"The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there,watching,steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do.

Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, and sometimes strong and full of light. The moon indertstands what it feels to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections."

(Tahereh Mafi)

A conversation with the moon.

Are you fond of the hills and trees like I am?

So you grant them light, Oh moon!

Are you fond of them or have you simply taken pity.....

And then you came to share my restlessness,

Rest assured I am determined...

With a spacious imagination and continuous thoughts!

We reside (in this world) and think we reside....

While in truth, our days are passed in voyages!

And we are befooled by the vanity of life,

And we awake on our awaited day.
(The day of judgment)

Oh moon ! I have many tales..

I shall cite to you the most dear and precious!

I shall tell you about them as they contain accounts of devotion....

As well as compassion and victory!

They also contain moments of emotion, desires....

And tears as abundant as the rain.

You, of course know plenty of them
( i.e: stories)...

Since you embrace both sea and land!

Oh moon ! You have lead a long life..

And you have associated with the ones who have passed from our people...

So do speak to me about their affairs...

And relate to me every incident!

It (the moon) expressed thirst for such a conversation...

And it's radiance increased, pleasing the eyes.

And it(the moon) said:
" Do you mean tales of the gracious prophets?"

Or perhaps you mean The Truthful One(Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه ) or
Umar (رضى الله عنه).

Or do you mean, men who have terminated corruption...

And revived the people with the guidance of the book(i.e:Quraan).

I will tell you that my eyes have witnessed the purest intentions...

And the most inspiring lessons
(i.e: lessons drawn from the Sahabah رضى الله عنهم)

Those are the people who had even taught dignity.

It's highest conducts
(i.e: they had redefined the meaning of dignity).

A lofty, well mannered prophet...
صلى الله عليه وسلم

With his companions around him twinkling like pearls!

Dignity sleeps at the very tip of his eyes....

And awakens on his voice at the early dawn.

Oh youth of Islaam !

Our (past) nation has built great expectation on us...

They built towers resisting the blasts of corruption,

And mocking deviancy whenver it appeared!

Will you now strengthen your structure!

With foundations of justice which refuses this corruption?

And the one who seeks Allahs refuge....

Will be shielded from every harm.

It's difficult for the beholder not to see ....

The youth of Islaam rejecting frailty!

And my heart detests the submissive sinner
(The one who ignores Islaam).

A man who is despised even among his peers!

A man who's ancestry shattered disbelief,

Then that disbelief shattered him,when he had forsaken his faith.

He refused to adhere to the religion of Islaam...

He was standing on the highest of peaks and then he glided down...

Brothers, the worst of ordeals is sirvile(excessively pleasing others)

Which once has been respectable to the beholder....

(Words of the poet:
AbduRahman Alashmawi)

The food was served, the men seated in the dinning room and the women in the kitchen. The chatter of the family, the clanking of the cutlery and the tantrums of one of the twins was heard, as Suhaib discreetly walked up the stairs. No one took notice of him, as he climbed the stairs and shut his room door.

All he could think of now was sleep! Feeling rather light headed, he threw himself onto the bed, not bothering to remove his shoes or jacket as the strings of sleep tugged him into its embrace.

Zahra's ears perked when she heard one of the doors on the top floor closing with a thud, unaware that Suhaib had returned she assumed either Muaz or Suhail had retired to bed.

After the family had completed their meal, the women cleared up, while the men occupied the living room once again. Zahra placed the dessert bowls on the tray, setting spoons alongside the bowls. Suhail walked into the kitchen, carrying a stack of plates, with Muaz in tow, balancing the salad bowl and platter of biryani on his right arm, while he held three glasses with his left arm.

Zahra glanced at the two, shaking her head at Muaz.

"Hey I thought I heard someone upstairs while we were eating.
I thought one of you went to sleep!"

They both shook their heads.

"Even though I love sleep, I love food more, I would never miss dessert and retire to bed."

"Me neither."

Suhail agreed.

"Maybe you heard a jinn!"

Muaz suggested, winking at Zahra.

Suhails eyes widened in fear.

" D-do you think there's a jinn roaming upstairs!"

"Of course who else could it be, everyone is downstairs and Suhaib is not here !"

"Suhaib!",

Zahra realised.

Why had he retired to bed without even greeting the guests? That was strange of him, he had been looking forward to meeting Khair once again. Suhaib had only met Khair when he and her father had atended their nikkah, but he had already befriended him. Just as she was about to go and check on him, Safwa walked in, Buhaira perched on her hip, she held a crabby Sadafs hand, huffing at the whining two year old who had chocolate smeared on her face and top.

"Zahra please can you do me a favour and wash this child's face and hands. Khair went to fetch the bag from the car. I need to change them into warm pj's and gowns. It's getting a bit nippy now"

"Sure , no problem."
Zahra picked Sadaf up, kissing her chubby cheek.

"Sadaf has been cranky the whole day. I think she's about to get sick, it seems like she has a slight fever".
Safwa plopped onto a kitchen stool, settling Buhaira on her lap.

Zahra touched her forehead with the back of her hand.

"She does have a slight fever"
She confirmed.

