Our Love Story
What began as a university tour quietly became the beginning of everything.
Jana was visiting Chapman University while applying to schools when she stopped by the library to see a dear friend, Essraa Nawar, the Assistant Dean of the Leatherby Library, who also happens to be Mohamed's mom. After plenty of chatting and laughing, Jana was just getting ready to leave when Mohamed stopped by the office to say hello.
They had never met before.
From the moment Mohamed saw her, something about it simply felt right. A quiet certainty he could not quite explain. While they were all still sitting together in the office, he texted his mom two words:
“My wife.”
A little while later Mohamed left, and Jana continued with her day. What he would only tell her much later was that almost immediately after walking out, he texted his two closest friends:
“I just met my wife.”
10 February 2025
A bold thing to say about someone he had known for an hour. As it turns out, he may have known something she didn't.
Hours later, their paths crossed again.
On her way back to her car, Jana ran into Mohamed, who offered to walk her there. Somewhere along the way they realized it was time for prayer, so he took her to the masjid on campus. On the very first day they met, they prayed their first prayer together.
What Jana did not know was that during that prayer, Mohamed quietly made duaa that he would one day marry her.
Looking back, it feels fitting that their story began so simply: with laughter, family, a chance encounter, and a prayer.
