"Never live trying to impress people. People will always find something negative in your action. Sometimes even with your smile."
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Ahmad's POV
It was a bright morning and I was sitting on my prayer mat after offering my ishrakh salah. I recalled my sins, the sins which were the part of my daily life until that day. If we forget a sin that doesn't mean Allah forgot that too, that doesn't mean he forgave you. The only thing we can do is to weep over that sin and ask for forgiveness and thank Allah to let us walk on the right path.
I hurried to pick up my things as soon as possible because first I had to drop Ayesha and then I'll be leaving for hospital. There was a knock on the door of my room.
"Come in." I was not in a shock would be an understatement. I checked the time twice and it was the first time that Ayesha was on time. Strange.
"Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatahu." She said while opening the door.
I greeted her back and she came towards me with a rose.
Woah is something special today?
"Has the sun risen from the opposite side today?" I said with a raised eyebrow.
"Why?" She asked with a confused look.
"Because you are on time today." I said with a smirk pointing my wrist watch with my finger.
"Bad joke." She said while lightly beating the rose against me with a smile.
"Ouch! You hurt the poor flower. By the way what is the occasion may I know?" I asked curiously because she looked happy. What was I missing?
"Happy birthday." She extended her hand, the one with the rose towards me.
Wait what? It's my birthday today? Oh my Allah It was my birthday today. How could I forget that? I rechecked the calendar on the nearby table and it was really my birthday today.
"How do you know that?" I asked in a huff.
"Why are you acting like you didn't know it was your birthday today?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and a confused look.
"Ayesha just tell me." I said in annoyance and her eyes were staring me with a disgusted look.
"By Facebook." She answered forwarding her mobile.
"Ohh no I forgot." Was all I said and opened my lappy to correct the things which were wrong.
"What's wrong Ahmad." Ayesha asked in a worried tone.
"Umm nothing much to worry, I'll tell you in a while." I said while focussing on the screen of my Facebook account.
I could see her nodding from the corner of my eyes. I quickly deactivated my account and closed my lappy with a sigh of relief.
"Shall we proceed? It's getting late." She said while gazing at her wrist watch.
"What was that about?" She said while we were making our way out of the house.
"I don't celebrate birthdays." I said plainly with a smile while opening the door of the passenger seat for her.
"Why?" Her eyes grew wider and I insisted her to sit while I ran to take the driver's seat.
"Because our islam doesn't teach us to celebrate that." I said while starting the engine and driving the car out of the main gate.
"Who told you that?" She asked in a disbelief.
"Did our prophet ever celebrate it or do you find any hadith claiming it?" I asked her and she was in a deep thought.
"I don't know." She said confusingly.
"Running away from the knowledge of islam won't make your sins rightful. No our prophet never ever did celebrated it and birthdays are an innovation in islam so it will be considered aa bid'ah. According to saheeh reports, the Prophet (PBUH) said: 'Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected' (reported by Muslim in his Saheeh); and 'The best of speech is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.' There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning. It is not even permitted to accept invitations to birthday celebrations, because this involves supporting and encouraging bid'ah. These birthdays were innovated by Jews and Christians. I forgot to hide my birth date and to deactivate my account. May be I'll be equally sinned when people will wish me. Many people don't know it and many don't want to know it." I explained her and she was still in a deep thought.
"What's the harm in just wishing? May be the other one feels hurt, then?" She asked while I was busy in taking a right turn.
"Okay tell me who is more important to you, Allah (swt) or that particular person? Will you hurt person to please Allah of will you hurt Allah to please that particular person? If that person is so important to you then explain them, I am sure if they love you they'll understand." I said and hoped Ayesha would understand it. I couldn't see her expression as I was focussed on driving.
"Yeah Allah is more important but you.." She uttered and I felt a rage building inside me. Why doesn't she understand? I didn't let her complete and cut her off by my lecture.
