Surah Al-Inshirah, Verse 6
"Verily, with every hardship comes ease"
Surah Al-Furqan, Verse 54:
"And He it is Who has created man from the water, then He has made for him blood relationship and marriage relationship, and your Lord is powerful."
The Prophet Muhammad SAW was reported to have said that "All mankind essentially is the same/equal like the spokes of a comb: the Arabs are not superior to the 'Ajam (non-Arab people) Any superiority among them is only due to their piety."
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Batuul
I stopped and adjusted my hijab for the once again as the wind blew in my direction and the hijab glued to my body. I later just resorted to putting my hands in the hijab and pushing them forward. Busty girl problem.
After finally allowing Ya Sameer to come see me, and Khalil grudgingly coming to tell me as always, I had debated on what to wear, I finally settled on wearing a knee length hijab, like come on, it's just Ya Sameer after all, Maryam's Ya Sameer, our Ya Sameer. My mind was still yet to settle in fully to his proposal.
My mind flickered back to when Yaya hesitatingly approached me with the issue to my utmost surprise. Yes, it came as a shock.
He had called me out that faithful evening after coming in to greet Umma, I on my part was already avoiding him that day, and as he requested to have a word with me, wearing a business like look, I was scared that he was going to shout at me, or stop me from coming to his chamber as I bumped into them that morning having some intimate time together. But after much deliberation, what he finally said shocked me.
"Ehm... You must be wondering what is so important for me to call you out here right? Actually, it's kind of important, okay let me say it this way. Ya Allah... This is more difficult than I thought it to be. Batuul I'm so sorry for whatever I made you go through, it wasn't my intention to hurt you I promise"
"Seriously Yaya is this what these is all about, I thought we have gone over that already, and I told you I bear no grudge against you and your wife, why the sudden apology all over again?" I asked cringing my brows, arms akimbo
"That's not it Batuul, just that...."He heaved "Someone approached me with a proposal..." I rolled my eyes at this, it wasn't news anymore, the more I sent them away, the more they came. Why was he making a big deal out of yet another proposal was what I didn't understand.
"Who is it this time?" I asked in a bored tone "A king or a Prince?"
"None of the above dear sister, he is neither a king nor a Prince, he is not a noble"
"Not a noble? Who has finally had the courage to breach that gap?" I stifled a laugh
"I will understand if you are not okay with it, just don't be upset please"
"I won't be Yaya, just tell me"
He heaved and looked away "It's Sameer"
What!!! Did I just hear him right? I stood there mouth agape, looking at him in utter shock, my knees were weak, I lost my voice. When I finally got over the shock I asked him again just to be sure
"You mean the Ya Sameer we all know?" he nodded in reply. I regarded him for a very long time, before I gave him my reply "Give me some time to think about it, and while I do, please don't tell anyone about it, not even Abba" and that said I turned and left him standing there. I didn't go back to Umma's chamber though, I moved straight to mine, I needed to think.
I adjusted my hijab once again and continued walking, I wish Maryam was here, but I had to face it myself, and if there was one thing that has changed in me over the months, it was that I have grown up.
It was this same sudden growth that helped me act maturely when Yaya broke the news to me, the former me would have shouted or made a big fuss out of everything, but the new me was calm, and I liked the new me.
The past week has been a though one I must admit. At first I wanted to tell Maryam, but then again, she was his sister and I wouldn't want to put her in a difficult situation, besides the Maryam I know will make fun of me and render my life miserable.
I was so shocked and baffled, why me of all people, why does he want to marry me, was it out of pity, did Yaya send him to marry me? I was hurt by the mere thought of that, the truth might hurt more.
I prayed, I prayed hard to Allah and performed istihara prayer too, I asked for Allah's guardianship. I cracked my brain for the possible reason why he will want to marry me but I got non, I got no reason why Maryam's strict, and very serious elder brother will seek for my hand, rather than maybe
Yaya send him of course.
I couldn't hold it in alone anymore so I later told Umma who was equally surprised as she said
"Since you said you have prayed about it, just wait and see what Allah will do, he might even be khair for you. I will pray for you too dada am my mother. As for your unanswered questions, give him a chance to come so you ask him all you're curious about, then you decide what you do from there. We were serious when we said we will give you the chance to choose your husband so far he's responsible and he meets our specifications. Sameer is responsible and he's from a decent family we all know that, maybe he's the one who knows." she ended by teasing me to which I laughed.
"Umma do you realize that it's Ya Sameer we're talking about?"
My heartbeat increased now as he came into view, he was wearing a sky blue kaftan with a matching cap, he sat at the exact spot where Yaya sat the first day we had our official zance, fruits and the likes piled up in front of him, just like the first time. A feeling of Deja Vu hit me.
"Wa'alaykis salaam Nana Fatima" he answered calmly. I wasn't even sure I did any sallama when I reached there, in fact I didn't know when I sat, I was deep in thought.
We sat in silence before he finally spoke "How are you?"
"I'm fine Alhamdulillah"
"That's good, Masha Allah" we fell into silence again before I suddenly blurted
"Why do you want to marry me...tell me, do you pity me that much... Did Yaya send you to come and marry me? My voice was shaking as I said these
"Subhanallah, whatever made you think that way? Of course not, non of what you asked me is true, Sultan didn't even know until last week"
"Then why... why?"
