An Unexpected Companion

I asked for a sign from heaven.
He found me in a coffee shop

Coffee with the Prophet
A 21st Century Encounter with Muhammad


By Mark A. Gabriel
Former Lecturer of Islamic History at Al-Azhar University



An Unexpected Companion

The air-conditioned interior of the mall was a huge relief from the heat outside.

I quickly picked out a sandwich and asked for a cup of plain black coffee.


This was one of those Western-style coffee shops with padded chairs and coffee tables. Why not be comfortable for a change? I thought, and sank down into a black leather chair.


I started to eat my sandwich, and I didn’t pay any attention to the people going in and out of the shop.

It was mostly men coming to get a cup of coffee and then continue on their way.


Sometimes a group of women would come in, covered from head to toe with black robes (burqas) and head scarves (hijab).


They would sit together in a booth, lifting the bottoms of their scarves so they could sip their lattes and cappuccinos.


There were no men and women sitting together to talk, which didn’t surprise me.



Author Biography:

A former lecturer at Al-Azhar University, Mark A. Gabriel is a widely-sourced expert on Islamic teaching and the Middle East. He is the author of several best-selling books about Islam including Islam and Terrorism. For the protection of his relatives, Dr. Gabriel changed his Muslim name to a Western name.


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