"It must be difficult handling two kids at the same time, huh"?

Zahra questioned, as she tucked a lock of Sadafs hair behind her ear.

Safwa sighed.

" You have no idea! It's a nightmare at times! Double trouble I tell you. In the beginning I would go crazy, one would wake up for milk, I would put one to sleep, then not long after the next one would awake. I just change the diaper of one, the next one needed to be changed!"

Zahra chuckled.

" I don't know how you manage "

Safwa smiled fondly.

" Alhamdulillah, Khair has helped me a lot. When he's around its much easier, despite them being troublesome at times, they are the light of our lives, and the life of our homes."

"Being a mother is not easy, she goes through many difficulties that's why a woman's status is so high in Islaam."
Zahra voiced, Safwa nodded in agreement.

"No matter what we do, we can never repay our mothers for all the pain and difficulty they experienced for our sake, the difficulty of carrying a baby for nine months, the excruciating pain when giving birth, the sleepless nights feeding us, and tending to us when we were were sick, withstanding our tantrums, and crabby behaviour when we were teething, constantly worrying about our well being, bearing with us when we went through the moody teenage phase, then the worry of finding the right spouse, and even after you are married they still worry about you."

Safwa concluded smiling.

"That's so true, we can never repay them in any way. Yet at times we are rude to them, we raise our voices at them, if they prohibit us from something only out of concern for us, we become upset with them...."

Zahra dabbed her eyes, regretting the times she was disrespectful to her mother when she was younger.

"You only truly realise how special your mother is once you get married, and cannot depend on her anymore.
And when you become a mother, even more. When you are newly married, and you have to be independent you wonder to yourself, how did my mother manage to look after herself, her husband, her children, her home, cooking, cleaning, and the list goes on. And the best part how did she do it all with a smile on her face, she never even complained! I guess Allah Ta'allah created a woman that way."

Khair knocked on the kitchen door, ending their conversation. Safwa sat Buhaira on the chair she had been seated on.

Zahra filled a bowl with the oreo dessert she had made, settling Sadaf next to her twin, she fed both of them a bit of the dessert, keeping them busy.

"I'm going to bath them in your bathroom, if you don't mind."

"No problem , go ahead it's your house Saf. You don't need to tell me".

Safwa gave Zahra an appreciative smile. She walked towards the door, closing it bebind her, she ascended the stairs with Khair in tow.

Once in the room, Khair shut the door behind him, making himself comfortable on the couch perpendicular to the bed, as he watched his wife rummaging in the bag, laying out their daughters pyjamas along with their gowns.
Once she was done, she zipped the bag, leaving it at the foot of the double bed.

She walked towards the mirror opossite the couch in order to fix her scarf that Sadaf had loosened while throwing a tantrum. Sadaf was very different to Buhaira, unlike Buhaira who was timid and obedient, Sadaf was rebellious and stuborn. Khair always teased her, saying that she had inherited her mothers rebellious and stubborn nature.

She smiled when she realised Khair's gaze had been fixed on her.

"What ?"

She asked shyly, turning around to face him.

" I was just admiring my wife, is that a crime ?"

He asked, quirking his brow.

She blushed prettily, covering her face with her hands.

He chuckled, he loved it that even after being married for almost four years, she blushed when he complimented her.

"What is there to admire, I don't look the same as I used to. After the twins I haven't lost all my weight. I'm so fat now !"

She mumbled.

Khair shook his head.

"This woman !"

He walked over to her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You are beautiful the way you are and no you don't look fat! Get that out of your mind!"

She smiled nodding at him.

"Let me get the kids done."

Safwa scurried back to the kitchen to save her children from any more sugar. She didn't want them to be on a sugar rush when it was bed time.

Khair walked back to the living room, where Luqmaan and Razaq spoke politics and business.

He wondered where Suhaib was, he wansn't really fond of the politics topic and he would only discuss business when it concerned his own, at his workplace. Once away from his business , he liked to act as if though it didn't exist.

Having nothing else to do, he took out his phone from his pocket and browsed through his WhatsApp messages.

The smell of baby powder lingered in the room, after they had bathed the twins, and tucked them into Zahra's bed. They both fell asleep almost immediately, their light snores filled the room.

Zahra gazed at them lovingly, watching as their chests heaved up and down. They looked so sweet and innocent as they slept, like two beautiful fallen angels.

"So are you nervous about marriage?"

Safwa broke the silence, speaking in a hushed tone, as she sat at the foot of the bed alongside Zahra.

" Actually no ! It hasn't really hit me as yet. I mean I am happy and obviously sad to leave my family as well. It still feels like a long time till I get there, though."

"It feels that way, but trust me before you know it you will be a married woman."

Zahra shrugged, a distant look in her eyes.

"You never know I can be shrouded in a kafn, before I am adorned in a wedding dress."

Safwa shook her head, baffled by the statement.

"Don't speak like that Zahra! Rather make dua that you live a long , healthy, prosperous life."

Zahra nodded, she gave Safwa a small smile.

Diverting the topic and breaking the uncomfortable silence, Zahra questioned Safwa about married life. She wanted to know the pros and cons of marriage, the difficulty in adapting to a new life, whether a persons Imaan becomes stronger or weaker and many other questions that had surfaced in her mind, but she hadn't asked anyone as yet.

