The first thing you’d see when you walk into the living room is a framed wall hanging on the center of the wall. It has all the ninety-nine names of Allah, and it’s green, gold, and black. You’d see religious decorations like this one in almost every Muslim household. My parents bought it when I was three years old, and it’s moved into every house with us ever since. I remember my sister and I sticking a little sticker on the corner of the painting because we wanted to see how long it’d take our parents to realize it was there. My parents would always remind me of that little sticker on the corner of the hanging. It took me a while to realize that I put a sticker on it because I forgot, and it wasn’t noticeable.
Every time I look at it, I remember my childhood and all the memories with my siblings. The ninety-nine names are written in both English and Arabic in small font, so when I’d try to read it, I’d always have to squint. Each word is highlighted in gold to show the significance of Allah’s names. At first glance, you’d think there’s no way that there are ninety-nine names on that thing. Sometimes, I still sit there and count them to make sure that all ninety-nine names are listed on there. It reminds me of when I first started learning how to read Arabic, and I would try to sound the names out while assigning each of them a number. Every time I look at that hanging, I can see the tv’s reflection because of how shiny it is.
The easier part was describing what it looks like. I had no problem describing the colors and shapes. However, I struggled a little with the deeper meaning of my analysis. What surprised me the most was that I could write so much more about this because it reminds me of my childhood, but I realized I couldn’t really put my thoughts into words.