"No more excuses. You are coming to Hamid's home". Nilofer had such determination in her voice that Javed felt scared to argue.

"Yes father. Seher Khala said Hakeem Hamid cries a lot whenever he remembers you", added Meher.

Hakeem Javed held his face in his hands. "What excuses will I give for ignoring him all these years?"

Nilofer glared at him. Her husbands weak morale had taught her to become a strong woman herself. "The truth of course! Its time you learned to be true to yourself and to the people around you. It is human to err. And to own up to the mistake and try to better it, is something to be proud of!"

Hakeem Javed slowly trudged along behind his wife and daughter. It had been years since he had taken this path and every nook and cranny was bringing back memories. How many times had he not walked on these same cobblestones before? He used to walk along the red stones while Hamid used to walk along the blue ones. A game they played as children had soon become their habit as each of them still walked along the red and blue stones subconsciously. And every time the journey ended at a familiar looking structure. The sight of "Hakeem Javed and Hamid Apothecary" on top of the door made his heart race and emotions flowed through his veins.

"He still has my name on top", whispered Hakeem Javed.

"How can the man who couldn't bear to erase you from the name board, think of erasing you from his heart?" Nilofer raised her brows with her hands on her hips as she turned to face him. Her words strengthened his resolve. It was all he needed. This was his home! He ran ahead and burst through the door to find a surprised Hamid look up from his work bench. For a few seconds both of them were still.

"Javed Bhai!". Hamid was up in a trance and engulfed his brother in a hug. "How I have missed you!"

They held each other for a long time as Nilofer, Meher and Seher looked on with teary eyes.

"I can't tell how happy I am to finally see you and your family. It has brought me immense peace. Now that I have done it, I do not understand why I had kept delaying it for so long. Where is your son Hamid?"

"Jamal. Come and meet your uncle".

A boy who was just sprouting a beard walked in. "Assalamualaikum Uncle. I recall you from my childhood".

"Of course you do! I still remember what a hard time I had chasing you away from the murabbas (sweetened preserved fruits)"

Everyone had a hearty laugh at this. In fact they were bursting into giggles and smiles over silly and trivial reasons. It wasn't the jokes that were making them so happy, it was the reunion. Truly the love of a family is one of Allah's greatest blessings ever.

"Meher is such a fine girl now. Have you thought of getting her married Javed Bhai?", asked Hamid.

Javed looked stricken. "She is already married".

"When did she get married and to whom?". Seher and Hamid were extremely surprised.

"Mir Jafar married her by force", declared Javed. "Once he is taken to justice I will remarry her to a worthy man".

This was followed by a detailed description of how Mir Jafar had been torturing their family. Seher and Hamid sympathised with them. No matter how many bad memories they discussed, it could do nothing to dampen their jubilant moods. They were soon joined by 5 sons and 1 adopted daughter of Hakeem Javed.

"You just had 2 sons and Meher when you left. MashaAllah! Now you have 7 kids in all". Seher was still trying to remember all their names. "Meher, Aamir, Arhaan, Affan, Adnan, Ahsaan and Ammarah". She finally succeeded and gave a triumphant smile.

"Ammarah is actually Ahalya. We adopted her after her parents died", explained Nilofer.

"Oh, I see". Seher took the girl in her arms and gave her a kiss. The family was complete and they were having one of the most amazing nights in their life!

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Shehenshah Sher Shah looked up from the papers he was surrounded with.

"What is it?", he asked the guard in front of him.

"Malika Mariam is here. She insists on talking to you".

"Send her right in"

Malika Mariam rarely left Harem. When she did, usually it would be to attend court sessions or to watch over Shehzada Firoz Shah in the garden. The preparations of war all around her had forced her to leave the sanctuary of harem and seek her son.

"Assalamualaikum Maa. Please take a seat". Shehenshah momentarily put aside his pen.

"Walaikumassalam. How are you my son?"

"Alhamdulillah. What brings you here?"

"I came to check on how the preparations of war are going on"

Creases of deep worry settled on Shehenshah's face.

"I am afraid our position is not very good. Our army is undertrained. Neither is it good in quality nor is it good in quantity. Whatever little schemes we had have already been disclosed to our enemy while we are yet to receive information on them. I have made all arrangements to give the palace the best protection available. However there is no saying how far their spies will be able to penetrate in our kingdom. With Mir Jafar having information on all underground passageways it is no longer safe to use them. All the entries and exits of the palace need to be sealed once we leave for the war".

"So we will be in a lockout?"

"Yes. All the womenfolk and the kids"

"What about Saeed?"

"She can take care of herself. I don't think she will agree to stay in a lockout. I won't be surprised if I see her in the thick of action". Shehenshah smiled as a brave image of Mayera wielding a sword appeared in his mind.

"I suggest that girl be left behind in the lockout with us. She has just lost her mother and needs some comfort and time to recover".

Shehenshah frantically shook his head. "I am certainly not leaving my best warrior behind. She is a Malika and will do her duty to her kingdom. She has lost her mother, yes. But she should be ready to sacrifice more than that if she calls herself my wife"

As impressed as Malika Mariam is with this declaration she hides it. Aiza certainly wouldn't have fought shoulder to shoulder with the Shehenshah in the war. Nor would she have been able to pull herself together and face challenges right after her mother's death. Much as Malika Mariam liked to see Aiza as her daughter in law, she couldn't deny Saeed was far better. But in terms of looks she wasn't sure as she hadn't seen the girl yet. There was no girl in the kingdom who could beat Aiza's beauty she was sure.

