"The shortest distance between a problem and it's solution is the distance between is your knees and the floor."
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Ahmad's POV
I was on my way to Hana's home as it was too late and Ayesha didn't even bother to inform me the timing to pick her up. I was about to call Ayesha and soon realised that I forgot my cell phone on Hammad's house. How can I forget that he snatched my mobile from my hand because o was going to inform Hana about his blush. I smirked while thinking about them. I quickly went back to his house and rang the doorbell. We greeted each other again.
"Hey why has your face turned into a tomato?" I asked him because he looked different.
"Here is your mobile." He said ignoring my words.
"What happened?" I asked again.
"As if you don't know." He said with a raised eyebrow.
"Woah I really don't know, what is it?" I asked curiously and he narrated me the incident.
"Hahahaha You called her sister." I said and we broke into fits of laughter.
Later I went to Hana's home for dinner and had delicious biryani. To meet Hana's family was really honourable and the best part was Rida. She was really sweet and was every time like 'jiju you totally changed Ayesha Appi' and I laughed at her remark because this was the starting and the real change was yet to come. Before leaving their house I gave them a vote of thanks and we left for our house.
After reaching home we departed to our rooms. Before sleeping I had to read Quran so I settled on my bed and read Surah Sajda. While I was going through Surah Mulk Ayesha peeked from behind the door and I signalled her to come in.
"What are you reading?" She inquired while sitting beside and me tugging her legs under the blanket because it was pretty cold today.
"Nothing just finished reading Surah Mulk." I said after finishing the Surah.
There was a pause while I was busy in keeping the Quran on the shelf.
"So." I said.
"So what?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Today was really fun while teasing our best friends. Isn't it?" I asked as their was nothing to talk.
"Yeah I enjoyed a lot." She said with the brightest smile.
There was again silence for a few minutes and suddenly I remembered something I wanted to ask her from a very long time.
"You really loved your grandfather. Isn't it?" I asked her.
"How do you know that?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
Oops.
"Today you told about him while we were reading Surah Al Kahf." I said crossing my fingers.
"I never told that I loved him a lot." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Come on I could see that in your eyes." I said making an excuse.
"Ohh really? My eyes are that readable?" She said.
Thanks to Allah I am saved from her never ending questions.
"Yeah I can read your eyes." I said with a wink and she blushed.
Wait did she just blush?
"Well yeah I loved my grandfather more than anyone. I was close to him even more than my parents. From my childhood till the day he was alive I was only dependent on him. He always use to guide me towards islam and I always use to go masjid with him and we always read Quran together. He was the one who boosted me in the way of Islam. Everything was going well and one day my whole life came crashing down. I was in college and when I came home I saw my house over crowded with people. Everyone was there and I ran towards his room where people were mostly crowded and saw him on his death bed. It was so sudden I couldn't accept the truth, I couldn't accept that he was gone, he was gone so far that I wouldn't meet him anymore, he was gone so far that he will never come back. I was devastated for a week, neither did I spoke to anyone nor did I eat during that week. He had a heart attack and that just one attack took my whole world from me. Abbu has a heart problem and Ahmad I am afraid, I am afraid that I'll loose him too suddenly like I lost Dada. Ahmad please tell me he won't lea..ve m..mee.." Ayesha said and her voice just broke in between. She was sobbing badly with her deepest pain. I know how close she was with her grandfather.
"Hey just calm down. I know how difficult that situation is. Allah will test you in many ways, and indeed it was the test from Allah (SWT). Remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Everyone will have to leave this world, if not today then some other day. Believe me I have been through that situation but why did you change regarding islam?" I asked her while patting her on the back and she wiped her tears before answering me.
