Two souls reunited

𝓕𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂

"𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒗𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕." (𝑸𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏, 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑨𝒏-𝑵𝒖𝒓 24:30)

Let me tell you a little bit about myself, my name is Aqilah and I moved to Dubai when I was just seven years old. Dubai the city of gold, colour and extravagance. I love the warm weather that could be suffocating at times. Subhanallah yet when the bright shining sun hits me it warms my insides and makes me thankful to Allah. The city is beautiful with all the modern buildings and the sunset reflecting on the glass sky scrappers leaves me in awe at the wonderful creation around us.

The Adhan vibrates all around and would constantly remind me that I live in a Muslim country and how most don't get the opportunity and pleasure to hear the call to prayer. Let alone five times a day reminding us of our creator and how we should worship him and draw closer to him.

"Aqilah can you please come down, I need to tell you something!", shouted my eldest sister. Meet Nasreen the woman I love and call my second mum. She raised me as her own like one of her daughters that are similar age as me. We are a house full of girls always bickering and fighting at times.

Girls will forever be girls, but there is an undying loyalty between us. It connects us as we look out for one another. "Yes Nasreen what's the matter", I saunter into the living room. "You know our aunty from Australia well she is coming to visit us and guess who else is coming as well", she says. I just stare at her, she in return gives me a quizzical look with a smirk on her face.

Already I knew in the pit of my stomach this was something I was not going to like. "I don't know, can you please stop wasting my time and just tell me", I exhale in frustration. You see she does this thing where you think she'll tell you everything but she just leaves you second guessing yourself. "Fine I tell you, someone is a little grouchy", she states. I give her a irritated look and she says "Remember our cousin Hussein the eldest son of Aunty Amina." I sigh internally, who can forgot our dearest cousin, the golden child.

Don't get me wrong I like my cousin but my aunty drives me crazy as she always puts him on a pedestal. She holds the old traditions and values dearly but I'm more modern. Men and women should be treated equally to some degree and double standards should not exist.

" Yes, what has happened now", I ask. "Nothing, he's getting married so aunty Amina and Hussein are coming to stay with us for a bit and do some shopping, therefore I need you to clean your room and prepare it, please". I was shock, why hadn't Naseeba told me, we practically tell each other everything. Naseeba is Husseins' younger sister we are the same age and best friends. Just wait till I catch her.

"Oh come on Nasreen why do I have to give up my room, why can't Habiba or Shamsa do it, what about the spare bedroom", I say in annoyance. "Aqilah be reasonable where will Hussein stay, please do this for me and help her with the pre-wedding shopping she has come to do. Don't say you're busy because schools are finished, they'll be coming in two days."

"Okay but Ramadan is next week do you really expect me to walk around whilst I'm fasting". "Oh stop complaining, plus you'll get rewarded and your good deeds increase for doing a kind action.", she says whilst walking out the room. I lie back on the sofa an exhale loudly wondering what I have done to deserve this.

I quickly ring Naseeb and impatiently wait as it dials, as soon as she picks up I shout, "Naseeba you are no longer my best friend why didn't you tell me your brother was getting married!". "Waalaikumsalam to you too Aqilah and I'm sorry but I only found out a week ago". " A week ago and you didn't tell me, wow are you even my friend?", I say faking being hurt.

"Oh please don't be upset waalahi (I swear to god) I would've told you but I was promised to keep it a secret. Hussein wanted us to meet the family and get the approval from her dad", she says sincerely. "I'm not upset, I'm just joking, so did you see the bride to be!", I say excitedly. "Yeah she's so pretty man'sha'allah I'm just so happy for him", she says. " You coming as well", I ask. "No, sorry I can't make it I have exams to finish off otherwise I would definitely of been there," she says sadly.

"Listen I have to go but I'll speak to you soon in'sha'allah, Salam girl", I say. "Waalaikumsalam to you too bae",she puts down the phone. And so the house that was already full becomes even more cramped, holidays are a time for chaos.

After two laborious days of cleaning and re-arranging furniture the house was ready for our guest. Habiba put some oud in the living  room to give the area a lovely fragrance and shortly after there is knock on the door. We all squeal trying to find our hijab and our jilbabs to put on. These are modest items of clothing that should be used in the presence of non-mahrams to protect our modesty and close the door of fitnah.

Nasreen opens the door and is immediately embraced by Aunty Amina, "Assalamualaikum habibti, how are you!", she says practically shouting. "Waalaikumsalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Aunty, Hussein please come in." Aunty Amina gave me a big squeeze which I wouldn't have minded if it didn't feel like my internal organs were suffocating. After saying our salams Nasreen showed them to the living room. "Aqilah make some tea for our guest", Nasreen yells from the living room.

It seems the topic of the conversation has some how found its way to the up coming wedding. As I enter the room with my tray of tea and sweet pastries I suddenly hear my name. " Aqilah we're just discussing Hussein getting married. After waiting for so long finally my baby boy is off the market at 27", Aunty Amina shrieks with delight. Beside her I can see Hussein flushing with embarrassment and turning red like a beetroot. I try to stifle my laughter, making him turn even more red than I thought was humanly possible.

Yet little did I know the tables would turn and next thing you know, " So Aqilah when will you be getting married?," she asks with genuine interest. Oh no the marriage question that always seems to crop up. What is with Aunties and marriage, it's like the two go hand in hand. I stare in shock and quickly look down flushing from my own embarrassment. I just didn't know what to say and my silence was making it worse so Nasreen nudges me. I look up and see Hussein chuckling now, great. "Umm umm soon in'sha'allah Aunty", I stammer. I mean what else is there to say, I'm only twenty one and have my life ahead of me god willing.

I would eventually like to get married, it completes half your deen but when the time is right, only Allah knows when that time is. There seems to be a lot of pressure placed on women more so then men to get married early on. Let me just explore my options and my surroundings first before I'm tied to someone hopefully for the rest of my life.

"Don't worry, there are plenty of nice young men out there. Hussein can help you find someone right," she says whilst looking up at him. "Yeah sure,"he reply's quietly whilst trying not to laugh. Ground please swallow me up, is it embarrass Aqilah day. If this is how it was going to be for the rest of the their stay then I need a lot of sabr (patience) because Allah knows I'll need it.