"O Mu'adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ، وَشُكْرِكَ، وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
"
Allâhumma a'innî alâ dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibâdatika
O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner"
[Abu Dawud]
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
✨ Bismillah ✨
If you haven't offered your salah and it's salah time then please pray and then return, do not delay your prayers.
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MAIRA
Me, Zainab and Amina walk out of the restaurant with mixed emotions and our graduation gowns still in our hands.
The graduation was amazing- tears, smiles, laughs and contentment it was everything. My parents, Adam's parents, Usman, Adam and even Aisha was there clapping for me when I went up to take my graduation.
We three had come to have a goodbye/graduation lunch at our favorite restaurant in town.
Amina and her family has a flight to catch tomorrow early morning and Zainab is moving to out of the town in two days.
More people move in and out of the restaurant and we stand there gathering our thoughts and this moment.
"I'm gonna miss you guys, awfully" Amina says looking at us.
"I'm gonna miss you both the most, considering I'm the only one staying back in this place" I say as a hint of sadness stirs inside me.
"We'll do frequent calls and meet up once in a while" Zainab reasons.
"Yeah when I fly back here" Amina says with a sigh.
"And when we fly there too" Zainab bumps her shoulder to her's, trying to lighten up.
Amina begins to say something as Adam's car drive to us. We give eachother a tight hug and teary goodbye and part our ways. I walk to the car, Zainab turns to the other lane, walking towards her home and Amina hails a cab.
Adam smiles at me as I put the seatbelt on "Officially graduated and done with college, hmm?" He strikes a conversation as we drive towards my parents home.
We had planned a small celebration of graduation in my parents home with both of our families. We might as well be planning things for Usman's wedding which is in two weeks.
The excitement and anticipation of my bestfriend and brother's marriage eases the despair of the goodbye with my other friends.
(◍•ᴗ•◍)
Frustrated groans of my brother and Adam resonate from the living room as I pass by the frame of it. I look in to see both of them flopped on either sides of the couch, watching a ball game. A little smile forms on my face seeing these two warming up to each other.
I had always wondered when Usman would stop his little glares and the discreetly rude comebacks towards Adam and now from a week or two, I can see that being reduced. I guess he understands Adam's feeling and emotions now that he is experiencing them for himself.
I am truly happy for both him and Maryam, and I can't wait to be a sister-in-law to my own bestfriend. Maryam and Alina had called earlier telling me about their preparations for the wedding.
We had been discussing the wedding throughout the whole dinner, Aisha had left with Yusuf soon after the dinner. Our parents were currently out in the lawn, having all sorts of conversations.
A cheer from Adam and Usman brought my gaze back to the living room. Adam turned his head back to look at me, probably sensing my gaze on him.
He smiles, a soft smile of his which filled my heart with a warmth I've never felt before Adam.
I acknowledge his smile with one of my own and slightly wonder if it has the effect as his'. He beckons me to the couch across him and Usman. Mama calls us from outside before I could go and sit on the couch.
It's almost midnight so mama and baba suggest that we leave. Adam turns to me raising his brows in question. I furrow mine in confusion "What?" I ask.
He rolls his eyes "Are you ready to leave yet?" He asks.
"Yeah ofcourse. Why wouldn't I be?" I question back and he rolls his eyes again "And I thought of being considerate towards you" he sighs shaking his head as I put on my abaya.
I give him an extra sweet smile "You do all these and tell me not to call you cute" I say with a chuckle. His eyes narrow down in slits as he leans down to boop my nose with his.
"Come on now before mama herself comes to drag us out" he says taking my hand in his and walking out to the porch where all of them were indeed waiting for us.
We bid my parents and Usman goodbye, promising to meet again soon for the shopping and other stuff.
(◍•ᴗ•◍)
I glance at Adam as he takes a different turn rather than that which leads to our home. "Are we going somewhere else Adam?"
"Uh huh"
"But it's late"
"And?" He asks with a smirk, arching a brow.
"Wouldn't mama and baba wonder where we are?" I think about it for a moment and dig into my bag for the phone to inform them.
Adam catches my hand in my mid-search and glances at me for a split second before turning his gaze back to the road.
"Already informed, they might've even reached home by now" he says entwining our hands and resting them on the console.
"Okay...what exactly are you upto then?" I ask, wondering what he might've planned at this hour of night.
"You'll have to see it for yourself" he says in a calm voice and I lean in the window, watching the roads, cars and the night lights pass by.
(◍•ᴗ•◍)
A gentle, feather like caress on my cheek and the feel of soft lips on my forehead stirs me out of my sleep.
I open my eyes to see Adam smiling down at me and I'm nonetheless filled with the same warmth. "We're here" he whispers soft enough to not reach any further than me. He bends in to unfasten my seatbelt and pulls me out of the car using my hand.
I rub the sleep off my eyes and look around to see ourselves standing in the porch of the same cabin we had stayed at after our reception.
"Just how much time did I sleep for?" I ask because this place is like really far.
