Our life is nothing more than a love story between you and God.Every person, every experience, every gift, every loss, every pain is sent on your path for one reason and one reason only.To bring you back to him - Yasmin Mogahed.

Sanam's POV

Last few weeks were quite hectic for me.Second year of medical school was coming to an end and it was the day of my exam.Mom was not home either as she had to visit a sick relative in Oman.Being the eldest daughter I had to take up the responsibility of looking after my siblings.I feel there more cons than pros for being the oldest kid.

One thing I have learnt these days is you can never work as much as your mom does.I mean she works for six hours in the university and at home she takes care of all our needs.She heeds to our every lazy desires and make sures we eat, pray and sleep on time.During this period,I was overburdened with studies and just supervising the maid was sapping my energy.Mom left only after we convinced her that we were capable of taking care of ourselves now that we were not kids anymore.I never imagined that teenagers would be tougher than kids.From waking up Shaila and Urwa to serving a careless Mikael I was literally exhausted.I wish I had a fast forward button to my life that moment.

Quote from the Holy Qur'an: Ar-Ra'd (13:11)

لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ وَالٍ

Lahu muAAaqqibatun min bayni yadayhi wamin khalfihi yahfathoonahu min amri Allahi inna Allaha la yughayyiru ma biqawmin hatta yughayyiroo ma bianfusihim waitha arada Allahu biqawmin sooan fala maradda lahu wama lahum min doonihi min walin

For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Allah does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts. But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.

Meanwhile a disturbing incident occured.Maayer met with an accident and had to be hospitalized.I was very scared for him.He underwent an orthopaedic surgery at such a minor age.It was heartbreaking.A child deprived of his parents didn't deserve it.I visited him every day after his surgery.I even pleaded to Allah that if He recovers swiftly I would fast to thank him for His immense favour upon us.Maayer was so naive that he thought he could walk the next day of his surgery.When reality dawned on him he lost hope.I tried cheering him everyday by telling inspirational stories from Quran and hadeeth from other islamic books.He was hospitalized for a fortnight almost.Last week he was discharged and I along with the aid of caretaker,took turns to teach him to walk using crutches.He was hopeful of walking normally very soon.

This incidence brought to light the attachment I had with every single kid in the orphanage.It made me ponder over the fact that no matter how much I change, even when I find my own place in this world, no matter where this crazy world lands me this kids will always remain close to my heart.The moments spent with them were seemingly ordinary, revived me from my frenetic life but they will be etched in my memory forever.

Through Mrs.Warda I got to know that Shiraz visited Maayer regularly too.I realized I was wrong in pushing all the blame on him.Apparently what happened was in part due to his carelessness.Nevertheless its true that nothing is under our control and everything in this world and the heavens happens according to Allah's will.My impulsive contention must have hurt him.I neither tried to talk to him nor did I meet him anytime later.My term holidays prevented any other chance meetings in the university too.

I realized something all this time.That our eyes and ears are conditioned to first search for dissonance, we are so habituated to this negative, unhealthy way of perceiving our world.Making ourselves to pause, reflect enables us to present in any moment fully, engulfing the truth in it.Tuning in to the disturbing thoughts we automatically tune out of the small and precious delights.

I was relieved the moment I completed my second year of medical education.Four theory papers and four practical exams were over a span of twenty days.This was the longest year of my medical education lasting over a span of eighteen months.Alhamdulillah I did quite well and my results were expected to be around a few weeks later.I was excited that my third year would start soon.

Recently I received a call from Mrs.Warda that Maayer was trying to walk without the support of crutches.I was elated to no extent.Yesterday I observed a fast to thank God for making everything alright.

Today was the last day of my vacation.Mom was going to return as well.Her aunt in Muscat was operated for gall stones and she was not doing well postoperatively.Mom hadn't met her for the past twenty years as she was busy tending to her children.She was my mother's only aunt and the last time she met her was on her wedding day.Mom's cousin had called to inform her of the critical situation.She needed to meet her remaining family.And so she left as soon as she heard of it.

I was going to pick her up from the airport this morning.

"Sanam, please!I wanna come along to pick mom today," Urwa whined pouting cutely.

"You have got school to attend my dear sister.Perchance mom's flight gets delayed even for a few minutes, you will miss your school and mom won't like it either,"I replied waggling my brows.Urwa nodded negatively and scowled, with a pout plastered on her childish face.Our pampering had spoilt her a lot.

"Fine! You can come along provided you go back to school after recess," I stated.She didn't let me speak further as she crushed me into a bear hug.

"You are the best sister any one can get, " Urwa chanted kissing my cheeks.

