The Retribution begins.

ﻗُﻞ ﻟِّﻠْﻤُﺆْﻣِﻨِﻴﻦَ ﻳَﻐُﻀُّﻮا۟ ﻣِﻦْ ﺃَﺑْﺼَٰﺮِﻫِﻢْ ﻭَﻳَﺤْﻔَﻈُﻮا۟ ﻓُﺮُﻭﺟَﻬُﻢْ ۚ
ﺫَٰﻟِﻚَ ﺃَﺯْﻛَﻰٰ ﻟَﻬُﻢْ ۗ ﺇِﻥَّ ٱﻟﻠَّﻪَ ﺧَﺒِﻴﺮٌۢ ﺑِﻤَﺎ ﻳَﺼْﻨَﻌُﻮﻥ

" Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do."
(Surah Noor, Aaya 30)

"Ulama have stated , that for the person who carries out and act of zina, he will recieve his retribution in this world.

A king once heard the Ulama saying this, so he decided to test this out, to confirm whether this is true , he called for his daughter , the princess of the palace. He instructed her to dress as a peasant, and go out into the market place. The daughter obeyed her fathers orders , dressed as a peasant and left the palace.

When the girl returned in the evening , the father enquired how the people treated her.

She replied : " Oh father when I walked into the market place , not one person looked at me with an evil gaze , they looked at me with such respect , as a brother looks at his sister respectfully, but when I entered the palace, one of the servants caught hold of me , assuming I was the servant, he passed his hand over my chest and placed a kiss on my lips.

On hearing this, the king began to weep. The daughter became astonished and enquired why he was crying. The father replied ," My entire life I protected my chastity, I never looked at a strange woman, but one day my gaze fell upon a beatiful woman, who was a servant in this palace. I caught hold of her, passed my hand over her chest  and placed a kiss on her lips. "

The king realised the statement of the Ulama was indeed true , those who commit zinah, in whichever way it may be, will be retaliated in this world, and the same shall befall someone close to his heart. "

Farhaad's heart rapidly thuded in his chest, each word of the Jumuah lecture delivered by the Sheik  struck his heart, like a painful arrow of guilt.It was as if the lecture had been delivered  directly to him , as if he was the only one who sat in the masjid infront of the mimbar , as if the Imaam knew he was guilty of taking away a womans innocence, never caring about her in the least , and now someone beloved to him would suffer in the same way.

He shook away the thought, it wouldn't happen to him, the king was married and he committed evil , he was not married , he consoled himself in this feeble way.

Due to the knot of fear forming in his stomach, he payed no further heed to the lecture , and got lost in his train of thoughts, depriving himself from pearls of knowledge and wisdom. Deep down he had a gut feeling that what the Imaam said was true, yet he chose to ignore this feeling and persue his facade of ignorance instead.

Farhaad sped past neatly manicured lawns and freshly painted mansions, all a blurred painting of various colours, as he whizzed past. He held the steering so tight, his knuckles had turned white due to his firm grip.

He had reached home after Jumuah, walking into his house, the delicuous aroma of freshly cooked lunch wafted past his nose. He made his way to the dinning table which was already laiden with food , his mother sat on the chair reciting Quraan. He made his way to the bathroom , in order to wash his hands, but not before pecking his mother's forehead , recieving a lovely smile in return.
He joined his mother shortly , dishing out food for her first , serving her, then helping himself.

They ate in a comfortable silence, until he realised that his sister Fariha was nowhere to be seen , he questioned his mother regarding her whereabouts, she replied that she had been invited to her close friends house, to spend the day with her friends and her friends mother would drop her off after the Esha Salaah. The colour drained from Farhaad's face , he clenched his hand in anger , preventing himself from lashing  out at his mother. He never payed interest to the type of girls his sister befriended nor was he aware of their backgrounds or families, sure he hardly spared time and never freed himself to spend time with his sister, but that didn't mean he never cared about her, he was a typical over protective brother that would pluck  any guy's eyes out , who merely glanced at his sister.

