In Your Love... {Eternal Ishq #1}

Ch-35 Learning to Love Allah... (Part 1)

It had been more than a week since she had answered to Humaira, and there had been no other message from her. Maryam kept remembering the cruise and faintly recalled the doctor who had saved Saif. And that of course inevitably led to suppressed thoughts becoming free again, while the budding hope cautiously grew…and her heart and mind were plagued by so many questions for which she had no answers at all.

“Did they find fault with your design again?” Maryam heard her father ask and she mentally shook her thoughts away before answering,

“No… they finally accepted it, but now they have completely rejected my other design. They want me to create something that is …well, you know what they want me to make.” Maryam smiled, yet it did not reach her eyes.

Sufyaan muttered and vented out about the way these fashion-designing schools functioned… “Is this what bothering you huh?”

“Sort of.” Maryam nodded, then exclaimed with sudden pleasure. “Ice-cream!”

When they reached back home, it was with beaming smiles and content hearts, both deeply happy to simply being in each other’s company.

“Abba!” Maryam burst into Sufyaan’s room after half an hour, almost skipping and waving her phone in her hand.

“Guess what guess what guess what!”

Sufyaan looked at his prancing daughter and could not help but grin widely.

“What sweetness?”

“Oh stupid me!” Maryam face palmed. “Of course you won’t be able to guess.”

Her father snorted and she laughed delightedly. “Remember the Qur’anic classes I’m taking online?”

Sufyaan nodded while she continued, “They are gonna conduct a two days camp this weekend for Muslim youth –”

“Where?”

Maryam mentioned the place looking at her phone and Sufyaan stated, “Not that far.” To which she nodded enthusiastically.

“We both will go In shaa Allah, we’ll start early…and oh Abba what I wanted you to guess was the guest speaker, he is Ustad Nouman Ali Khan!” Maryam squealed while her father stared blankly.

“Oh my gosh I still can’t believe! Do you think I’m dreaming all this…?” His daughter continued to gush while Sufyaan asked hopefully,

“Is he unmarried?”

It took some time for Maryam to register what he had asked and in answer, she laughed and laughed until tears gleamed in her eyes. “Nope he's married and even has children.”

Sufyaan was not to be deterred, but continued again in the same hopeful tone, “Maybe he has a brother or son?”

Maryam who had sat on the bed as she doubled in laughter, now looked up and asked softly with lingering merriment still shining in her black eyes.

“Why do you ask that Abba?”

Sufyaan shook his head, and then sat beside her. Passing a hand over her gleaming hair, he said tenderly,

“You have changed my dear heart and now you’re turning into someone whom I didn’t even dream my daughter would become one day… and it worries your old father very much, where will I find such a good groom to match my queen?”

Maryam hugged her father and pressed her cheek to his while swallowing back the sudden lump that blocked her throat, she murmured,

“Don’t worry so Abba, He (SWT) will surely show a way and like me, just keep having… Hasbi Allah!”