"Ewww! Dont give me sloppy kisses, " I whined wiping away her drool from my cheeks.

Shaila had early morning tuitions for physics so she left after fajr salah.Mikael chaperoned her to the institute where she was taking extra classes.I had to prepare the breakfast today morning.After lot of contemplation on wierd breakfast concoctions I decided to eat cereal with milk and fresh fruit.

"Iam waiting for you at the breakfast table Urwa, hurry up!"

"Sanam please help me tie my hair.How do I wrap this hijab? " Urwa came with her tangled hair and a hijab in one hand.Mom had spoilt her by doing her hair every day and Shaila helped her with the hijab as she started wearing it a few months back.Sometimes I don't understand teenagers of present gen.Its not like I  was born in any ancient era but I learnt how to do my hair when I was hardly eleven.Mom didn't teach me the hijab wrapping thing too.My zeal and enthusiasm did the job for me.If I scold my sisters for this they start calling me oldie or some goofy stuff.After doing her hair job and our breakfast meal we headed to the airport.

Monsoon was on its peak these days.The moment we started from home, it began to drizzle and as we neared our destination, it ultimately turned into a heavy downpour.Had I been at home I would have danced my heart out, getting drenched with the cool mercy of our creator.On our way we were listening to the Quran audio when like a miracle, the beautiful aayat of surah kahf played.

Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 45:

وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا

And set forth to them parable of the life of this world: like water which We send down from the cloud so the herbage of the earth becomes tangled on account of it, then it becomes dry broken into pieces which the winds scatter; and Allah is the holder of power over all things.

When I was a kid mom used to teach us rhymes about the rain.She would tell us that whenever Allah is happy, he sends down rain which help flowers blossom, trees glow and the land becomes alive. Immersing in the chilly rain drops,I experience a sense of beneficial stillness and peace.Because they propel me to connect with enhanced perception to those wider dimensions of beauty and awesomeness of Allah's creation and my place within it.

It took about half an hour for us to reach the airport.Traffic was not much an issue as it was seven in the morning and heavy rain curbs many people from travelling.Parking takes about ten to fifteen minutes as you have got a humongous place to park but I chose the one seemilngly nearest to the arrivals.Sometimes I really hate huge airports.Many business folks miss their flights by a minute or two and the enormous distance required to reach the boarding gate does play a key role in this.

"Sis ! Can we have some cappuccino? My tummy is craving coffee and I guess it would help us stay warm," Urwa chirped as we were passing by the coffee shop near the arrivals.

"Okay my little sister! Take this bills, you can have whatever you want.I will just go check if mom's flight had arrived." I took a deep breath and proceeded towards the arrivals stand.The electronic board displayed that the flight landed half an hour ago.Passengers started storming the stand minutes later.I was quite happy that I was getting to see mom after so many days.Only thinking of it made my inner self jump with joy.I called up Urwa to join me after grabbing her drink.Ten minutes later I spotted Urwa coming with a steaming cup of Caffè latte.

"Hasn't mom's flight landed yet?" Urwa questioned handing me the cup.

"She will be out any moment, it landed a while ago. "

I gulped down the coffee which helped me warm up.The rain added to the chilly weather.Minutes turned into an hour and mom was not to be seen.I began to anticipate worst possible things and decided to ask someone.Instructing Urwa to stay at the same place I headed towards the help desk.There was a young man in a blue uniform standing there.

"Excuse me officer, I need your help,"I requested my voice laced with apprehension.

"Hello! Iam Luke, how can I help you young lady?" The officer questioned giving me a warm smile.

"My mom....her flight landed an hour ago.Could you perhaps find out the reason for her delay? She is not a frequent traveller and I have a feeling she is in trouble, " I replied fiddling with my hijab.He nodded in affirmative and walked inside where other officers were apparently stationed.Meanwhile I kept chanted all the duas coming to my mind.He came back after a few minutes which seemed like hours to me.

"Well Miss! There's nothing to worry about.Your mom's luggage hasn't been spotted yet.It probably got a wrong tag and Iam afraid it didn't come along in her jet," Officer Luke replied trying to figure out the reason for this.I waited there for any latest proceedings which would relieve mom and me of course.

"My theory is probably right.Your mother's luggage is at Qatar airport.We are so sorry for the inconvenience.Your mom will be here any time.The luggage shall arrive in a day or two,"Officer Luke continued as he instructed his colleagues to help us at the earliest.As informed by Luke, mom came out almost immediately.Her face was worn out and she looked very tired and sleepy.I didn't argue with him as it wouldn't do any good to the situation, the only answer was to wait.

"Assalamualaikum mom, I had been waiting for you like since hours."

