Miss World Or Miss Akhirah?✔

Chapter 17: How do I become Miss Akirah?

Guilt and regret!

That was all I felt. If only I was not his friend maybe he would be a good guy. If he had been Uthman's friend since the beginning he could be a very practicing Muslim just like Uthman. After all, birds of the same feather flock together.

It was after I read the letter, I realized I had lost my closest friend, my best friend. We had been friends since our primary school days. We had been friends even before we knew what friendship was. He had always been there for me. He had never for once left my side. The person with the kindest heart I know. The person I am most comfortable around. The person I talked to about everything. The person that always knew how to cheer me up.

I wondered how I would survive without him but then all that mattered then was he died as a good Muslim and for that I felt really happy and relieved.

I had been holding back the tears since his death, I broke down immediately after reading his letter. In the last part of the letter he asked me not to cry too much but I just couldn't help it.

After Uncle Nour finished reading the letter, I saw a tear dropped down his cheeks. He moved closer to me and put his hand over my shoulder. I rested my head on his shoulders
crying, and muttering, 'Alhamdulilah,'. Uncle Nour didn't say anything, he let me cry my eyes out. We stayed in that position for almost an hour, when I was done crying, I started,

"Uncle Nour, I am really sorry for all I have done. I know I have hurt you a lot and I don't deserve your forgiveness after all what I have done these past years. I have said hurtful words and done things that can't be forgiven. I don't  even deserve to be called your niece. I hope you can find a place in your heart to forgive me. I promise you won't regret doing that because I will change. I will become someone who you will be proud of."

"There is nothing to apologize for Hameeda. I have forgiven you long ago. I also did so many things to you that I really regret. I have also said things I shouldn't have said. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. So please find it in your heart to forgive me too. We all make mistakes, the stronger one among us is the one that apologize first,"

"So I am stronger than you," I teased. He nodded his head. We stayed in a comfortable silence for a while before I broke it again.

"Uncle Nour....,"

"Yes Habibti,"

"How do I become miss Akirah?"I blurted out the question I had been wanting to ask.

He turned his face to me and even though the room was quiet dark, I could see his face glowing. With a bright and large smile he asked, "Are you ready to become Miss Akhirah?

"Definitely," I answered grinning.

I was quite surprised when he hugged me tightly saying,"Alhamdulilah ,Alhamdulilah, my prayers has been answered,".

He broke from the hug and went straight to sujood.

"What's that?" I asked clueless when he stood up from the sujood.

"What?"

"The sujood,"

"Ohh, it's called sujoodul shukr. It is done to thank Allah. And can be done anytime, whether you have ablution or not, whether you are facing the qiblah or not ," he told me, I grabbed a hijab and went straight to sujood.