“And never will you find in other than Him a refuge.” (QURAN 18:27)
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I continued to stare blankly at the ceiling of this unfamiliar hospital. A cannula passed into my right hand was hooked up to an IV line. I had no regard of the time or days since that day. It seemed like last night but I knew it must have been a few days. I had no recollection of the events following that incident. Yet, as the memories of those days started to return to my mind, my eyes started brimming with tears. I closed my eyes and the tears slid down my cheeks, soaking the pillow.
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (QURAN 51:56)***************************"Shazia, is bhai still not up?" I asked the maid while eating my cereal."No baji." she returned meekly.'But Uncle had asked him to tak
“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.” (QURAN 41:53)*************************"What the hell are you doing?!"My gaze fell to my hand in his tight grip, before wandering towards the other guy whom he had just now addressed so cordially.
“Then is one to whom the evil of his deed has been made attractive so he considers it good [like one rightly guided]? For indeed, Allāh sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.” (QURAN 35:8)**************************"Navi you are late. Again!" I exclaimed through gritted teeth at which he just gave me his usual annoying toothy grin. "No—I am not. As usual you're the one who's early." He retorted cheekily; spinning the keys through his fingers. I could only scoff at him with disdain.
“Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.” (QURAN 5:6)**************************"PRINCESS!! Wake up!!" My eyes snapped open at his scream. The sudden noise had given my heart a kick start and it was thumping so loudly against my chest, that I couldn't move for a moment, until he began to nudge me."Wake up! It's your birthday!!" His annoying voice clashed with my ears and all of a sudden, I felt immense rage burning in me. With a loud and irritated groan, I
“Whoever receives guidance, receives it for his own benefit. Whoever goes astray, does so to his own loss. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.” (QURAN 17:15)***************************"Aasiya!!" I could hear Navi yelling behind me but I didn't bother to stop until I was safe outside. The chill struck my bare sleeves but I was too preoccupied to even out my heaving breaths to take any notice of it."Aasi—What's wrong—!?" He screamed coming to stand beside me and gently taking hold of my arm while I bent down to my knees, with
“This [Qur'an] is a clear statement to [all] the people and a guidance and instruction for those conscious of Allah.” (QURAN 3:138)**************************Staring at my bare hands, I wondered where did I go wrong?I did everything I thought to be the right thing. Yet, why had my life ended up this way? What should I have done instead—I wish someone would tell me—I wish there was a book—A sort of guidebook to help me understand where to go from here.
“And walk not with arrogance. Indeed, you can never tear the earth apart, nor can you surpass the mountains in height.” (QURAN 17:37)**************************I sat on my bed, slouched over, while still in the nikkah attire. The heels of my hands pressed against the socket of my eyes; as I tried to piece together how and where did it all start to go wrong. The earliest memory, I could trace back to, was when I was 4 and for the first time witnessed the horrors of my world."Now you will tell me what to do and what not to—?!! I think you've forgotten your place—I'll have to make it so, you never make the same mistake twice—" I stood on top of stairs watching Dad hit Mom through the railings. I was in bed when the loud noises scared me and I got out to check them—"Naveed Baba!!" I was pulled back with a jerk by my Nanny who picked me in her arms and dashed to my room."Buwa—buwa—why was Daddy hitting Mommy? Did Mommy do bad—?" I asked between sobs, while Buwa helped me change out of m
“It is not eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts.” (QURAN 22:46)***************************"So you're coming to the party at Raiha's tomorrow, right?" I listened with half an ear to Saad going on beside me and slumped on the couch. After getting free from academy, I would usually come here with him and others for a joint and then spend the rest of our evening here, in the cafe."Can't. Busy. Cousin is coming." I returned distracted and didn't turn to catch the haggard look on his face.
'An author is nothing, if not for it's readers.'~HRASSALAMUALAIKUM WA REHMATULLAHI WA BARAKATUHU, dear readers!!
“Gardens of perpetual residence; they will enter them with whoever were righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their descendants. And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [saying], "Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home." (QURAN 13:23-24)****************************5 YEARS LATER"Maama—are we there, yet?" Aasiya heard her 5 year old daughter's inquiry and looked away from the road to watch her through the rearview mirror;
“Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration.” (QURAN 33:23)***********************FINAL CHAPTERWe were sitting by the stream with his head resting on my lap. His eyes were closed as he intently listened to my recitation of the Holy Quran. After I finished, he slowly opened his eyes to look up at me. A small smile form
“And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.” (QURAN 32:17)****************************"Do you need my help with anything, Haadi?" I asked, stepping into the kitchen, where Haadi was busy preparing feast for her brother-in-law and his family, who were visiting for winter break."No, Aasi. You're already handling Zimal. That's 50 times tougher than preparing a feast for the whole village—" She remarked with a light chuckle, directing her gaze to the 7 month old Zimal, screaming playfully in my
“And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass.” (QURAN 22:27)*****************************"Naveed. What's wrong?"I could hear Mom's worry laced voice over me; yet, didn't try opening my eyes. Her hand stroking my head on her lap didn't halt and neither the tears streaming down my closed eyes.
"If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (QURAN 8:70)***************************He continued to sit in his place on the ground and watch me unblinking. As if, his mind couldn't comprehend what his ears were hearing and he wished someone to nudge him out of this trance.Finally, he blinked and averted his gaze. His mouth hung open, in hope to say something but words seemed to have lost him. I kept on watching the bewildered
“Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.’” (QURAN 6:162)************************I stood in my place watching him, unblinking. Not realising that I was holding in my breath.I continued to gawk him from afar, until he began to close the distance with short steps. I had to suck in a sharp breath to be able to breathe again, when he stopped just a foot from me.
“Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allah any protector or any helper?” (QURAN 2:107)************************"—You can be damned to hell for all I care—!! Throw him out!" She screamed through eyes burning with loathe and before I could say anything else, the guard had roughly pushed against my chest and I fell down the steep slope, outside the main gate."Sahab—!" I heard Azam call behind me, as I sat wincing on the ground, clutching at my prosthetic leg.
“Except for those who repent after that and correct themselves. For indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (QURAN 3:89)**************************"Bhaiya—You looked dashing in beard too, though—" I heard Faiq's remarks over me, while I wiped away the remnants of shave on my face with a towel."Princess! How is my 'no shave November' look?!" I barged into her room, without waiting to hear her respond to my knock. Barely looking up from the books sprawled infront of her on the study table; she shot me an irritated glance."Great. First you were a monkey. Now a gorilla—" She remarked exasperated, turning back to her books with a long sigh."Naveed—Are you going out?" I paused in my wheelchair at Mum's voice. Unable to meet her worried gaze, I fixated my gaze to my hand on the handles."I—I was going to—masjid—" I felt the words getting knotted in the back of my throat. After last night, I couldn't get that voice out of my mind. I wondered maybe—"Masjid—? Why? You can pray here, if yo