"The Qur'an is an immense treasure meant to guide us through darkness
like the stars guide the travellers of the desert."

- Nouman Ali Khan

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"What is amazing... the essence of the words which she holds dear is - the Entity Himself!!!

The words only exist to remind her...so she would not forget the identity of that Benevolent Being..."Arkaan contemplated,"her most precious person..."

Even as the girl turned to leave, Arkaan called out,"Who is that Being?...the One who turned to you in flawless grace...your most precious person..."

His eyes looked in askance, sincerely he wished to really know this person. Without any of them knowing it, the saintly girl had already planted the love of this Gracious Being in his heart - flawlessly...

The saintly girl looked at him in pleasant surprise, and sincere praise at him having comprehended her words in just the short while, and extracting the true essence of the profundity. Such comprehension ability was shocking...even to her.

With a faint smile, and yet no less warm, she said,"That Being who turned to me in flawless grace...the most precious one to my heart...is Allah, my Rabb and your Rabb!"

As she turned to leave once again, Arkaan called once more."At least for a last time"he thought. He seemed unwilling to depart from the enlightening presence of the heart, as if she could answer all his life's questions perfectly and help him live in peace for all his lifetime.

"My name is Arkaan Ibn Yahya Al Ilyasîn...What is your name?..." His voice contained that sorrow at the time of parting, as if they were eternal childhood friends, who might not meet again. If you look at it, what the saintly girl had taught him in this short while had been something many a time, would elude people and thus, with it - the peace and contentment that came...She had taught him lessons by which if he comprehended, then both worlds would be much easier to transverse... If that was true, then she was really one of the most important people he had met in his life.
"We're travellers in this strange world on a search..." Arkaan remembered Sheikh Inaayat's words. "what are we really searching for..."

The saintly girl turned back to look at him with an amiable smile. A smile she gave perhaps, to only people she acknowledged. She was amazed at the yearning of this boy for good counsel, and spiritual enlightenment. Even though she was very young, there were many like her from where she grew up. There were many like that who grew, seeking knowledge that would help them reach levels of ma'iyyat(closeness to Allah) and maarifah(spiritual realization). It was a quality of only those who sought the path she sought and transversed...

Yet, even as she opened her mouth to answer, she suddenly turned expressionless. She seemed to be trying to remember...
She closed her pale pink lips, noiselessly. Agitatedly, she touched her side. Like a fluttering butterfly, she frantically began searching about her person, as if looking for something important to her. Apparently, unable to find it, she suddenly retreated deep into the forest, retracing her steps before she came. As Arkaan stood up abruptly to stop her from leaving, he noticed she dropped something unknowingly...

He crossed the now dark and serene stream quickly, following his line of sight where the thing had dropped. After searching, he found a beautiful copper key like a charm. Raising his gaze to look for her, he noticed she had long since disappeared... from sight.

•••

As Arkaan opened the door on the side of the minaret staircase leading to the first floor, the first thing he realized was the empty state of the first floor. Also, he noticed that the personal study room assigned for the Uztaz or Imam, directly beneath the dome of the western section had its door opened ajar.

Upon the impression, black-hooded boy had entered there, he approached the room cautiously.
At the door, he noticed there was really no one there. The wooden door had the words" Laa ilaaha illallah Muhammadur- Rasulullah" written in the most amazing Arabic calligraphy form.
Within the roughly 6m × 5m room, was everything a study and bedroom ought to have; a stack of books of all kinds, an average-sized raised bed, a space assigned for prayer, and a study desk and chair. It was a very simple arrangement.

Arkaan stood for a moment at the threshold to the room, admiring its simplicity and imagining how nice it'd be to stay there. As he stood there, he suddenly glanced over the desk where there stood a designer study lamp. At first sight, everything looked ordinary, but then something caught his attention right under the luminescence of the study lamp. It was an averagely thick book, neither too large nor too small.