"I understand you may have already married her under emotional circumstances Sher Shah. But we still need to organize an official wedding. I can't believe I already have a daughter in law and have never set my eyes on her".

"And I can't believe I already have a wife and have never set my eyes on her"

Malika Mariam's eyes almost popped out. "What! You did not even see her after nikah?"

Shehenshah shook his head enjoying his mother's surprise. "There was no time. I left soon after I said Alhamdulillah"

"What if she is not pretty?" She was aghast. Trust her impulsive son to marry a girl without even seeing her. She will have to hide of shame if the girl wasn't good looking enough to be the pride of harem.

"She is the most beautiful being on earth"

"Huh! So says the guy who hasn't seen her yet"

"What I have seen of her tells me she is pretty enough. What does it matter anyway? I will continue to love her even if she is hideously disfigured".

Malika Mariam went back to the harem shaken. She couldn't believe her son was capable of loving someone to such an extent. Whatever little hope she had of pairing him up with Aiza evaporated.

"Malika! You look like you have seen a ghost. Are you alright?" asked Ayesha, the chief kaneez of harem.

"If the war wasn't enough to shock me, my son kindly enlightens me that he has married a girl without seeing her". Malika Mariam trusted Ayesha with her deepest secrets with no fear of them becoming the harems latest gossip and in return the lady shared all her woes with the Malika with no hesitation.

"Shehenshah is not a foolish lad. If he has married her then she must be good enough. Do not worry yourself. Didn't you tell me yourself that she is brave of heart and worthy of throne"

"She is certainly worthy of the throne but I am not sure if she will be worthy of a Shehenshah's harem"

Ayesha was irked. "Physical beauty is not all that defines a woman. Please do not take Aiza's beauty as a standard and judge every other girl on her scale. Allah just decided to give beauty as a blessing to Aiza like he gave bravery as a blessing to Saeed. Not everyone will measure up to full in every category. If you shine in some then you are bound to fizzle out in some. I am sure Saeed will turn out to be passably good looking even if she is not dazzlingly gorgeous".

Malika couldn't deny the wisdom in Ayesha's words. However a queen is not so easily defeated and Malika Mariam knew exactly how to hit back.

"A woman so wise shouldn't separate a mother from her child"

Ayesha was defeated to silence. Yes, her possessiveness and jealousy had prevented her from returning Rehan to her true mother.

"But I am attached to him so", she said in excuse.

"Yes you are, no doubt, for you had taken place of his mother for the past 11 years. Think of the woman who gave birth to him, who had to suffer his separation and now patiently waits for his return. Would you like for her to suffer anymore? I am sure she will consider the love you have towards Rehan. You both can come up with a solution that favours everyone".

Ayesha nodded. "You are right. I will take him to her tomorrow"

"There will be a lockout at the palace soon because of war. You will have to hurry".

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A/N

How does Islam view human beauty? Is physical beauty always looked upon as a positive trait?

Needless to say, physical beauty is indeed a blessing – but according to Islamic teachings, beauty is just like any other material and perishable trait such as wealth, rank, and occupation. Physical beauty by itself has little worth and is given little significance in Islam if it does not accompany inner beauty (piety and good moral traits). Real beauty is what we carry with us in our journey to the hereafter: our good deeds. In the Holy Qur'an (3:106) we are reminded of Judgment Day when people's deeds will determine their physical appearance: "On the day when (some) faces shall turn white and (some) faces shall turn black; then as to those whose faces turn black: Did you disbelieve after your believing? Taste therefore the chastisement because you disbelieved."

Although the eyes may not perceive every creation around us as beauty, the Qur'anic verse (32:7) tells us that all creation is beautiful. This verse is clearly talking about beauty on a higher level than the mere physical dimension that our eyes try to find in what they perceive. This verse urges us to appreciate beauty in all creation and to see the beauty in Allah's universe through observing how interconnected and orderly it is!

In our everyday lives we often come across people who may be good-looking but something about their character repels us from them; the reverse is also true for people who may not be so good-looking but appear beautiful to us because of their positive qualities. 

Proximity to Allah and obeying His commands surely enhance one's beauty, both inner as well as physical beauty. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said, "Beauty is in the tongue (wording)". Good moral conduct is one basis of judging what qualifies as beauty. Ayatollah Hussain Madhahiri writes in his book Islamic Family-Life Ethics, "Sometimes speech is like the beauty spot on the face which enhances the beauty of the person." A person with good morals is truly beautiful inside out and wins peoples' hearts.

In addition, some recommended actions enhance inner and outer beauty. One of them is the highly recommended Night Prayer (Salat al-Layl/ Tahajjud) that, when performed on a regular basis, enhances one's physical beauty. Allama Majlisi writes in his book on Salat al-Layl: "Salat al-Layl makes one's face beautiful; beautifies one's etiquette; gives a pleasant smell to one's body and increases one's daily sustenance. It also removes sorrow and grief and gives strength to the eyes."

There is another hadith which says Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. The word beauty in this hadith encompasses both physical and inner beauty.

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Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Lots of love
Dr Mystic