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Chapter 6: I don't know you

11th June, 2019

Assalamu alaikum, my dearest dearest readers. So sorry for disappearing for 3 months but you guys know I was away for a genuine reason (Publishing Bowled Over by the Broken kept me super busy, Subhan Allah).Sending all of you so much love and wishing my Wattpad family that Allah eases all your tasks for you. Here's the next chapter, as usual like all chapters in this book, it's not very long (since that's exactly how I want it) but I sincerely hope I can update the next part soon in sha Allah <3

"Jibreel sat with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he looked at the sky and saw an angel coming down. Jibreel said: This angel has never come down since the day he was created, until now. When he had come down, he said: O Muhammad, your Lord has sent me to you (to give you the choice of being) either a Prophet-king or a Messenger-slave. Jibreel said: Be humble before your Lord, O Muhammad. He said: "Rather (I choose to be) a Messenger-slave."

[Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad (7160)]

Chapter 6:

I don't know you

Silence is a paradox, it sometimes stands for the most authentic form of joy where no words can match its depth and yet other times it hints at the catastrophe that no words can explain its intensity. Unfortunately, in Afreen's case, it ended up being the latter.

"What happened?"

The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself, and although the entire family who had just returned from Zubair's house was seated in the living room, her eyes were trained on her mother, desperately seeking an answer from her.

When her question was met some more silence signifying tragedy, she resisted the urge to repeat herself. It was after many long moments of honoring the ticking of the clock as the only sound in the room that her mum finally turned to look at her.

"Where did we go wrong in raising you?" She asked, her voice deathly calm, causing Afreen to wince in reply. "Not only did you give yourself the liberty to date someone behind our backs, but you also fell for a guy that does not remotely match our standards?"

"Mamma," Afreen whispered, "How can you say this?"

"And why can't I say this?" Zainab challenged. "What is wrong with you, Afreen, have you lost all sense? Their house is not even quarter the size of ours, they are those typical middle class people, I can't believe my daughter could make such a choice."

"In Islam deen must be given priority over financial status," she put forth.

"Don't teach me Islam," Zainab snapped. "I can't get you married in a house where I don't even know if that guy is capable of providing a decent meal three times a day. Raiyyan, I'm telling you, message your friend right now and ask him if he's free to come meet us with his parents tomorrow, this girl is a lost cause, about time I get her married before she makes us a joke in the society."

"I'm not getting married to anyone but him," Afreen insisted, a stubborn edge to her tone.

"Then stay a spinster all your life."

"That's enough, Zainab," Ibrahim interjected and Afreen turned to look at her father, her eyes moist.

"Abbu, please, I..."

"We cannot get you married in that family, Afreen," her father proclaimed, in a tone that conveyed his decision was final and nothing she'd say could alter it. "Your mother wasn't willing to give him a chance, but seeing you, I swallowed my pride and went to visit them this evening but I'm extremely disappointed. I don't see anything in that guy or his family. Zainab is worried about their financial status and she has every right to, but if we keep that fact aside and even if I say that in your wedding I'll write a lavish apartment for you in your name and gift you a car so you can live a hassle free life, the problem does not get solved. See, people should not be judged for their money, although as parents we would want you to marry rich so you don't have to struggle for basics, but okay we'll keep that aside for now. My problem is their mentality. There are many people out there without a huge bank balance but they are respectable and have a positive outlook to things, they think big. But this guy's family, they are far from all of it. Their fault is not that they are poor, their fault is they don't want to do anything about their situation and are seeking an easy way out, which means their solution is not hard work and sincerity, their solution to this is getting a rich daughter in law and I'd be foolish to get you married in that family."