Jannah. [SEQUEL TO DAWUD]

Chapter 21: Walking in a Winter Wonderland

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

If the time of prayer has been called and you haven't prayed before reading this, please do so.

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Muna's P.O.V

I dropped my bag by the couch and hauled myself over to the kitchen. I needed food. Subhan'Allah, studying Nursing not only meant that your grades had to be amazing, but it also meant that your shifts at the hospital needed your complete energy. I gave so many flu shots today that everything I touched just felt like the skin of another arm. Alhamdullilah, I reminded myself to say. Being a nurse and helping people has always been a dream of mine. I was now living it and so I reminded myself to be appreciative. There are people in the world who don't have the liberty of choosing their own career -- or even having one. I was also thankful for Islam. Without Allah and His divine plan, I don't know where I would be. I read that a person without Islam and Allah is like a sailor who finds himself in the midst of an uncharted sea, without a compass or steering wheel. He never knows where he is, which way he is going and where he is going to land. 'Alhamdulillah 'ala kulli Haal' (Praise be to Allah in every circumstance) I stated, making myself some cereal.

There was a noise in the hall and in a few seconds, my husband stood by my side. 'Assalamu'Alaykum.' He said against my ear. His voice was raspy and eyes still droopy from the deep sleep he had been engulfed in only moments ago. 'How was your shift?' He asked. The loose strands of his light hair tickled my cheeks as he placed his chin in the space between my shoulders and neck.

'It's in the past. Let's just forget about it.' I said quickly, sinking into him. Whenever he was in my company, immediate relief and peace flushed over my body. That was my favourite thing about him. He relieved my stress without even trying.

'I can do that.' He said with a grin. 'Did you pray Fajr?' I nodded, telling him that I prayed before leaving the hospital. 'Nice. Nice. What do you say we go on a walk till sunrise?'

I looked up at him in shock. He simply returned my gaze with soft eyes. They were full of an unsaid need. The two of us hadn't spent time alone in a while. And how could I say no to an opportunity like this? He's the only one capable of making me laugh when I'm about to cry or smile when I'm furious. Your husband shouldn't only be a romantic partner, but a best friend. Your connection should always transcend the feeling of desire. With Akhlaaq, my heart swelled up out of complete love for him as a human being. He smiled at me as I stuffed my face with cereal at the dinner table, and then again as we exited the apartment in our thick jackets and boots. Once we exited the building, we looked up in unison, taken aback by the snow lightly falling against our faces. The light color of the sky made it hard to believe it was five in the morning. 'The first snowfall.' I said, happily stretching my arms out. Akhlaaq stuck his tongue out merrily and caught a few flakes. The weather was beautiful and incredibly therapeutic. We began walking, exiting the parking lot and sticking to the sidewalk. Akhlaaq laced his arm around my own.

'How's the J & D case, detective Muna?' He teased.

'You know, Warsan said something to me that changed my entire perspective on the matter.' I admitted. 'She said that Jannah didn't run to us after they had the fight, and Dawud didn't call you either. It's clear that they want to fix this between themselves. And I shouldn't worry about it because, at the end of the day, they love each other so much. It's rude of me to make their business my own.' I explained.

Akhlaaq removed his arm from my side and rubbed my back. 'That's my girl.' He whispered proudly. We continued to walk for some time. 'I remember the first time I saw you. You were whispering something to Jannah in the cafeteria at school. She threw her head back laughing and I knew you had a special personality. The second time I saw you, you were alone in the halls, walking to class with your chin held high. You were completely unbothered. Didn't even look my way once.'

I bit my lip, remembering exactly what he was talking about. It was in my second year at university and he was leaning against his locker scrolling through his phone. He looked up as I turned the corner and I didn't match his gaze, quickly brushing past him. Of course, at that moment I was well-aware Akhlaaq was looking at me. I tried my best to be cool. I didn't know it had worked that well though.

'I like you when you're you. When you do things independently and make your own decisions. Seeing you step back from the drama makes me think back to how chill and nonchalant you were before we got married. It looks good on you.' He complimented.

'Sometimes, when I'm stressed, I like to hyper-fixate on a certain matter to make my other problems seem small. I guess that keeping up with school and trying my absolute best in nursing has taken a heavy toll on me. Helping Jannah and Dawud seemed like an easier and more worrisome distraction.' I told him.

Akhlaaq bent forward and kissed my temple. 'I hope I don't add to your burden of worries, my love.'

I smiled, shaking my head. 'You don't, surprisingly.' I teased, running ahead of him.

Our laughter echoed down the empty and still roads as people began waking up for their morning shifts at work. We filled the dead streets with life.

Jannah's P.O.V

I prayed Isha and crawled up into bed. My cozy thermal pajamas kept me warm. They were new and I had bought them just for this trip, knowing that the Northern Hills are unapologetically cold in temperature. I grabbed my personal copy of the Quran from the bedside table and opened up to the chapter Al Mulk (The Sovereignty). I remember reading the other day how it was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: "A chapter from the Quran containing thirty verses will intercede for a man so that he will be forgiven. It is the Surah Tabaarak Alathi bi yadihi'l-mulk." (Al-Tirmidhi, 2891). Following that, I read another gem stating that Abdallah ibn Mas'ood said "Whoever reads Tabaarak allaahi bi yadihi'l-mulk (Surah Al Mulk) every night, Allaah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to call it al-maani'ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah it is a Surah which, whoever recites it every night has done very well (al-Nasaa'i, 6/179)."

And so I recited the surah and slowly drifted off into sleep. My lips spoke as a result of the desires emulating from my heart as I smiled and whispered 'May the Most-Merciful allow your affairs to be easy for you, Dawud.' Only for Allāh to hear.