"AUTHOR'S POV"
"Fatima!!...Fatima!!" Noor-ul-ain entered the living room, looking for Fatima but instead she sees Romaisa drawing while sitting on the floor.
"She isn't home yet! Maa! .. " Rumi replies.
She looks outside the window, "not yet? Allah khair! The rain has already stopped, why has she not returned back yet? "
"Why are you worrying, my Noor! She'll come back soon, don't worry yourself". Mr. Yaqoob comes out of his bedroom while reading newspapers.
" why not worrying yaqoob! We don't even know this country well. What if she lost... "
"She won't.. " Mr. Yaqoob cuts her while saying, " there are 70,000 angels protecting my Fatima, then why should I worry? "
Noor-ul-ain sighs, Rumi looks up in curiosity, "you mean she recited Ayat-ul-kursi?..Before leaving? "
Mr. Yaqoob smiles, "exactly Rumi! And when a person recites ayat-ul-kursi before leaving his house, Allah SWT orders 70,000 angels to protect that person. Stronger than any guard in this world. And I trust my Fatima."
Rumi smiles, Noor interrupts, " if you really trust your daughter this much then why didn't you send her all alone here. Why we all had to move to this country where we had nothing ours".
Mr. Yaqoob's smile fades and he sits on the chair, "I trust my Fatima but not this world. I can't let her leave at the mercy of this cruel world. she made me proud this much that it became my responsibility to fulfil her dreams"
Miss Noor smiles and holds her husband's hand. Mr. Yaqoob also smiles, looking at her.
"Assalam O alaikum! " the voice echoes.
Everyone smiles, Rumi gets up from the floor in excitement, leaving her drawing in mids.
Mr yaqoob looked at Noor, "look your daughter has come! "
Fatima steps in, Rumi excitedly hugs her. She's just 8 years old, fully enthusiastic kiddo. Fatima bends a little to hug her back.
Fatima:"cmon Rumi! I've been out just for 3 hours, and you already missed me this much? "
Rumi breaks the hug, "obviously unnie! You're my only friend here, how wouldn't I miss you" her little innocent eyes twinkle.
Fatima chuckles at her cuteness, she takes out a chocolate for Rumi, "here it's for you! "
Rumi's eyes and smile brighten. "Thank you unnie you're the best" Fatima smiles and looks up at her parents who are already looking at both of them with a smile.
Indeed there's nothing better than seeing your children together in a happy and strong bond.
Fatima steps forward to her mom dad. as Rumi gets busy in eating her chocolate, "assalam O alaikum baba! Assalam O alaikum maa g! "
They both reply with a smile, "walikum Salam" Mr. Yaqoob nods Fatima to sit with him on the next chair, "Noor! Please bring water for our Fatima! She looks tired. "
Miss Noor nods and goes to the kitchen, Fatima sits at the dinning table next to Mr. Yaqoob. Mr yaqoob caresses her head covered with hijab.
He asks, " so all your documents have been submitted? Beta! "
Fatima nods her head, "yes baba! All documents have been submitted. I'll be starting my university this Monday. "
"Masha'Allah masha'Allah" Mr. Yaqoob smiles.
Noor comes with a glass of water and gives it to Fatima. As Fatima takes a sip. Miss. Noor asks: "it was raining heavily. Where did you stay? "
"In a convenient store. Until the rain stopped." She takes the last sip in, "Here convenient stores are cheaper than our supermarkets in Pakistan. "
Mr. Yaqoob nods, "yeah. I went to the bank yesterday to charge the money in Korean won and I got to know that our currency is a little stronger than KRW"
Miss Noor sighs and sits at the dining table as well. She expresses her worries, "Yaqoob! We've left our business and everything in Pakistan to come here. Now have you decided how we are gonna survive here? "
Mr. Yaqoob thinks. Fatima gulps her saliva down, "baba! Don't worry I'll find some part time jobs. Until you start something! "
"You don't have to worry about provision, beta!.. " Mr. Yaqoob smiles. "Allah is Al-Razzaq, when he never lets any minimal creature sleep on an empty stomach. Then won't he know about our situation. Mmm? "
Fatima nods with a calming smile.
"I'll do something. You just focus on your studies and the rest is my worry not yours. Okay? "
Fatima holds his hand and kisses the knuckles, " thank you baba! I'm feeling so blessed to have a strong back up like you, baba! "
"When my daughter can make me proud by winning this scholarship out of thousands of other students. So why can't I make efforts to fulfil my world's dreams" Mr. Yaqoob says, caressing her cheeks.
She smiles, Rumi who was drawing all this time, gets up with her drawing. "Attention please... You all have to clap for my wonderful drawing. "
Three of them look at her.
She shows them her drawing. Four people in her" look this is baba, then me, this unnie and maa g, four of us"
Everyone smiles at her drawing and claps for her in appreciation.
Mr. Yaqoob: "Rumi is really talented in arts, right? " Miss Noor nods her head.
"But Rumi why are these people so yellow in color? " Fatima asks.
Before Rumi can reply, miss Noor says, " it's because they don't drink milk like Rumi? " . Both Fatima and her father chuckle in amusement.
"No", Rumi makes an angry but cute pout, " it's not like that. They are the Simpsons. My favorite cartoons. And they are always yellow in color maa g! "
Mr. Yaqoob smiles, "well-done my child. This drawing is so good. You definitely deserve an award. Come. " Mr. Yaqoob gives her 2000 wons as an award. She jumps in excitement.