"Walaikumassalam dear!"

"Let's go home, you look very tired," I remarked hugging her.Urwa embraced her even tighter like a small kid who hadn't seen her mom from months.She has a close attachment to mom from the beginning.For her, mom is a superwoman, a fairy Godmother and a caring teacher.

It had almost stopped raining when we reached home.I wanted to talk to mom about her journey, her visit to her sick aunt but dropped it thinking a little rest would be refreshing for her.As promised Urwa got ready and left for her school.Shaila was going to be back at five and Mikael wasn't home either which left only mom and me.I couldn't sleep so I started doing the cleaning and tried cooking something for mom.With the help of a cooking video, for the first time in my twenty years of existence I made butter chicken with fried rice.There was this website which had yummy Indian, Pakistani and continental recipes which mom loved.Thank you God for the technology advancement that people like me can try something called cooking too.

Mom got up with the Zhuhr azaan echoing from the nearest mosque.There is no denying that prayers make our life hassle free.The very reason that is the first thing we should start our day with.Out of twenty hours, dedicating a few minutes to our Lord, our cherisher is the minimum thing we can in return to the million blessings he has endowed on us.The only unequalled means of purifying our souls.His miracles are around us right now-every where, every moment . We just need to look around with those beautiful eyes of ours.

" Sanam! Did you pray? If you are done then let us cook something for the lunch, " mom chanted as I was resting on my red leather couch.

" Yeah mom, I did.Dont you worry about the lunch either.I have made something to surprise you! "

She widened her eyes and paced towards the kitchen.I knew she wouldn't believe if I tell that I cooked lunch.She slowly lifted the lid of the pan and smelled the chicken which excited my gustatory senses.

"Smells lovely! Did you order it from outside? If not tell me Iam not dreaming, " mom said unable to fathom the fact that I actually cooked without any aid.I laughed at her sentence and made her sit on the dining table.She chuckled lightly and her happiness was beyond measure.Her eldest daughter was trying to act womanly finally.

We started the lunch in between breaking into short conversations.

"So mom, how was your trip? " I enquired tasting the juicy chicken.

"Well it was good alhamdulillah, leaving the airport part, " mom replied as I kept filling her plate with my first dish.

"Aunt Umaima is doing well though she had to switch many hospitals.She very happy to see me after years and was surprised to hear that my eldest daughter is twenty now," mom continued as I passed her the salad which she eats in between her meals.Wierd I know but she says she inherited it from her dad.

"Aunt Umaima suggested a proposal for you.Uncle's youngest brother is seeking a prospective bride for his son," mom stated.

A big lump formed in my throat and along with the bolus it lead to a choking spell.I started coughing violently.

"Sanam, are you alright? Drink this dear, " mom instructed, passing me a glass full of water.The water did help but now it turned into hiccups.Mom was fretting over my state patting my back with thuds.She didn't understand that this news was like an indigestible piece of food choking my food pipe and freezing my brain.I took deep breaths counting till twenty without any pause but the hiccups wouldn't stop.

"I think you need to rest.Look at you dear, were you eating properly? You seem to lose weight !" Mom remarked.

"Iam ok mom! Relax..".

I excused myself and strode towards the garden.Eere rain, the grass smelled amazing and the flowers gleam and glowed so much that I couldn't resist touching and smelling them.

The past few months I have rejected all the proposals mom's friends got even without meeting them on some reason or the other.But this time mom sounded serious.I didn't knew if I was ready for all this but mom was after me getting married all the time.She wanted atleast one of her daughter to get hitched.That moment I seriously regretted being the eldest.

"Sanam, are you fine now?" Mom asked as she took a seat beside me near the rose tree.I nodded in affirmative.

"The proposed guy is a doctor too.He is very good looking according to her.He lives here with his dad.They come from a noble background.The best thing is Aunt Umaima have known them for years," mom cited.I didn't change my expression to show any enthusiasm or lack of interest.

"I know you don't wanna get married now but there's nothing wrong in meeting them once.If you like them you know you can get engaged now and marriage can wait till you complete your medical education, " mom continued.I took a deep sigh and looked towards the sky which was still covered with a thick cloud.

" Okay mom I will meet them once.Whatever it takes to make you happy. " She happily engulfed in one of her warmest hugs and a huge grin was plastered on her face.

By the time this drama unfolded, Shaila and Urwa were back home.They did their catching up session with mom.Meanwhile I headed to my room to let my mind out of this thoughts.It was like mom had given me a depressing life statement on my last holiday.I took out my Quran, my remedy to heal my heart.Friday is the day where I don't forget to read surah kahf.It has lots of merit and if you read the surah in depth it has a very big message from Allah.