He snakes his arms around my waist and kisses my temple "Long enough for us to reach here"
"You must've woken me up on our way, we could have switched places or something"
He smiles "You just be there with me, because that's what I crave" my heart races in my chest at the gravity of his words so hard that Adam might probably be able to hear it.
I exhale audibly, still gazing in his blue-grey eyes before whispering "It quite literally makes me speechless - your love, the words, the adoration and everything else which you say and do"
His pretty smile turns into an even prettier grin-a full wide grin as he caresses my waist with the same hand present there "Hold onto to your compliments till you see the real surprise" he exclaims, leading me inside the cabin.
It had a backyard which was a rarity for the houses around here. The cabin was surrounded just by a short fence, it didn't have any garage so we had to just park the car inside the fence, across the main door of the cabin.
The inside of it was just as beautiful, with high ceilings in the half of the house and two bedrooms on the first floor of the other half.
Adam continues dragging me further into the house, I furrow my brows in confusion and then his words register in my head.
"What more of surprise have you planned?" I ask incredulously.
He turns to look at me with a cheeky grin, wiggling his eyebrows. He pushes me in the backyard while he stands just behind me with his arms gently placed on my shoulders.
A startled gasp leaves my lips as I look in awe at the completely changed backyard.
White netted curtains and string lights were drawn through the canopy made in the backyard, throw pillow, cushions and blankets were placed on the floor couches and small, low coffee table was placed right in the middle of the canopy. The lights illuminated enough light to give a cozy and comfortable vibe.
"All this is just so perfect, it feels almost magical, Adam" I say still in a daze. "Thankyou" I continue with a content sigh.
"The lengths I would go for that smile" he drawls, shaking his head with a small smile. He asks me to be seated on the couch as he goes inside the house again, telling that he'll be back in a minute, and as promised, he emerges from the backyard doors with bags of take-out in his hand.
I lean back comfortably on the couch as he places the food on the table and sits beside me, pulling me closer to himself. "You do realise that we have already had our dinner, right?" I ask arching a brow.
"So?" He asks in a challenging tone before continuing again "You had your graduation lunch with your friends and graduation dinner with the family so I thought - why not graduation supper with your husband" he explains ever so nicely.
"And you are not included in the family?" I ask tilting my head.
"Maira--" he exaggerates dramatically before continuing "Exclusively your husband, darling" he exclaims and I roll my eyes, trying to cover up the effect of his endearment.
He chuckles looking at my flushed face and leans in to open the food narrating how difficult it was to deal with my brother when both of them were setting up all of this in the afternoon. He continues to rant on how my brother's calculated gaze and slight glares slowed down the work.
As much as I'm surprised about my brother actually working with Adam. I'm happy that they're getting along well. We both finish eating the food and clean it up. Adam lies on the moist grass, a throw pillow under his head.
He nodes his head to his right side where another pillow is placed. I smile and lay down next to him as he scoots closer to me, bringing one of his hands beneath my shoulders and the other under his head.
He looks at me, clears his throat and then look back at the night sky "Is it normal to feel flutters in our stomach?" He asks suddenly, I look at him, confused.
"My stomach is going in an overdrive seeing you grin so widely" I bite my lip trying to stop myself for smiling any further.
"It's just that all of this feels surreal Adam, like I'm living all of my fantasies for real and I've got Allah and you to thank for it" I snuggle more into him as his arms wrap around me.
"You deserve the world, my love and I'm going to spend my life showing you that" I chuckle at his words, my thoughts running ahead of me.
"Isn't it unnerving for you to spend the entirety of your life with just one person- me in this case?" I ask, my heart beating wildly for a reason unknown.
"What scares me is that this entirety of my life would also not be enough for it"
I exhale audibly without properly responding to his words "What's wrong?" He asks caressing my shoulder.
"Everything doesn't always stay the same Adam?" I say in an unintentionally questionable tone.
He hums waiting for me to continue "It was not a really good feeling when my friends parted earlier today" I explain and he squeezes my shoulder reassuringly.
"Nothing can ever be constant in this temporary life besides Allah, sweetheart" he says with a heaviness engulfing his voice.
My throat clogs up as I speak again "Even the most treasured people of our lives" My words seep into both of our souls and none of us breaks the silence, just gazing at the stars and pondering over the unspoken words.
"It is the way everything works. Allah knows which are the people we would need at that time in our lives- he sends them and then according to that need we secede"
"I don't think that there would ever come a time in my life where I wouldn't be needing you Adam" I choke on my words as I look into his eyes.
He closes his eyes for a brief second before saying "But we are supposed to be ready to accept any changes in our life-both good and bad, to be ready to accept the loss of even your most treasured ones"
My heart tugs just at the thought of his words "And what do we do then Adam, when it actually happens?"
"We then turn and run back to the only constant in our lives, we turn towards Allah" he says in such an aching voice that I literally feel it travel to my bones.
And for the very first time I fear the thoughts of Adam which are running inside my head.
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Alhamdulillah!!💕
JazakAllahu Khairan Kaseera🤍
Don't forget to hit the star button below🔻🔻🔻
Assalamualaikum until next time inshaAllah💖
~~ Safiya❣️