Fatima smiles looking at everyone happy.
........
At night.
When Fatima is done with her Isha prayer, she sits on her bed, she turns her head to see rumi sleeping peacefully in her bed. She gets up, turns off the lamp and gets out of the room. She gets in the yard and sits on the stair there, staring at the sky, looking at the moon.
"Fatima? " she snaps out of her imagination when she hears her father's voice.
"Yes baba? "
"What are you doing here, beta?! " Mr. Yaqoob comes and sits beside her.
"Nothing baba, I don't feel like sleeping so I am out here"
"I see. I also came to drink water in the kitchen but see you here got me worried." He chuckles.
She smiles.
"Are you excited for joining your new university here? "
She nods.
Mr. Yaqoob takes a deep breath and looks at the sky.
"Is there anything bothering you, baba? " Fatima asks in curiosity.
"It's obvious, my child! , we have left everything to come here. It's been a week since we were here in Korea, but still I didn't get any warmth from here. Life here is so busy, unlike our Pakistan. Where all people are connected, either in relations or neighbors". He smiles sadly remembering those moments.
Fatima smiles too as she knows that they used to live in a joint family with her uncle's family. Now they are here all alone so her father is just missing those moments. It is true that Mr. Yaqoob left his big house where he lived with his brother and sold his property, just because Fatima got a scholarship from a Korean university after college. So they shift from personal house to here, in rent house just for her studies.
" baba! I'm sorry.. " Fatima says in a vivid tone.
"Sorry for what my child? " Mr. Yaqoob snaps back from his thoughts.
"For me, you've to leave everything"
"Who said that, beta! " Mr yaqoob caresses her hair, "Allah brought us here, he's the one who writes fates and in our fate it was written to be here"
Fatima looks at him in curiosity, "baba! Is everything already written in fates then why do we pray? "
He smiles, " yes everything is already written but there's only one thing that can change fates, it's Dua prayer. Allah SWT is this merciful, that even a person who stays all his life in the darkness of his sins, but when he lifts his hands and ask for forgiveness, Allah forgives him without questioning. Same as well, when we desire something, we make Dua and Allah listen to us. Allah doesn't get tired of listening to us, instead he smiles and gives his servants what they wish for. And you know, in the Quran what Allah says? "
Fatima is so merged in listening.
Mr Yaqoob continues, " Allah SWT says,
یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا اسْتَعِیْنُوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَ الصَّلٰوةِؕ-اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِیْنَ(153)
'And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah ].'
It means Allah has already told us two ways to change the fate, one is prayer and the other is patience. Everything has to be done at its proper time, beta! We just have to keep our tawakal faith in the process. Some people simply get impatient after making prayer and they think Allah isn't listening to them. But this is wrong. And indeed Allah is with the ones who work with patience "
She smiles after listening to it.
"This world is a test for believers, my child! The lights which we see attractive are nothing but a distraction from right way, to make Allah angry"
"Baba! How do we get to know that Allah is angry with us? " she asks.
"When Allah gets angry, neither he stops feeding us nor he takes anything away from our lives but Tawfiq of Sajdah." He looks at the sky, "at that time, we just get so lost in this world that we forget to pray. And this is a sign that shows that Allah is angry. "
Fatima looks down.
"That's why, you should recite surah fatiha frequently. Because when you pray,
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ٦
[Oh Allah!] Guide us along the Straight Path,'
It'd be difficult for Satan to misguide you. "
She smiles, "baba! I'll make a habit of reciting this surah"
"Masha'Allah.. My princess! May Allah always be happy with you and make you successful in both worlds.. Remember one thing Fatima! Evilness is mostly attractive but there's no peace there. Peace is in the name and remembrance of Allah. Never get too lost in this world that you loss your rabb. There's nothing more lose than this"
Fatima feels like goosebumps, she smiles, "thanks baba! I'll try my best to keep in balance. And try to make Allah happy with me."
Mr yaqoob caress her cheeks, "Insha'allah insha'allah. May Allah bless you"
"Ameen! "
"Now go to your room and sleep. It's late now. Sleep now or else you may skip your Fajr. Then you have to offer qada prayer in order to keep your bond strong with Allah" he chuckles.
She chuckles as well, "Allah is the forgiver, I know he'll forgive me for my mistakes"
"Indeed but doesn't mean that you commit sin intentionally. Mmm? "
"Ok ok I was just kidding. " she chuckles.
Mr. Yaqoob kisses her forehead, "now go. Good night"
"Good night baba! " she says with a smile and gets back to her room.
While mr yaqoob looks at the sky and makes a prayer, " ya Allah! Forgive us for our sins. " he then gets up and comes back to his room.
The next day, Sunday, the whole day passed in unboxing and adjusting little things. Fatima was busy with her mom. While Rumi and her dad went grocery shopping. The day went well...
"It was your first day at university but you're late. "
"Huh? " running towards the classroom, slips from the stairs and falls..
"Get up Fatima!! GET UP"
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
(Remembrance of Allah is the cause of peace of hearts۔ )
.................
💌
To all readers!
Don't forget to vote y'all and please follow me as well, till the next part, Allah Hafiz.
Your Nabi 🦋