He stared at me for a long time as I equally stared back right into his eyes
"Because I love you"
Love! The four letter word that has the power of changing ones life entirely, sometimes for the better, while other times for the worse. But I wasn't falling for the power of that one word, or was I
"How why when did it all start, might be pity you know" I asked all in one breath
He shook his head repeatedly "I love you, always have, always will. My feelings towards you are real and sincere Nana Fatima, I have loved you since childhood, since you didn't even know what life was all about, my secret wish has always been to marry you.
I always had a soft spot for you in my heart, always, and then we went to Madina. When we came back years later, you were all grown up by then, the feelings didn't reduce one bit, rather, the fire was ignited the more and I just knew that I had to make you my wife.
But then there were problems, I wasn't royalty, which was top of the list, I didn't know if you were ready to settle down just yet, but again, another thing I feared was your rejection. Then the biggest obstacle came along, you and Sultan were arranged to be married. Of course he was in love with another as at then, of course he didn't want the wedding between you both to hold but I must say I was more perturbed than he was as at then, and I must admit I was a bit selfish, okay maybe a lot selfish, because instead of me to pray for the best to happen to you both, whether it's the marriage or not, I spent my Ramadan praying to Allah to make the wedding not hold.
But they said love is selfish isn't it?
I must confess I was elated when it got cancelled at last, but then I was having some hesitation and doubts about you accepting, until Sameera advised me to give it a try.
Please Fatima, you are the woman I want to marry, I know I'm not from a royal lineage, I know I'm not wealthy, I know I'm not up to your standards as a princess, I know I'm not up to your kafa'ah equivalent, comparability between the bride and groom in terms of religion, education, social status, profession, lineage/ancestry...but please give me a chance. I will make you the happiest woman on planet earth, in my own way. I will try my possible best to make sure of that.
I love you Fatima, I adore you, please marry me, please say yes." he pleaded, almost getting on his knees.
I was sobbing silently by now, I was overwhelmed, speechless even. He said he had loved me since childhood, he confessed his love to me, he sounded so real and sincere. Of course he had no reason to lie to me, he dared not to lie to me to begin with, because the consequences no one will tell him of because he knows.
I looked up at him and met his eyes on me, his eyes were pleading. There was also a bottled up emotion in his eyes that I couldn't read, could it be the love people talked about? If it was, then I feel like the luckiest woman on planet earth as he said. I smiled in between my tears. Now the thing is, I know I'm surrounded by my loved ones, my parents loved me, Khalil did too, Yaya also loved me... as a sister, and every other person around me loved me too, or well maybe some pretended to.
But this emotions I saw in his eyes, if it was love, was alien, it was warm, it was welcoming, it was... home.
I had a weird feeling in my stomach, I tingling sensation, and as if remembering something, I burst into tears once again "Please don't cry, it's not my intention to make you cry, it really hurts to see you so" he pleaded further
"Ya Sameer I cannot cook, I will not make a good wife for you"
"It is a man's duty to provide his wife with already cooked food. Our wives are to be loved, not to be our maids, if you learn how to cook later in the future, it will be an added bonus to me, but for now don't bother yourself, because I know you're from a noble background, and I must respect that. It's my duty not yours" this prompted me to cry more. I didn't know people like this existed
"If I marry you, will you let me come along with my maids to your house" I pouted while he smiled and shook his head to which my heart skipped
"No, I won't let you come along with your maids, I will get new ones for you."
"Do your parents know of this?"
"Of course they do, and they gave me their blessings."
I cracked my brain looking for more excuses "Can't you see I'm fat?" as to that, he laughed, he laughed for a very long time and I wondered what was amusing
"What does you being fat got to do with this? All I know, all I believe, all my heart tells me, all my eyes see is a beautiful woman, a very elegant, charming, pretty woman, whose beauty supersedes that of all her peers, whose charisma cannot be compared with any other, who stole my heart.
That woman is non but you, and you wouldn't have been any better if you were anyway rather than the way you are, you are a complete package in it's self. I've got eyes Fatima, and I know right what my heart wants, my eyes aren't telling me no lie either, I have seen you, and I love the whole of you"
I covered my face with my palms as I thanked Allah a thousand times for being dark because melanin saved me from him seeing the amount of blush works going on on my cheeks.
"I have heard all that you said" I spoke through my palms, I was too embarrassed to look at him "You can meet Abba and tell him, but this doesn't mean I will marry you tomorrow, and it doesn't mean I have said yes either. Just making you seeing me legal. Okay bye" I stood up and started half walking half running into the house, not bordering to reply to his multiple showing of appreciation.
Immediately I was out of his sight, I started twirling and skipping, I didn't know what exactly was wrong with me, I was just happy, yes very happy. He even called me Nana Fatima. I started humming a song as I twirled around, the servants passing by gave me weird looks, but I didn't care do I?
Suddenly Umma's words popped up in my head "marry the one who loves you, not the one you love..."
Could this be it? Well I guess it's time to put her advice into action.
So what if he's not royalty, so far he will adore and cherish me, then I was totally in. And can I remind myself of a certain princess who always wanted something away from royalty, who always wanted freedom? That princess is non but me. Could this be Allah's way of answering my prayers, could Ya Sameer be a blessing to me in disguise?
Indeed, with every hardship comes ease....
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Good morning people, please forgive me for this chapter fa, I was half sleeping while typing it.
So what do you think about it? Do you think Sameer is good enough for Batuul, do you think he deserves her?
Can you hear wedding bells or nay?
Don't forget to vote, comment and share 😘
Zaftig 😍