A mother knowing her child best, even though he kept silent,  noticed his look of fear and anger.
She assured him that his sister was in good hands and that she personally knew the family very well, leaving room for no further questions .
Farhaad ate in silence  and managed to keep his cool, but the uneasy feeling still hadn't subsided , neither had his anger subsided.

He drove towards the supermarket to purchase some necessary groceries that his mother needed, only increasing his anger. He hated going shopping , and whenever he did go, his sister always accompanied him, his mother hardly ever stepped out of the house , since his father passed away, thus he was left with no option but, to shop on his own.

He parked the car in the driveway , walked into the store, grabbing a shopping cart , hastily making his way down the aisles , tossing things in as he passed by the shelves. He stopped by the fridge, filled with beverages , he scanned the beverages , deciding what to purchase.

A little boy, dressed in a small cute kurta, a little topee perched crookedly on his head, chocolate smeared on his face and chubby cheeks,  placed his hands on the glass fridge door , and stared at the Cool drinks , his big brown eyes filled with excitement.

Farhaad chuckled at the cute little boy, he squated so that he could get a better view of the boys face. The little boy noticed his presence near him , and looked up with curious eyes .

"Hey there little man " Farhaad lightly pinched his cheek, the little boy giggled in response, and poked Farhaad's cheek with his small chubby finger.

Farhaad smiled at the little boy , then ruffled his hair affectionately.
"What is your name little man ?"

"Rwaees", he  grinned , showing his baby teeth.

"Oh what a nice name , how old are you ?"

Raees lifted his fisted hand , then raised his fingers one by one .
"One....two....three.... "
He lifted his hand high, showing Farhaad all three fingers.
"I'm three ears old uncle "

Farhaad smiled , "you mean three years old , don't you "

The boy nodded , his  big brown eyes filled with joy ,on guessing his age right. Those eyes reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't remember who that person was.

"Why are you waliking all alone , Raees , you know it's not safe for you to wander off on your own "
Farhaad placed the cool drink in his trolley , then held Raees's hand and pushed the shopping cart with the other.

He walked over to the aisle filled with various candies, Raees's eyes filled with excitement, he let go of Farhaad's hand and ran over to the Astros , grabbed a box and ran back over to Farhaad , shaking the box excitedly.

"I love Astwos !!!" He jumped up and down , the Astros rattling in the box as he jumped.

"Okay hold my hand let me pay for it , and then we will look for your mummy and daddy " Farhaad clasped his hand once again and walked ahead, but the little boy refused to budge. Farhaad looked back , and the sight of the boy surprised him, his eyes had pooled with tears , a distant look in his eyes, he stared ahead lost in thought.

Farhaad squated infront of the little boy, once again, he held the boys chin and lifted his head. He softly brushed away the little tear drops that had began dropping one by one onto his small kurta. Farhaad looked at the boy concerned, maybe he was panicking because he lost his mother.

"Hey little man what's the matter ?"

His big brown, tear filed orbs met Farhaad's ."Uncle , I don't have a daddy " he choked out.

" Evewytime I go to the park with mummy , I see all the small kids plawying with their daddy's , every day my fwends daddy's come and pick them up from school, but my uncle picks me up. I always ask mummy why  I also don't  have a daddy , mummy always smiles at me and tells me the same thing but, sometimes at night I hear mummy crying and asking Allah to bring my daddy back , I think my daddy is lost uncle "

Farhaad's heart clenched in his chest , a feeling of guilt and grief washed over him , leaving him speeches.
Did his son or daughter also feel the same way ? Was Shabana coping being a single mother ? had she re married ? Did his child ask for him ?

Questions that never crossed his mind for the past three years , rained down on him now . He would never want to marry Shabana , for  he never was attracted to her and  also he couldn't bear to see the dissapointment in his mother's eyes,  but now he had this sudden urge to meet his child , hold him close and assure him that he did have a daddy, and that his daddy would never leave him again but , he couldn't do that , he never kept in contact with Shabana and didn't even remember where she lived, instead he picked the little boy up , and held him close comforting him.

"Don't worry , your daddy will come soon " Farhaad patted his little back , as he hicupped and stopped crying.
Farhaad was surprised by the little boys intelligence, he was so small yet he understood everything , and he was left heart broken.

