Under The Rubble

This novel delves into the impermanence of most aspects of our lives, where peace and security can transform to fear and instability overnight.

The characters in this story will face sudden upheavals that can drive even the wisest minds to madness, brought about by both human actions and events beyond their control.

There is no such thing as perpetual comfort or endless worry. As long as we humans remain alive, things will never stay the same. This is the nature of the world; this is not paradise!

As the poet Al-Mutanabbi said:

If life remained forever for anyone,
We would count the most foolish as the brave.
And if death is inevitable,
It is cowardice not to face it.

But will the end of these upheavals bring solace? Let’s see.

Nujoud Al Amiri, an Emirati national, is 36 years old and a mother of two wonderful children, Abdullah, who is eight years old, and Al-Jouri, who is seven years old.

She graduated from Fatima Al Zahra School in Sharjah with a high school diploma, memories that are unforgettable. Thanks to God, she has maintained her friendships since they graduated in 2005, and her relationship with them remains strong to this day, praise be to God.

She had two different attempts to complete her path of study. The first time she studied law at the United Arab Emirates University, and from there she met a lifelong friend, who is like her sister whom her mother did not have. Then after that, she studied business administration at the City University College in Ajman, but she was unable to complete her studies. Due to special circumstances she went through, she has hope to complete her studies after her son and daughter grow up a little.

Her mother is her greatest source of inspiration; she is a strong and resilient woman from whom Najood has learned a lot. With the support of her mother, siblings, and their children, she feels surrounded by a strong and connected family.

Najood wakes up early every morning with a clear mind and begins performing her acts of worship. Her relationship with her Lord is very important, and it gives her inner peace, and she knows that she will not succeed or find comfort except with God’s satisfaction with her. Therefore, she wakes up her children and prepares them for school, after which she prepares to go to work.

She has been working at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority as an administrative officer for five years. In her limited free time, she loves watching movies, meditating, and writing.

Najood loves writing very much; it is her refuge to express her feelings and thoughts. Writing has a magical ability to alleviate the burdens of life or the pains that dwell in our souls, as if it absorbs the ink from within us and transforms it into writing on paper. This was the case with the author of the novel ‘Under the Ruins.’ The scenes she saw in the videos posted on social media affected her deeply, causing severe sadness and physical pain, leading her to turn her pain into writings on paper to ease what was inside her.

This is a summary of her life now, but she is always striving for better and has great ambitions for the future, God willing.