The Three Struggling Muslimahs

27

"You have to hold on habibty. Look at it this way, what if you give up and find out later in life that the only reason that he kept quiet was because he wanted everything to be a hundred and one percent halaal? Then what? You'll just beat yourself up and you'll regret it all. So listen to me when I tell you that you neeeed to hold on." Khawla tried to convince Rayhannah. If only Muhammad hadn't sworn her to secrecy. If only she could tell her of all the nights she'd heard him cry alone on his muswalah, and of all the days he'd fasted simply because he needed to pray for Rayhannah and him, then maybe she would stop crying.

"Its eid and I'm sitting here crying like this." Rayhannah complained, but if she knew that Muhammad was right beneath her doing the same thing, she would have felt at peace.

"This is weird!" Khaleed whispered to Umar.

"Shush! Duffo!" Umar answered. Muhammad was beyond tears, on his knees, in front of these two boy hoping for some sort of solace.

"But how does he cry like this. I mean I don't get it!"

"I swear Khaleed just shut up or else!"

"Fiiiiine! But still..."

"Bro! Come on! You know she feels the same way so why are you sad habib. Leave everything in Allah's hands and I promise you complete happiness."

"Yeah! Whatever Umar said!"

If the situation was slightly less serious, Muhammad would have laughed. Khaleed was overly uncomfortable amd he kept shifting as though that alone would change the circumstance he was in. Muhammad to him had always been the strong one in the trio. He had never shed a tear in front of the boys unless he was leading swalah and came across a verse that touched his heart. To see him break like this scared him far more than he'd ever confess.

"I'll go get wudhu and come pray then we can go to the orphanage like we planned. Okay?" Muhammad asked and the boys nodded. He left the room and was heading to the prayer room when he saw Rayhannah. Her eyes were red and puffy and it crushed him that he couldn't hug her and tell her that all they needed was patience.

'My hayaty. My Rayhannah. I love you so much, you have no idea. More than you can ever imagine. To see you cry like this and not to be able to console you kills me more than I can ever tell you wallahy. You mean so much to me and I want to prove it to you but I'll have to wait for the right time,' were just but a few of the words Muhammad wished he could say out loud to the keeper of his heart but it'd have to wait. He'd have to wait.

"Assalamu Aleikum Rayhannah."

"Waaleikum Salaam, Muhammad. How are you!?"

"I'm good. You? And don't lie to me. I can tell you are from crying."

"Haha. I could say the same thing."

"Patience is a difficult thing. So I'm kinda having a hard time working through it but I'll manage."

"Awww Muhammaaaaaaaaaaaad! I'll pray for you. Don't stress about it. Allah is seeing your struggle. He will reward you for it." Oh how he wished she was the reward.

"Barakallah for the duah. So what's up with you?" He asked although he already knew.

"Same thing actually."

"Then I guess In Shaa Allah kheyr?"

"Exactly."

"Hahaha! See you around. Maasalam"

"In Shaa Allah. Fii Amanillah"

That conversation took so much strength from both these souls that for a minute they actually doubted getting through the coming years without each other. But who said the years would separate them? Who said they wouldn't grow closer?