"Mummy tells me the same thing " he smiled at Farhaad , the tear stains , still visible on his cheeks. Farhaad smiled back, and dabbed the little boys cheeks with a tissue.

"You know uncle .....umm" he gave  Farhaad a questioning look.

"Uncle Farhaad " he answered.

"Uncle Farhaad , you know  my fwiends daddy's also buy them their favouwite sweets , so you are like my daddy " he gave Farhaad a grateful smile.

Farhaad gave him a sad smile, then pecked his cheek.
"If you say so little man "

"Raees where are you ? " They heard a panicked voice call from the next aisle.

"Mummy !" Raees gasped and hid his face in the crook of Farhaads neck.

"Mummy is going to be vewy cwoss "
He mummbled. Farhaad chuckled , and pulled him away from his neck.

"No hiding from mummy , mummy is very worried and mummy will cry if you don't go to her now "

Raees's eyes widened , and he nodded in understanding.

"Calm down, we will find him " they heard a masculine voice.

"Uncle is going to shout me " Raees tightened his grip on his Astros.

" No one is going to shout you " Farhaad assured.

"Raees !" The lady gasped , and walked over to them, Farhaad's back was still facing her.

"Alhamdulillah , I found him , you can go and pay so long Shabeer"

Farhaad's heart thumped in his chest , his hands became sweaty, her voice sounded familiar, her voice was a distant memory but he recalled that voice, pleading with him , that voice that he had ignored. Wasn't Shabeer Shabanas brother?

"You got me so worried , you silly boy! JazakAllah for keeping him with you , brother"

Farhaad stood still, Raees still perched on his hip, his chin on his shoulder. Was this woman really Shabana, was Raees his child ?
He didn't want to turn around and face the woman but, that was the only way he would now. He hesitantly turned around but, to his dissapointment , all he saw were the same big brown eyes, the woman adorned the niqaab ,her hands outstretched infront of her.

When her gaze met Farhaad's face , her hands dropped and her brown orbs widened in shock , all she did was stare at him in shock , not even blinking once. Farhaad began feeling uncomfortable , confused, he handed Raees over to her , but she continued staring at him , her hands dangling on her sides.

"Uhm ..." Farhaad scratched his nape awkwardly ," I'm sorry , I didn't mean to worry you, he was wandering on his own , so I just decided to buy him some sweets , and look for his mother"

Raees nodded in agreement , and rattled his Astros infront of his mother's face but, she  still stood frozen and unfazed.

Farhaad gave the woman a worried look, maybe she was in shock , because she thought she lost her child.

"Um you have a very cute and well mannered little boy , sister"
This got a reaction out of her but , not the reaction Farhaad was expecting. 
She broke down into sobs , her salty tears soaking the black fabric that covered her face.

"Farhaad! " she choked out through sobs. His body froze at the mention of his name . No,no it couldn't be !

"Farhaad he's your son ,your son you never cared about , your son you were never proud to give your name to , your son who alwawys asks for his dad. " she furiously wiped the tears away and took Raees out of his hold , Farhaad stood rigid , trying to sink in every word.

"He is your son!" 

He is my son , he said I was like a daddy , maybe the  boy felt the connection with his father ,his heart soared in happiness at the thought but, then dropped to his stomach , realising how much of pain he caused Shabana, and his very own son. He shook his head from side to side , trying to figure out whether this was reality , or merely a dream.

Shabana held Raees close to her , tears brimmed  her eyes once gain. She turned Raees around, so that he was facing Farhaad and pointed at Farhaad.
"That's your daddy my little boy , do you remember mummy told you , daddy will return one day. "

Farhaad shook his head , he didn't want to make a commitment of marriage to her , neither did he want to promise her anything , he was sure he would not fulfill later.