****

" So..You have finally agreed to a proposal? " Shaila questioned in a teasing manner.

"I didn't agree to the proposal.Iam just going to meet up the people mom wants me to, "I replied defensively.She snortled slightly irking me greatly.I wish I wasn't the eldest daughter and mom would have never wanted me to get married first.I made an angry face which made her flee from the spot.That very moment I made up my mind to take life as it comes, to accept Allah's decree.If it was in my fate then no one can stop it except Allah.After asr prayers mom called us to assemble in the living room which meant she had something important to discuss.

Mikael was already there reclining on my favourite couch.My sisters were fighting over a hijab which presumably mom got them from Oman.As I looked around for any signs of mom, she came out dressed in a beautiful maxi.She sat on the couch beside Mikael and everyone in the room became attentive at once.

"Well I have summoned you ,my kids to inform that the guy's father had called me up and invited us to his son's birthday party.I accepted cause he insisted.That way we can observe their lifestyle and hospitality " mom stated.Shaila and Urwa were very excited to attend a birthday party.I thanked Allah that he hadn't called us to meet in some restaurant or a place where I couldn't contain my nervousness.

"Everything's fine mom but I won't let Sanam be around or talk with the guy.Let me approve him first only then can she talk to him," Mikael interrupted mom in his protective brother mode.Mom agreed and in no time we were getting ready to meet my future in laws and my probable husband.Thinking of that was giving me goosebumps.

Mikael had called them for getting the proper address.We didnt take much time to get ready as we were dawning our abayas which were suited for a meeting like this.The house we were apparently going was in suburbs and by the time we were nearing our destination isha azaan echoed through the silent roads.We stopped at the first masjid Mikael spotted.He asked us to wait in the parking lot after praying.There seemed to be a lot of devotees in the women's section.It was haj time and this first ten days are considered very sacred and special.Tomorrow would be the day of Arafah, when millions of hajis would be gathered in the land of Arafah , the very place where we all would be awaiting our fate on the judgement day.

It felt really good to pray in a mosque after a long time.Mom never got us to the mosque as we lived alone.We would pray at home everyday.It was only after Mikael's union that we went to a mosque for eid prayers.After the prayers we were waiting for Mikael wondering why he was taking so long when he appeared with a guy tagging along with him.

" Assalamualaikum Aunt Huma! How are you doing? It's been ages since I last met you, " chanted an excited Shiraz.

"Walaikumsalam Shiraz! Iam great Alhamdulillah.Its nice to see you after a long time, " mom replied. I rolled my eyes annoyingly and turned towards my younger sisters who were in an animated discussion.He won't be able to irk me in front of my mom and I didn't wanted to give him any chance either.I payed close attention to their chatter and heard they were discussing what to wear in my marriage.Oh God I wasn't even married yet and this girls were dreaming about their dresses.I seriously felt like today was annoy Sanam day.I signalled Mikael that we were getting late and thankfully he obliged to my gesture.

I couldn't understand why I actually didn't ask mom any details about the guy or his family. Just like that I agreed to meet someone who was interested in marrying me to his son.Even though it was dark in the night, this house was very well lit.With stumbling steps and trembling hands I muttered Allah's name and stepped on the portico stairs which lead to the front door.A middle aged lady presumably the house keeper dressed in a formal uniform welcomed us.There were not many guests present which implied this was a private affair.The host wasn't to be seen and the maids served us refreshing fruit juices.

Suddenly the front door opened and a  guy barged in mumbling a quick apology to everyone.As I focused my eyes at the door, they were literally popping out of my socket.Because standing in front of me was a handsome doctor with his white apron and stethoscope snaking his neck, dressed in his formals just the way he did when I first met him.

As he looked around the big hall to check out his guests his eyes landed on me.I froze on my spot and just like always I was tongue tied and my mind was numb unable to believe that I was here to meet my probable match and he is some person I already knew.This was going to be the most toughest day of my life.

***************

A / N

Assalamualaikum everyone!

This is a eid gift for you all.May Allah bless you all with lots of happiness in this world and a beautiful hereafter.Have an awesome Eid♥

You better love me for this chapter cause this was the third time I had to type it as it kept deleting.

Anyways if you guys like it then please vote and comment!

One bad news is that I won't be able to update regularly as I have my medicine practicals and theory in October. Please remember me in your prayers!

Here are the links for Sanam and Shiraz pics.

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y444/xMysteriously_Darkx/73356884_zpsaa0f2bac.png

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y444/xMysteriously_Darkx/84066045_zps7f59c064.png