The Bind

CHAPTER 10 (finale)

Allah's gift

Ruqayyah stood in awe as her being took in the beautiful sight of the House of her Lord. She had spent almost six months in Saudi Arabia and had done her umrah more than once, but right then, it felt like the first time. The beauty. The air.
The feeling.  Ohh..., the feeling.

"Indescribable." She whispered, closing her eyes and inhaling deep the fresh air.

Suddenly, someone shoved her from behind, and just as she was about to fall, a strong hand steadied her, gently pushing her forward to fall in line with the moving crowd.

"How many times do I have to tell you that getting lost in thoughts is not an option here" A masculine voice whispered close to her ear.

"I didn't even know I stopped moving." Ruqayyah confessed. "But he didn't have to push a woman like that!" she said glaring at the back of her suspect.

Salman chuckled. His wife's childish innocence always amazed him.

"Listen, there's only one place you can find gender equality in this Kingdom. At the Ka'bah." He replied with a teasing smile.

Ruqayyah smiled too, acknowledging his true words.

"Look, we are almost there, get ready, remain focused and don't forget your duas."

Ruqayyah nodded at him while making a prayer list in her head. For my family, my friends, my marriage, my husband, myself and for Saratu.
When they got to the corner of the black stone, they both raised their right hands towards it from a distance, chanting  "BismiLLAH ALLAHU Akbar", initiating the beginning of their umrah.

***

Ruqayyah settled in a seat next to Salman in a ride to Madinah where they resided. She was completely exhausted. Salman soon drifted off to sleep ten minutes into the journey while Ruqayyah rested her back on the seat reflecting comfortably. It was exactly a year today since Saratu's death. Not that Ruqayyah had purposely kept the date in her head for remembrance sake, it was automatically engraved in her heart since the night it happened. An unforgettable friday night. She remembered how she had sought haven at Umm Ramlah's home as she was too scared to sleep alone after she heard the news. Ummu Ramlah had kindly taken her in for days, helping her to deal with her grief bit by bit. And who was in the best position to do so anyway, if not someone who had been in such shoes before. Though, the loss a friend could possibly not be as bitter as the loss of a husband, yet, as Ummu Ramlah would say, "Pain is pain".

Ruqayyah let out a long breath and looked out of  the window.
They say time heals pain, she thought, but some pain just remained with you for the rest of your life. And she was a living witness to that. Ruqayyah couldn't deny the fact that Saratu's death had brought her some good as it broadened her understanding about the concept of life, facilitating her zeal to spiritual obedience, having in mind that at anytime, it could be her turn.
Still, losing a loved one wasn't easy. Whenever her heart tore at the incident, she found consolation in the hadith Umm Farhan had told her about a Muslim who died on a Friday night or day being protected from the trial of the grave. In the end what mattered was being saved from Allah's punishment and not the time of departure from the world.

Ruqayyah glanced at Salman from behind her face veil and laughed softly when his head bounced a bit from its resting position. Who would have guessed that she would end up with the headmaster's brother in law? Indeed, life was full of surprises. Her Ustadh had simply entrusted the headmaster with the job of getting her "hooked" with a brother and fortunately, he had brought her the perfect candidate - Salman. Her special gift. Ruqayyah had always seen him as a reward from Allah for her decision to leave Ilyas.

The car came to a sudden halt, jerking Salman awake. They were nearly home.
They took a taxi from the park and arrived at their house in fifteen minutes.

Once in the room, Salman stretched out his body lazily before taking off the upper part of his ihram, folding it neatly and placing it in the wardrobe. He felt Ruqayyah hug him from behind.

"Thanks for making me fall in love with Allah everyday." she said in a grateful tone.

He turned to face her with bright eyes. "Really? You sincerely see me so?"
She smiled and nodded.

"AlhamduLILLAH!" he said taking her into his arms.

At that moment, she remembered the hadith of the Rasul (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) which Saratu had used to woo her, making her courageous enough to let go of Ilyas.

“You will never leave something for the sake of Allah, but Allah will give you something better in return."

Truly, Allah did turn her hardship into pleasure.

"AlhamduLILLAH." she said from the bottom of her heart, in agreement with the love of her life.

The End