Shabana saw the look of fear , that was evident on his face, and smiled sadly, the corners of her eyes winking.
"I don't need you to marry me Farhaad , if that's what you're thinking, then you are terribly mistaken . I am not the same girl, who came to you three years ago , begging you to marry me and take me in . I have mended my ways , I have turned to my Allah , and I need none , not even you ! If you have a heart, and some feelings in your cold being then you will make an effort to be part of your son's life and show him what is fatherly love , I can only tell you this but, I will not sit and hope for you to come and whisk me away one day , I have moved on , and I hope you find a good spouse. "
Saying that she spun on her heel, and walked away hastily, Raees perched on her  hip.

Farhaad stared at her retreating figure, still rooted to the same spot.
He could not let his mother find out , nor could he leave his son without fatherly love. He sighed in defeat , the words of little Raees replaying in his mind, the image of his big ,brown sad eyes , the way he said Farhhad is his dad. Farhhad ruffled his hair in frustration, he had to do something, even if he had to marry Shabana for  the sake of his son , he would.

He stepped out of his car , several packets dangling from one hand , and shut the car door with his other hand.
The wind had begun to blow a tad bit more violently, the skies had begun turning into a darker shade of blue , thick clouds began bunching up together , creating a canopy of heavy , fluffy, grey clouds. A storm had begun to brew and Farhaad just prayed that his sister was home , for if she wasn't , he would lose his mind, he managed to calm himself down , and he didn't want to have another outburst. He walked into the kitchen,placed the plastic bags on the counter , then placed a kiss on his mother's cheek , while she boiled her tea.

She gave him a warm smile , poured some tea into a cup , and passed it to Farhaad. He took it and made his way to the lounge , while sipping  on his tea, enjoying the feeling of the warm liquid running down his throat , warming his insides , and calming his throbbing headache. Only those who drank tea ,  knew the enjoyment in it, it was like an addiction, but a good addiction.

"What time is Esha ?" Farhaad noticed no sign of Fariha , and now really began to worry. He was never punctual with any of his Salaah , besides his Jumuah and Eid Salaah's , hence him being unaware of the times.

A bright smile adorned his mother's kind and wrinkled face , a smile that reached her eyes , she became so happy that her eyes shone with joy.
Farhaad never understood the reason for his mother smiling so widely for such a simple question but , gave her a confused smile in return.

She shot up from the couch and sat beside her son , with a proud smile , she held his rough hand in her wrinkled but , soft hand.
" You have no idea how happy you made your mother today son , you will never understand how much of joy this one question of yours brought to my heart".

Farhaad furrowed his brows in confusion but,nodded encouraging his mother to carry on.

"Now I can go hunting !"

"Hunting ?" He gave her an incredulous look , she never stepped foot out of the house since his father passed away ,unless it was for something extremely important , and here she was ready to go on a hunting trip. He smiled at his mother , he was happy she was moving on slowly.

"I'm sure the family will be happy, when they hear that you want to join us on our hunting trip "

His mother began laughing so hard , little tears sprouted in her eyes. She shook her head at her son , once she calmed herself down, she spoke , the corners of her lips still upturned into a joyous smile.

"Silly boy ! I meant you asked about Salaah time , that means you are planning on changing some of your ways , so I can start hunting for a wife for you !" She smiled at his bewildered expression.

Farhaad's smile fell , turned into a frown. He gave his mother a sad look , if only she knew what a mess he created for himself , the sad part was that he only truly pitied his son, he still felt no remorse about his deed, thus he never repented from his deed. The only reason he questioned his mother regarding Salaah time , was because he was worried sick about his sister , he wanted to know when she will be home. The lecture he heard earlier, became imprinted in his mind,the Imaam's words playing over and over in his mind , like a stuck record.

A flash of lightning struck, and a rumble of thunder was heard, the clouds released their burden's upon the earth , the rain poured down harder and faster, now causing his mother to become worried.

Farhaad stood up , grabbed his phone and called Fariha but, her phone continued ringing ,and was left unattended . He tried messaging her on WhatsApp but , still no reply.
His mother worriedly glanced at the door , hoping she was okay , she didn't want her daughter , nor her friends mother to meet up into any accidents due to the road being slippery.

