Khadijah's Hundred Smiles

Khadijah heard her teacher say something in Islamic studies that stuck in her head like a song you can't shake: 'The Prophet ﷺ said even smiling at your brother is a charity.' Khadijah, who was eight and very determined, decided this was the easiest sunnah ever, and she was going to do A LOT of it.

On Monday, she smiled at the school guard, the cleaning aunty, the principal, and the boy who always stole her crayons. The crayon boy looked so confused he actually gave her crayon back. Plus an extra one. Khadijah counted: seventeen smiles by lunch.

On Tuesday, she smiled at the new girl who looked scared. The new girl smiled back so big her braces shone. They sat together at lunch. Khadijah counted: twenty-four smiles.

By Friday, something strange was happening. The boys who used to push in line were saying salaam first. The girls who used to whisper meanly were waving instead. Even Mrs. Rashid, who never smiled because she taught math, smiled back when Khadijah smiled at her — and then immediately pretended she had something in her eye.

On the way home Khadijah told her mama, 'I did one hundred smiles this week.' Her mama hugged her tight. 'Do you know what you did, my love? You gave one hundred charities. The Prophet ﷺ smiled often. He made people feel safe just by walking into a room.'

Khadijah decided she would keep counting. She made a little chart on her wall, and every night before bed she put a tiny gold star sticker for every smile. Her wall, by the end of the year, looked like a sky full of stars. And honestly? So did her school.