Stay with Me

Prologue.

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful.

Every woman's dream is to get married and live a peaceful life with her husband and children, building a family but marriage is more that because you don't only marry the man but his family as well. Just like every other woman, Ruwaida left her home and got married to the love of her life. They might have had a brief meeting between her and Suraj Pahwar but she felt like he was her soul mate. Love blossomed in her home and despite him being a leader, he spent quality time with his wife. Ruwaida also had a poor relationship with her mother-in-law, who they called Nana because Ruwaida was a learned woman but she gave up since the marriage was already done. Everything seemed perfect until…

Many women got pregnant in the few months of their marriage but a year passed and Ruwaida wasn't blessed with one. The couple were quite worried but believed that it was Allah's plan for the delay. Nana was quiet at first giving Ruwaida the benefit of the doubt but after another year passed, she snapped. She never liked the woman and knowing that the woman was barren fueled her hatred. She rained different painful insults at Ruwaifa making the young woman's matrimonial home like hell. Suraj tried his best to protect his wife but his mother was so adamant. The community naturally knew and gossip went around like wildfire, calling the wife of the head a barren woman who couldn't give him an heir. She couldn't go out without people pointing fingers at her but Ruwaida kept her faith in Allah and waited for his judgement.

She was pained by the fact of not having a blessed womb but the pressure she felt every day didn't give her a chance to dwell on it. This went on until the fifth year when Suraj was forced to marry a second wife who immediately gave birth to a male child. Nana became attached to the new wife Nesrim and together they scorned Ruwaida. In six years, Nesrim birthed three boys, Malek, Raoof, and Nivzad. Eleven years without a child made Ruwaida hopeless but in the twelfth year, Allah blessed her with a daughter, Safiyya.

Ruwaida and Suraj were finally happy about having a child and it was Suraj's dream to have a princess that he could spoil but Nana had a different thought and she hated Ruwaida even more for giving birth to a female. To her, a female child was a curse. Ruwaida was pained and bewildered by such ideology from her mother-in-law which was the same as those from the Jahiliyya time but this didn't diminish the love she has for her daughter.

Safiyya was a bubbly child and tried making a good relationship with her brothers but that was far-fetched. They didn't play with her and even scolded her for the smallest things. She didn't feel loved by her father because of Nana and Nana hates the sight of her. They made the timid girl cry a lot but her mother was her haven and from he young age, her Ammi instilled the love of Allah in her heart and patience.

Safiyya watched her brothers go to school but she was stopped despite her passion for education. Suraj naturally noticed this and together with Ruwaida, they enrolled Safiyya in school in secret. What Safiyya was kept in the dark about was the Abooh's participation in it. It wasn't easy but the family's shun assisted them in hiding it.

Safiyya grew up into a beautiful teenager and eyes started turning on her. Pressure came from all sides for Suraj to have his daughter married but he wanted to respect her wish to complete her education. They loved their daughter a lot and couldn't stay away from her but they had no choice but to send her away.

Being in a foreign country with a different culture and starting college was a heavy burden on Safiyya's shoulders but didn't stop her resolve to study and prove them wrong. Four years passed in the blink of an eye and with Allah's grace, she completed her education with the best score. Finding a job in this big world where Islamaphobia was surrounded, became one of the biggest obstacles she had faced in her life.

Allah watches our ordeals and he changes bitterness to sweetness. Amid her struggles, he sent her a guardian angel who became the center of her world. What more could she ask for after having a son like Yousef?

……

June, 2018.

His steps were heavy as he walked towards the secluded shop. He was 23 and in his blossoming year of youth but it seemed like had aged more than he is. He stopped after sighting his friend sitting on the bench before the shop's window. Jaleel was rubbing his palms trying to warm himself because the weather was cold. He heard the footsteps and smiled warmly at Alfred.

Alfred stilled his heart and walked over, sitting down beside Jaleel quietly. Jaleel stared at his friend whose hair and beard had grown and unkempt, his blue eyes that shone through his glasses were dull unlike before. He felt a grip in his heart but hid it with a smile of confidence.

"Salam," he greeted stretching his hand. Alfred looked at his hand before shaking it briefly.

"How are you doing?" Jaleel asked carefully.

"I'm still alive," Alfred returned passively.

"What about my nephew?" Jaleel asked and Alfred glared at him. "Joseph is not your nephew,"

"You are like a brother to me Alfred and your son is like a son to me too. Please know that," Jaleel said.

Alfred hummed at this. "Joseph has been discharged and is recovering more at home,"

"In Sha Allah, he will recover perfectly. Have hope in the Almighty, " Jaleel told him. There was silence before Alfred continued, "I will take care of Joseph myself, and at the same time, I will prove to everyone that I am not a loser. I won't lose anything again in this world, so long as I am still breathing. It's a matter of few months and I will build my company,"

Jaleel smiled painfully as he remembered the promise they made to each other of starting a tech company together but Allah had other plans for them.
"I am sure that you will take it to great heights. I believe in you," he stated, looking at his friend. "I will be working in Finland for a year but I am not sure, it might take more than that,"  This was a secret he couldn't tell anyone but he did that with the trust he had for his friend.

Alfred turned to look at him before speaking calmly, "I hope this is the last time that we meet. We all chose what path we wanted and we should pursue it. Don't look for me and I won't do the same,"

Jaleel already expected this but his heart pained even more. He still remembered when they first met at a competition. It was Alfred's first time and it just happened to be a group battle but the 18-year-old had no friend nor partner and no one was willing to join the inconspicuous teenager. Jaleel happily nudged him and agreed to be his partner and that's how they started working together way before they met their other teammates. They became best friends and were close like brothers. Until everything came crashing down.

Jaleel wanted to speak when Alfred added sternly, "Respect my decision,"

Jaleel forced a smile and nodded. "We might be kilometers apart but my prayers and well wishes will always be with you. I believe that one day, we will meet again and I hope by then, your heart has thawed."

Alfred scoffed bitterly and stood up. "You can't mend a lost heart and I don't want that,"

Jaleel stood up too and stated, "What Farah did is unacceptable to humanity not just my religion. Accusing all Muslims of this is wrong but I know that you won't listen to this at this moment if one day you come across another Muslim, I hope that you don't blame them for her crime,"

Alfred's jaws tightened as he listened to these words. If there was a name he hated to the core, then it was Farah. Not blame all? How can he do that?

"I have trusted a lot but all I got was betrayal. I have been betrayed right from birth by my parents and many kept doing it. My patience is broken already and now…Now I live for my son. I am afraid that if we start together, you will betray me too soon. So, it's better if we stay apart," Alfred concluded and walked away.

Jaleel closed his eyes and a teardrop streaked down his cheek. Brotherhood is just like blood relationships and watching your brother break and not being able to do anything was a painful ordeal indeed. Jaleel still prayed to Allah to assist his best friend and guide him to the right part.

When a human loses trust in Allah, maybe they need another human to bring that trust back and Jaleel hoped for the best for his brother and he never lost hope.

How was the prologue?🤗