The clock struck twelve , the rain still handn't subsided , Farhaad's mother had dozed off on the couch, despite Farhaad insisting she should sleep she sat on the couch waiting for her daughter, until sleep overtook her. Sleep was the last thing he needed right now . He needed to punch some thing and vent out his frustration. He sat on the edge of the couch , his hands curled into tight fists , his foot tapped the porcelain tiles impatiently, he was furious , never ever had his sister gone out till so late.

The jingle of the keys was heard , then the sound of the key turning . Farhaad stoop up instantly , glancing at the clock that read 00:24 , he walked towards the door ready to give his seventeen  year old sister, the shouting of her life.

He opened pulled open the door before she could , startling her. He was about to lash out at her , before she even stepped in but, instead his anger subsided when  he looked at her worriedly , taking in her appearance. She was soaking wet from head to toe, her abaya clung to her , her scarf stuck to her face , little droplets of water visible on her fair skin , her whole body shook , and eyes were filled with fear, he didn't know whether she was afraid of what he would say , or afraid of the terrible storm outside, she was always afraid of stormy weather and he would always comfort her but, her look of fear put out the burning rage in him, replacing it with worry and concern.

He stepped aside , allowing her to enter . She stepped in, still shivering , she closed the door softly behind her.
He embraced her into a tight hug , surpsrising her , he never hugged her unless it was Eid . She stood still for a while then hugged him back. He let out a sigh, relieved that his sister was safely home.

He looked down worriedly when he felt his shirt becoming wet , with her rapidly falling tears. She sniffed softly, then began sobbing hysterically. He rubbed her back soothingly.
"Hey hey , it's okay you safe , at home and I'm here with you ,don't be afraid of the rain "

She began sobbing even more , hicupping after every sob.
"There's much more to be afraid of than the storm Farhaad ! " she stepped away from him , tears streaming down her face.

"If you payed more attention to me , if you spared more time for me , if you only cared for me , I wouldn't have to to go wedding shopping with my friends, I wouldn't look like and feel like such a mess , I wouldn't have to get stuck in a car , late at night , while its damn pouring outside . If only you cared about me like you used to , you would be there to protect me from the evil gazes of disgusting boys, if only you cared, I wouldn't have...... ! " she choked ,
She sobbed, bringing her hands to her face.

Farhaad's eyes filled with tears, he could never see his mother or sister in tears , it shattered his heart into tiny pieces.
"I'm sorry !" He looked down , tears falling down his face.

She shook her head.
"Your sorry will never help me nor change anything. I don't want to get married anymore !"
She began crying even more , then stomped towards the bathroom , leaving a stunned Farhaad behind. 

*2 months later *

Farhaad sat beside Fariha's bed , worried out of his mind. Since the night  she had come home late , she kept on repeating that she didn't want to get married , she had been weak and pale for the last two months , she had fainted a few times , she had been throwing up often, she was not herself anymore , her once lively and radiant face was now replaced with a hollow and almost lifeless look.

She stared at the ceiling , lost in thought , not even acknowledging her brothers presence besides her.
Her eye lids fluttered and closed. Instantly , Farhaad knew that she had fallen unconcious once again. He had enough of his sisters stubborness , he would take her to the hospital now.

He informed his mother that he was taking his sister to the hospital , she agreed and hurriedly changed into an abaya , wrapped her scarf around her head , and tied her niqaab.

The doctor walked out into the waiting room , she motioned for the worried brother and mother to come in. After she introduced herself , turned to Farhaad.

"Are you Fariha's husband?"
He shook his head and chuckled.

"No , doctor I'm her brother "

"Oh , my apologies ".
She gave them a warm smile.
What she said next , caused his mother to gasp in utter shock and disbelief and Farhaad's heartbeheartbeat , escalated rapidly , it felt as if  a ton of bricks had fallen onto him.

"Congratulations to both of you , Fariha is four weeks pregnant "

You will be retaliated in this world !

The ones closest to your heart will be afflicted with the same thing........

The Imaam's lecture had appeared to him and he now knew very well , his retaliation had begun....

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السلا م عليكم

My dear readers , I hope you enjoyed this chapter .This is the longest chapter of this book , 4 167 words. Please show your support by voting and commenting.

                     Loads of love❤ !

❤Jawhariy❤