"Yes I was namazi, I was a hijabi before; but my grandfather's death changed me drastically against Islam. I was left alone while offering salah, while reading Quran. There was no one who would fill up the space of my Dada. Ahmish bhai shifted to other city for further studied and Abdullah was small. Dada's room, Dada's dining chair, Dada's cup, Dada's death bed, Dada's Quran, Dada's praying mat, the garden we use to play, the place we use to sit and chat, infact every corner of the house was biting me like anything. I couldn't survive there so I decided to leave the house and go hostel for further studies. Slowly and gradually I started missing my salah and reading Quran and when I shifted to the hostel I left everything even wearing hijab. I indulged my life in such a manner that I forgot what happened to me in the past." She said still in a sad tone.
"Woah Ayesha do you even realise that it was a test from Allah (SWT) and what if you failed? You know right that verse of the Quran which says 'And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return."Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.' [Al Bakrah]. A moment of hardship is an opportunity to earn higher ranks, it is an opportunity to be patient and earn Allah's mercy and blessing and Allah's regard for you. The more the suffering and your patience, the more the blessing.
And it is narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah : - The Prophet (PBUH) said: 'The greater reward is with the greater trial or the greater the trial or difficulty of test or hardship is then the greater the reward. And when Allah loves a person He will test them. The people as long as they are in good health, good shape, good condition they are covered. You don't know their true character because they are in good situation, they are in good circumstance. As long as they are in a good circumstances they are covered. But if a trial or difficulty or a hardship comes upon them, then you will see their reality. They will go to their reality. The Mu'min will run to his Imaan, the hypocrite will run to his hypocrisy.' A hardship and suffering is a blessing in disguise. It is a moment of test, a test that once you pass with patience, it will grant you rewards more than you can imagine. Once overcome that period of test will then just remain a memory of the past. We are Muslims, believer's of Allah, then why weep at difficult times? No hardship is without purpose, no suffering is without reward. The world will run as Allah wills it to, there is no point in worrying about what comes as difficult. We only need to believe and turn to HIM, Believe and have faith, Believe and earn rewards and the Love of Allah." I told and turned to see her because she did not even utter a word while I was speaking. She was deeply listening while laying on the bed. Guess she was tired.
"Hmm I have missed so much. Now I will start praying after a while, I still have time to repent." She said in a bored tone.
Was my lecture so boring?
"No matter how many prayers you have missed, don't miss the next one. Ya Allah the worst thing about your change was your missed salah. The salah is among the five pillars of islam and it makes you a muslim. The difference between a believer and a non believer is salah. Do you even realise how important the salah is? Salah is the first thing you will be questioned about on the day of judgement, so never ever let it be the last thing on your mind. You will be questioned for even that one salah you left when you were busy attending some ceremony. The shaitan always whispers that we have much time on this earth left but who knows the qadr of Allah (SWT). You know once there was a last stage cancer patient in my hospital. The doctor informed his parents that the cancer patients had only few hours left to live. The doctor went for further checkups and to our utter shock while he was going for further checkups his leg slipped and he came crashing down the staircase and while taking his last breath. On the other side the patient, for whom the doctor claimed will be living for few hours, Masha Allah lived for few months more. The doctor even didn't know about his span of life then how can we predict? Think twice when shaitan says you have more time in this temporary world. I know there are days when you don't feel like praying. When your soul feels dark and your heart feels down. Those are the days you need to pray. Those are the days when you need it most. And if you find the strength to bow before your lord on those days, you have defeated a big part of your nafs and taken a huge step towards Allah. Lead your heart to prayer and one day your heart will lead you to prayer. You know when our phone battery drops and we panic and we run towards the charger, similarly our souls are empty and begged to be recharged, yet we mindfully forget our salah. So what do you say Ayesha? Will you start..." I turned towards Ayesha and saw her slumbered into deep sleep.
Woah indeed my lecture was that boring.
I removed her hairs that were occupying her forehead and saw her sweating. She was sweating in such a shivering cold whether? I wiped her sweat and checked the time which was around twelve O' clock. Without disturbing her I tip toed out of the room switching off the lights. I went to her room which was once mine and dozed off to sleep wondering weather she would take my words into consideration or not.