The Truest Believer-Interfaith Love Story

Fan Extras: Their Firsts pt2

A/N: Here's a few more scenes for this couple. Enjoy :)

The first time Zakariyah spoke with Kalila's father, he had made sure he knew their language first. It was difficult, though, for him to learn an entire language in the span of two weeks and learn to read Arabic, so his vocabulary only covered what he assumed would be spoken of in a first encounter that would deal with Kalila: a greeting, the various how-are-you's and its responses, daughter, beautiful, pious, marriage, various numbers, and money. And when Zakariyah had seen kalila's father through the window upon arrival, he immediately began to feel faint, to the point that he'd lost all his nerves. It would be an understatement to say he was afraid; the tanned, smaller, elderly man with a fist-sized beard had a shroud of silent, compressed power around him that was enough to make Zakariyah lose heart of a chance for Kalila's hand in marriage.

But Richard urged that his time was now, and Allah was giving him a clear sign of opportunity. Zakariyah knew this, and was mumbling words in Arabic to ease his anxiousness when Kalila's father walked in, hearing him. The smile on his face was illuminating, and Zakariyah noticed it only after several minutes had passed, and after Kalila's father had caught him upon a mistake in his recitation. The spark between Zakariyah and Kalila's father was forged those very moments, and was, to Kalila's father, the ultimate answer from Allah, on whether or not Zakariyah and Kalila were destined to be together.

****

The first time Kalila fought with her mother about the loss of her first child, her mother had laid the blame upon Zakariyah. It was a punishment, she had accused, for marrying an American convert, and not a man from their culture, and of her choosing. Kalila was enraged by such a hateful claim, but the idea had rooted in her conscious, coiling itself deep within her.

As much as she had despised the thought of the loss of her child being because of Zakariyah, it made sense, and it fueled her despair all the more. Allah was punishing her for giving a man a second chance at Jannah by taking away their daughter. It was the action of a cruel Almighty, and one that did not exist at all but in her dark reality. Her mother had dropped the accusations a few days later, never mentioning it again, but Kalila was scarred nonetheless. However, it was none other than Zakariyah who was able to lift her from the darkness. His consistent acts of piety –that Kalila had forsaken– drove her back to where she belonged; and with the guidance of the Almighty, she was able to forgive and forget her sins, and walk the path of light she had once taken.

****

The first time Kalila really got chance to meet with Zakariyah's sister-in-law was a few months after their marriage. She had flown in from New Jersey with her kids because of Kalila's frequent requests for getting to know more about her in-laws. However, Zakariyah's brother, Mark, was not allowed to see Kalila so he remained in New Jersey where Baraka drove often to meet with him. They had invited Zakariyah's mother as well, but she did not answer the call or show up.

Despite this, Kalila was easily won over by Mark's wife Janine, who was loud and all-smiles, and their daughters, the shy, 11 year-old Emilia and energetic, 7 year-old Roxanne; and they in turn, adored the food she cooked and the exotic clothing styles she introduced them to from her culture. But for Kalila, the true blessings Allah bestowed on their family was the tolerance and acceptance they had for Islam and Zakariyah's conversion.

****

The first time Kalila went into labor, Zakariyah was leading, not simply attending, a Jummah prayer.

Kalila's parents were in Texas with her, as was her sister-in-law and their two kids. They were all quite excited and grateful for Kalila's successful second pregnancy and had arrived to stay as long as a week to see the baby. The adhan, or call to prayer, had just been said when Kalila fell to her knees as she had previously gotten up to go to the bathroom. Instantly, her mother and sister-in-law, Janine, were at her side. While Kalila's mother did her best to keep Kalila calm, Janine called 911 to have her taken to the emergency room to deliver the baby. Within minutes the ambulance arrived and took Kalila away with her mother and father with her. Janine and her daughters stayed to tell Zakariyah where she'd gone.

When Zakariyah had come back from prayer a good half hour later, he found a happy, teary-eyed sister to tell him the news. Had it not been for his cell phone to ring, he would have ran off then and there to the hospital himself to see Kalila. The caller had been Baraka, eager to know about his little sister's condition. After the call, Zakariyah could not wait any longer and rushed into his car and drove off with Janine, Emilia and Roxanne. To his displeasure, they would not allow him in until he was deemed clean enough to see the mother and newborn son.

After washing up and using sanitizers, Zakariyah stepped into the white, chemically cleaned room where he saw Kalila lying half-upright on a bed, a bundle of joy in her arms. Kalila lay, exhausted, but she saw him come and smiled through the lingering pain to call out his name. Zakriyah's eyes watered as he heard the baby cry out then, as if he, too, were calling for his father.

Anymore ideas or scenes? Do tell! <3