The corners of Safwa's lips lifted into a shy smile, as she related how they got married, then moved onto how married life is in the beginning.

"When you first get married, it's easy to be nice to each other. You're still shy around each other and you're more patient in the beginning. As people say, you still in the honey moon phase."

"I'm not going to sugar coat anything, marriage isn't the way most romance novels or books portray it, it's a whole different game in reality.
The most important thing is not to have high hopes, because if you have high hopes and your spouse doesn't meet your expectations, you will be crushed, and it will be difficult to come to terms with reality."

Zahra looked at Safwa, guiltily.

"Isn't it normal to have high hopes and expectations, especially if you are a young girl about to be wed?"

Safwa nodded.

"Ofcourse it is, but you have to train your heart and mind not to have high hopes and expectations. You have to constantly remind yourself that spouses can only behave perfectly with each other in Jannah."

"You're so right. Don't hesitate please, share all that I need to know.
I really need this pep talk."

Zahra ushered Safwa to continue speaking.

"Never stop making dua for true love in your marriage, even if you are married for years. See, marriage is what you make of it. As humans we all have faults, likes, dislikes, you and your husband won't always agree on things, sometimes you may like something and he may dislike it, so to please him, you will have to give it up. If you want Allah to be pleased with you, you will be an obedient wife, with the exception of obeying him in impermissible matters of course."

"It's also important to give each other space, at times we just need time alone to gather our thoughts and cool off. If your husband requests to have some alone time once in a while, don't become suspicious of him."

Zahra hoped she wasn't the clingy time of wife. Most probably not, she also prefered to be alone at times.

" At the same time it's important to assure him that you will be with him every step of his life. Prove to him that he can trust you with all his secrets, and make sure that you protect his secrets when he confides in you. Most importantly listen to him attentively when he speaks, even if he's just babbling something that isn't important, try to give him your full attention."

Safwa fell into silence, pondering over what to utter next.

"There's much more, you will learn once you live with him. Just remember, as far as possible try to have his food ready on time. Let me tell you whoever said a hungry man is an angry man, spoke no lie."

"Also try your best to keep the house clean, and in order and make sure you look presentable when he returns home.Food, a clean home and a presentable wife, makes a man very happy."

Zahra looked at Safwa, horrified.

"Woah that's a lot to take in, in one day. Marriage sounds scary and stressful."

Safwa shook her head in disagreement.

"Like I said it's what you make of it.
Marriage is a wonderful journey, it's a new adventure, a learning experience. You have to just be geared up and ready to face some bumpy and curvy roads at times. Overall it's amazing."

She would have to wait and find out. s
She mused.

She then changed the topic to something that didn't include her stomach churning, and then fluttering with butterflies.

The Ismail family waved as they drove away, their car dissappeared into the distance, only traces of smoke remaining.

Luqmaan entered the house, along with Muaz and Suhail, shutting and locking the door behind him.

It was a sunnah of Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم to bid farewell to the guest, and this was something that was always practiced in their household
They would always walk with the guests till they were seated in their vehicle, and once they would depart then only would they go back in.

Luqmaan glanced at the vintage clock on the living room wall, that read eleven pm.

He glanced around the living room, seeing all his kids sprawled out on the couches, all besides Suhaib. He had been so overjoyed to see his brother that he hasdn't realised Suhaib wasn't home ye.

Concerned he ran his fingers through his fist length, salt and pepper beard, a habit when he was stressed.

"Where is Suhaib? "

He questioned, the worry evident in his tone.

"Don't worry Abba. He's fast asleep in his room. I needed to get my phone changer from his room and I found him asleep."

Suhaib had borrowed her phone charger as his had broken, she needed to charge her phone and decided to check up on him also.

After knocking several times, she had figured he must be asleep, so she decided to open the door.

As she had expected he was fast asleep, face down , still clad in his jacket and shoes.

Shaking her head, she removed his shoes slowly, not wanting to disturb him, then tried to pry his jacket off of him, which was no easy task , considering the awkward position in which he was sleeping.

Once she had suceeded, the stench of cigarettes hit her nose. She scrunched her nose in disgust , as she discarded the hoodie along with his socks into the laundry basket.

She covered him with the blanket, that was kept at the foot of his bed.

She grabbed her charger and flicked the lights off , shutting the door behind her.

Her heart sank, who had her brother acquinted himself with?

Luqmaan nodded, anger evident in his eyes.

"Why didn't he inform us he was home? He didn't even have the decency to come and greet Razaq and Khair!"

"Maybe he was tired, and didn't mean to fall into a deep sleep."

Zainab suggested, trying to calm her husband down.

"Maybe ! "

Luqmaan said in a clipped tone and without another word he retired to bed.

"When did your brother return?"

Zainab questioned Zahra.

"I'm not sure exactly what time, when we were eating I heard his bedroom door close. It must have been around nine."

Zainab nodded, her face serious.

" I don't like his new friends!"

Neither do I ....

She mentally agreed but chose to remain silent.

* * *

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