Setting: Two friends, Ayesha and Sana, are sitting in their small garden in Lahore, sipping chai on a lazy evening.
Ayesha: (suddenly gasps)
Sana! Your slipper! It’s upside down! Jaldi seedha karo! You want bad luck to enter your life?
Sana: (chuckling)
Relax, yaar. It’s just rubber and foam. I don’t think the slipper knows it’s upside down.
Ayesha:
Don’t joke! My dadi always said if you leave your shoes upside down, it brings sin into the house. And sometimes… early shaadi. Remember Rabia? She got married at 18. Her chappals were always upside down!
Sana: (laughing)
Poor Rabia! So her whole love story was the fault of Bata chappals?
Ayesha: (dead serious)
Don’t laugh. There’s a reason our elders say these things. Maybe not everything can be proven, but they had wisdom, Sana. You can’t just throw that away.
Sana:
I’m not throwing anything away, Ayesha. But think about it logically. The slipper being upside down is just messy, not sinful. It doesn’t emit some “marriage-inducing” radiation. If that were true, I’d flip all my shoes on purpose just to get Saba married off quickly. She’s 32 and still dodging rishtas like a ninja.
Ayesha: (grinning)
Be careful what you wish for. Flip them and poof—wedding bells.
Sana:
Okay, but tell me this—have you ever seen any scientific study or evidence that says upside-down shoes cause anything, except maybe a stubbed toe?
Ayesha:
Not everything is about science. There’s something called “iman bil ghaib”—believing in the unseen. Just because you can’t measure it, doesn’t mean it’s not real.
Sana:
True. Faith and science can coexist. But mixing superstition with religion confuses both. Islam teaches cleanliness, order, and intention. But it doesn’t say your chappal position decides your fate.
Ayesha:
Still, what’s the harm in being careful? It’s just one small thing. Flip it, avoid sin, and maybe avoid a random nikkah. Better safe than sorry, right?
Sana: (grinning)
If avoiding sin was as easy as flipping slippers, I’d open a “Virtue by Footwear” business. “Turn your shoes, turn your life!” Only Rs. 999.
Ayesha: (laughs despite herself)
Stupid. But fine, maybe it is a bit exaggerated. Still, I’ll keep flipping mine. It gives me peace. And you—stop leaving yours like that when you come to my house. Ammi noticed last time and started muttering du’as.
Sana: (playfully)
Next time, I’ll arrange them in a heart shape. Let’s see what happens. Maybe I’ll get a rishta too!
Ayesha:
Bas, bas! If you get married before me because of your shoe art, I’ll never forgive you.
Sana:
Deal! But only if your slippers are facing the right way at my mehndi.
[They both burst into laughter, sipping their chai as the sun sets over the garden. One with her shoes upright, the other still upside down.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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