up for the Da'wah tables. She even went so far as covering her self out of respect for what the sisters represented to her. Ali and Gibran would learn only a little of this, and that too, much later.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (SA'AS) said: to Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA'A): Do not give a second look, Ali, (because) while you are not to blame for the first, you have no right to the second. Sunan Abu Dawud Book 11, Number 2144. Also reported by Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi.