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Chapter 8: Withering Flowers

30th August, 2019

"... And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who have firm Faith." 

[Al-Maa'idah 5:50]

Chapter 8: 

Withering Flowers

"Have you decided on what to wear?"

Tammara's question startled Afreen, and putting her phone aside, she turned to look at her cousin who had just entered.

"Sort of," Afreen shrugged, casually running her index finger around the boundary of the bandage that neatly wrapped the wound she had inflicted upon herself.

"How do you feel, Afreen? Are you happy?" She enquired, because honestly, Tam didn't know how she was supposed to feel.

"Alhamdulilah, I am happy, Tam, this is all I wanted. I mean, I do feel bad when I think about Mamma and Abbu and how they aren't really up for this, but I know with time in sha Allah when they see me content and satisfied with my choice, they'll come around. Zubair is a wonderful guy, once they get to know him, they're going to love him," she assured, and Tam didn't know if that assurance was for her or for Afreen herself, with how dull she seemed.

"In sha Allah I do hope it all works out in the end, but," she paused, rethinking her words.

"But?" Afreen prompted.

Sighing in frustration, Tammara replied, "There's so much I want to tell you, Afreen, in fact there's so much everyone wants to tell you but we're just so scared to talk to you. We don't know what may trigger you and you may take an extreme step, so we're all just quiet."

"I know what I did was extremely silly, and I've apologized for it, you don't have to bring it up all the time," Afreen replied, discourteous. However, realizing that she may have come off as rude, she added, "You can tell me whatever it is, Tam, I won't mind."

"As your cousin, as your Bhabhi, as an elder sister, I think it is my responsibility to advice you, Afreen. I don't know if this is going to sit well with you, but in Islam, a sincere advice is part of faith. Whatever I've heard about Zubair, it's only from you, and maybe you are right, he must be a great guy, I'm not denying it. But what I do know is that for a marriage to work, you need more than a great guy, you need a respectable and kind partner who loves his Creator enough to not prompt His creation into committing sins. Mamma has been vehemently denying the idea of you marrying Zubair, and have you stopped to consider why the woman who loves you so much does not want to see you with a guy you think is your world?"

"It's because he doesn't match our class," Afreen scorned.

"That's not it," Tam quickly denied. "It's because she has raised you like a princess in this house, you've received things even before asking for them, you haven't had to face the harsh realities of life and she's scared for you. As a mother, she only wants the best for you. She fears that marrying Zubair will put you through circumstances that you won't be able to bear. His family, his upbringing, his lifestyle, it's not like yours. No one's saying it's bad, we're all worried that it's very different from you, and you may not be able to adjust to it."

"You know, Tam," Afreen smiled, "I get it that you're worried for me, but please don't, and if you can, try explaining it to Mamma as well. I don't care of the circumstances I'll have to face after marriage as long as Zubair is with me."

Tammara stared at her little cousin, for the first time in life solving the theory of blind love. When people said love was blind, it was the kind that had lost its purpose. True love was focused, it knew its destination and was headed straight there. The purest form of love wasn't blind, nor would it shroud you in blinding darkness, it was in fact meant to be the guiding beam that would lead you to light. Anything that took away your vision wasn't worthwhile, for humans were built in a way that sooner or later, they eventually would incline towards coming out of the dark and illuminating their shadows.