To you,
Who will one day open my book and wonder who I was...
They call me the richest woman in the Middle East.
But in truth, I haven't owned anything—not even my name—since the day I left the convent.
London rains a lot.
But it never rains where I need it most—inside.
The mansion is warm, filled with lights that obey the clap of Abdul's hands.
But no one notices how cold I always am.
He doesn't hit me.
But his silence is violent.
His absence sits beside me at dinner more faithfully than he ever has.
I asked for a Qur'an. They gave me a tiara.
I asked to write letters to my uncles. They changed the locks on my study.
I asked to pray alone. They gave me a bodyguard.
I asked to go home.
No one answered.
This letter is for you.
I have lived many lives in one.
I have been called a princess, a nun, a wife, a rebel, a failure, a savior, a shadow, and sometimes — a mistake. But before all of that, and after all of that, I was simply Salma.
There will be people who write your name in sand and wait for the wind to erase it. There will be those who call you too soft, too black, too female, too ungrateful, too small. But I promise you this: you are exactly enough.
They said I walked away from a throne — but what they never saw was that I walked toward God.
And if you must choose between the world and your peace, always choose peace.
You may be born in silence, but you were not born for nothing. Your existence will not be remembered by how loudly you spoke, but by how bravely you stood. For what is a voice if not used to protect those who have none?
I leave behind no diamonds, no royal title, no palace worth worship.
But I leave behind something greater:
A legacy of truth.
A name that was not sold.
A granddaughter who will rise when they think she will break.
And now, to the daughters of the future:
Be like Naalal.
Feed your enemies with silence.
Love your friends fiercely.
Do not kneel unless it is in prayer.
And if they forget you in life — let them remember you in history.
The world will try to own you.
Let God hold you instead.
Until we meet on gentler shores,
– Salma Monstel
Mother, Nun, Princess of None.
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Final Quote:
> "Die with peace, live with truth, love with courage. That is all the kingdom you'll ever need."
— Salma Monstel
__ The end __