"But what Ayesha? You don't understand the simple thing. Okay see it this way how does celebrating a birthday makes sense? Have you ever seen anyone throwing a party before their exams begins? Or have you ever heard about a prisoner celebrating the day they entered their prison cell? Then what about the celebrations that mark the beginning of the test of this world? Our prophet (PBUH) said ' The world is the prison house for a believer and a paradise for a non believer.' Now you have to decide who you are. If you still want to run away from the truth then I am not responsible." I said in a displeasing tone and did even look at her. Why doesn't she want to face the truth? For a while she didn't utter a word and I turned to see her. She was smiling. Why is she smiling now?
"What?" I asked in annoyance.
"But you have taken the wrong turn and you have left my school long back. You didn't even let me complete my statement." She said and I stopped the car immediately.
What? I am going mad, this girl will make me insane.
I looked at her and we broke into fits of laughter.
"Why didn't you pointed it out earlier?" I asked her taking a pause from my laugh.
"I was trying to but you cut me off and you were acting like a young angry man. 'If you still want to run away from the truth then I am not responsible'" she said faking in my accent with a thick voice matching mine to which we both giggled.
I dropped her to school and went to away to hospital informing her I will pick her up from school.
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I was running late to pick Ayesha and my phone rang. I picked it up without checking the caller ID as I was aware it would be Ayesha.
"Sorry sorry I know I am late Ayesha. I'll be there in five minutes." I said my apology in a breath.
"So someone is head over heels in love with her wifey that he almost forgot me. Assalamu alaikum Bhaiya." A female voice came from the other side and I at once checked the caller ID. I face palmed my forehead. It was Shirana.
"Walaikum assalam. Sorry dear sister forgive me, I can never forget you. I was getting late to pick up your bhabhi and I thought it was her." I said while blushing.
"Aww someone is blushing and don't worry I'll forgive when I'll get a chocolate from you." She said with a joy.
Seriously? What is the relation between a girl and a chocolate?
"Okay done. So when is the arrival?" I asked her
"In sha Allah soon I'll be coming to Allahabad." She informed me.
"How are the things there now?" I asked worriedly and we talked a bit before ending the call.
I was a few minutes away from school and I saw a girl giving some money to the poor children. Wait. This was not any other girl but Ayesha. Instead of stopping the car at her I stopped the car at a grocery store and bought a chocolate plus ice cream, to cool her because girls are too moody. Who knows she'll burst on me? I stopped the car on the path where she was walking and pressed the horn but she didn't turn back to even look at me. Argh these girls and their moods. I drove my car slowly next to her and horned at her, she gazed at me and didn't respond. The next time I horned with a chocolate in my hand, she saw me and stuck her tongue out. I again horned and showed her the cornetto and she jumped in excitement. So girls need bribe. Hmm.
"Why are you late." She said in annoyance with a mouth full of ice cream.
"Sorry I couldn't make it, you know I am a doctor and it was an emergency." I said while licking my ice cream.
She didn't even bother to respond because she was indulged in her ice cream. I drove the car to my in laws house because they had called us for lunch. To be honest I love to visit her house because it gives me a feeling like a real home, a lovable family which I don't have. We had a meal together and left after the asr salah.
"I was thinking that you were right, we shouldn't celebrate birthdays. Many people told me not to celebrate but they did not explain it to such an extent." She said while using her mobile while I was driving.
"Alhamdulillah." I uttered
"When is your sister shirana coming by the way?" She asked still indulged in her mobile. Strange. She asked about shirana for the first time. I thought she doesn't even know her name.
"Soon in sha Allah. I don't know exactly." I informed her and we travelled rest of the way silently.
I went to my room to change in my comfy clothes and saw the rose kept on the side table. A smile crept at the corner of my lips when I recalled today's incidence. I picked up the rose delicately while gazing at the beautiful creation of Allah. Subhan Allah I uttered. Ayesha was just like a rose. If you try to catch the rose tightly it'll prick you with it's thorns and you'll hate it, but if you catch it delicately you'll know the true beauty of rose. Similarly if I will try to catch Ayesha tightly she'll feel oppressed and will in turn be rude but when I'll explain her calmly as a friend she'll definitely understand it.
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Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatahu everyone. Don't be mad at me for the late update. I was in my village for a week and then I was ill.
And tell me one thing please, do I give too much lecture? Everyone in my home is like you give too much lectures and my sister is like now you have started your lecture on wattpad. Lol :p
Stay awesome_stay tuned.