Synthesis of Scattered Pieces ✔️

Bonus 3.

(No matter how hard you try, one day that boy will cheat on you... You are raising him as a parent, but he will never give you the status of a parent.)

"Baba jab humne Zaryab ko apni zindagi mein laane ka fesla kra tha tab hume pta tha, hume use sab kuch dena hai badle mein kuch nhi mangna. Hume Zaryab se kuchh bhi nahi chahiye, maa baap ka rutba bhi nhi. Hum to bas ek masoom yateem ko maa baap ka pyaar dena chahte hain." Shifa was crying and Mr Kazmi kind of glared at her.

(Baba, when we decided to bring Zaryab into our life, we knew that we have to give everything to him and ask for nothing in return. We don't want anything from Zaryab, not even the status of parents. We just want to give parental love to an innocent orphan.)

"Pachhtaoge tum dono ek din. Wo ladka kabhi bhi tumhara wafadaar nhi hoga."

(One day you both will regret one day. That boy won't be loyal to you.)

"Ho sakta hai aap theek keh rahe ho Baba, lekin hum nhi pachhtaye kyuki hum Allah ki raza ke liye ek yateem ko sahara de rahe hain." Shifa shared what she and Daniyal were hiding in their hearts for the last few years.

(Maybe you are right baba, but we'll not regret it because we are sponsoring an orphan for the sake of Allah.)

"Baba, have you forgotten the hadees (saying of the prophet (pbuh) regarding orphans?" Shifa asked, her tears rolling down unstoppable still she had an amazing hold on her voice which was neither loud nor shivering while crying. Mr Kazmi was stunned for a moment.

"Baba, our beloved prophet (pbuh) said that The best household among the Muslims is a household wherein an orphan is treated well. And the worst household among the Muslims is a household wherein an orphan is ill-treated”
(Ibn Majah)." Shifa asked and Mr Kazmi was looking at her silently.

"Baba, do you remember the other hadees in which the prophet (pbuh) said while raising his index finger and joining the next finger to it, ‘I and the one who sponsors an orphan shall be in Paradise like these two (Bukhari, No. 5304)..." Shifa wiped her tears. "Who doesn't want to be so near to our beloved prophet (pbuh), and it's not that difficult, we just have to love a child just like our own children."

Mr Kazmi was silently seeing his daughter-in-law and soon he walked away. Shifa closed her eyes. One more time she was feeling like a loser... She smiled sadly and walked upstairs.

I'm not Daniyal Kazmi whose words tender one's heart... Only he knows the art of winning hearts without saying such, my whole speech was just a waste of time.

Criticising herself she wiped her tears on the upper most stair and walked towards the kids room. "What's going on?"

"Mummy we want to go for an ice cream." Alshaf demanded and Shifa's eyes fell on Zaryab, she glared at him with fake anger because she knew what he had done.

While driving back from her maternal home Shifa bought Zaryab his favourite icecream, he enjoyed it the whole way but Shifa instructed to not to tell Alshaf and Zeedaan because they will demand ice cream.

"No one is getting ice cream. You all had ice cream yesterday only." Shifa dismissed the demand

"But you gave one to Zaryab Bhai today also." Alshaf huffed.

"Because Zaryab Bhai behaved like a good boy, he helped Nani in household chores as well as pressed Nanu's head when he was having a headache." Shifa said more like a scolding for Alshaf and started setting the toys back in the shelf but Alshaf's eyes filled with tears.

If crocodile tears were a word it was surely introduced for Alshaf!

She knew how to use her tears to manipulate her father.