LOGINShare
20. HIS MEMORIES
Last Updated:
2020-10-17 17:45:13“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.
Related chapters
HER VOCATION 21. AASIYA
“So he invoked his Lord, ‘Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.’” (QURAN 54:10)**************************I had dropped down to my knees. My voice was breaking with tears and I was crying through hiccups while gazing up at her, whose eyes were devoid of all warmth and held nothing but contempt."All my life—I have never asked you for anything—No matter what you said, I have done everything you've ever asked me to do—Never once, have I complained to you about anything—You were absent my whole life—Whenever, I needed someone to guide me or help me through the hurdles of life, I never once found you there to help me—but—but please—just this once—please— I am here, on my knees begging you—I am your daughter—Your flesh and blood, for God's sake—! I have no one else to turn to for help—You're my mother—if you won't help me—then where else would I go—Please—! Please Mom—Don't make me marry Navi—" My vision had become blurry but the tears were nowhere near ending. Yet, I continued to clutch my h
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 22. HASBI ALLAH
“And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (from every difficulty). And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent. (QURAN 65:2-3)**************************"Who?" The Guard asked and I felt my hope shattering.'Ya Allah. What will I do now? It's almost Isha—where would I go at this time of night?'
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 23. TAWBAH
“They forgot Allah, so He forgot them.” (QURAN 9:67)**************************I sat on the floor to the far end of the room, out of sight from everyone else and listened intently to Haadi's heart-rending Qirat; resonating throughout the room."—and said: Get down, both of you, (that is, man and Satan), and be out of it; each of you shall be an enemy to the other. Henceforth if there comes to you a guidance from Me, then whosoever follows My guidance shall neither go astray nor suffer misery—But whosoever turns away fr
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 24. SIRAT UL MUSTAQEEM
“Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.” (QURAN 3:8)**************************My eyes snapped open in a fright.
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 25. HER VOCATION
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.” (QURAN 17:23)***************************1 YEAR & 4 MONTHS LATER"You were calling out his name in sleep, again." I looked up from my knitting at Haadi's voice to find myself at the receiving end of her full attention. Looking away momentarily, I tried to colle
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 26. MIRAGE
“Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning; yet they heed not and they turn away.” (QURAN 21:1)****************************I woke up with a groan to a shooting headache numbing my senses. For a long while, I laid flat on my bed, trying to soothe the hangover that I got from heavy drinking last night after the nikah.I kept drinking through the night and some time after the sun came up, I had dozed off.
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 27. REVELATION
“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)***************************"Yes, Safir?" It was almost evening and I was wrapping up my work in office to leave when I got interrupted by a call from my agent in the Intelligence bureau. I had employed him after coming back from the States to keep tabs on Aasiya. He was the one who had helped me get the intelligence report on Captain Hadi. Following that, I had asked him to keep an eye on him just to be sure, in case he makes any sudden move. I picked the call assuming he had called me to give the latest report on Captain Hadi's movements."Sir—I got intel on Miss Aasiya today. I was wondering if you wanted me to look into it?" His usual clipped tone was replaced with a hint of uneasiness. Upon hearing her name, I immediately turned my full attention to him."What intel—" I began slowly, unable to hold out the edge from my v
Last Updated : 2020-10-17HER VOCATION 28. AL-RAHMAN
“Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder. For indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water comes out, and there are some of them that fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (QURAN 2:74)**********************With a groan, I brought a hand to my temple that was throbbing in pain. Slowly, I tried to pry my eyes open. It took me a moment to adjust to the blinding lights. For a while, I laid on my back, trying to make sense of everything but everything felt numb and dazed. After gaining some strength, I turned my neck to a side with great difficulty only to realise that my neck was immobilised. I could tell that I was hooked up to all sorts of tubes, going up my hands, all the way looped around my face.I tried to focus my attention on the figure sitting to the far end on the couch; only to realise it was Mom, dozing off. There was no one else in the room a
Last Updated : 2020-10-17
Latest chapter
HER VOCATION AFTERWORD
'An author is nothing, if not for it's readers.'~HRASSALAMUALAIKUM WA REHMATULLAHI WA BARAKATUHU, dear readers!!
HER VOCATION EPILOGUE
“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;
HER VOCATION 35. QADR (FINAL)
“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
HER VOCATION 34. REUNION
“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
HER VOCATION 33. LABAYK ALLAH
“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.
HER VOCATION 32. SABRUN JAMEEL
"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
HER VOCATION 31. F*E SABILILLAH
“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.
HER VOCATION 30. KAFFARAH
“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.
HER VOCATION 29. GHAFOOR UR RAHEEM
“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