As Arkaan subconsciously approached the study table where he felt drawn to the book, he noticed it had a sturdy leathery cover, with a wooden frame at its edges. He touched the surface of the book, examining its sturdiness. It had a lock on it...made of copper.

The front cover of the book only had one wording on it, a carved rocky piece that seemed to be deliberately, and strongly bound to it. It read;

"لله"

"Everything belongs to Allah... "، Arkaan murmured. As he did, he recalled a saintly young girl, smiling amiably across a stream. Instinctively, he touched his pockets and pulled out a beautiful copper key like a charm. Since that time, he had always kept it devotedly on his person to keep it safe, to return it if they ever met again.
He didn't know what was urging him, but it was strong.
He fixed the key in the lock of the sturdy diary and turned...

•••

Arkaan didn't know what was urging him, but it was strong. He fixed the key in the lock of the sturdy diary and turned...It opened!

Surges of excitement were flooding Arkaan's heart like waves upon waves. Gently, he opened the book which was more or less, a diary. On the very top were the words:

'Bismillahir-Rahmânir-Rahîm '

written in stylish Arabic calligraphy, yet something about it seemed like a child's writing, yet it made it even more cute, simple and elegant. He at once knew this was the saint girl's book.
At the very bottom was a single line:

"The path to Allah...There's no hopelessness on this path..."

Then at the very middle was a writing in Arabic which read:

"Yaa Ayyuhal ladhîna āmanuut-taqullaha wab-taghû ilayhil wasîla
Wa jaahiduu fii sabiilihi la 'allakum tuflihûn"

Except for the bottom line, both top words were written in Arabic. The first line, Arkaan knew it off-head even in Arabic; for it was a dominant wording in the Holy Qur'an, and other literary works in Islam usually began with that. The last line was in English, and easy to read. The middle line took more effort for Arkaan to read.
He had a feeling it was a Qur'an verse, but she gave no referencing. Yet, because he had learnt his basics in Arabic from Sheikh Inaayat even in the short while he was his student, he barely made out a reading. Even though he made it with a little difficulty, he succeeded. After a few more tries and repeating it, he memorized it in his heart fluently.

Remembering something, he quickly flicked through the pages with trepidation. Confirming about 70% of her writings were in English, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared that the writings in the diary would all be in Arabic, making things a bit troublesome, since he had not really learnt the language to the level of understanding. He could only read the writings, as you'd need to, to be able read the Qur'an. He could use the translations to understand the verses then.

As for the referencing, he could be asking people who had memorized the Qur'an like Zak and Ukashah to be able to locate the verses, even Abdullah could also aid - though he didn't know to which level Abdullah had reached.
Because Arkaan really wanted to read the book, even if it was in all Arabic, he would have found someone to translate everything for him! But what is better than the comfort of reading things, whilst relaxing in your own free time, in solitude. Especially, that's when comprehension is quickest! From his encounter with the girl, he knew her diary must contain many profound truths of life, and mysteries of the world's nature that she might have learnt, or come to gain understanding of. Also the 30% or so of Arabic in the book seemed to be made solely of Qur'an aayat.
Yet, he wasn't completely sure it was hers...
Even though her key opened the book, it didn't necessarily mean it was hers or was it...

After flipping through another bunch of pages, Arkaan instinctively opened the back page. Usually, when assessing a book of interest, most people would check front and back pages with flipping of what's in-between; Arkaan was no different.
At the beginning of the last two pages was written the following set of words:

"All Praises are due to Allah, The Lord of the worlds
And the choicest of blessings upon the Best of creation, Muhammad Mustafa
All Thanks belong to Allah that He has guided us to Al-Islam,
Without which we would have been oblivious of our Lord and Creator...

A man once said of those wandering in the dark,
That, if they had known Him(Allah),
They would have loved Him...

Even as Arkaan was reading, something else caught his eyes as he continued onto the other side, which was the back cover. Written upon the whole length was a couplet which read;

"My name is Hilya, Hilyat-ul-Awliyya...
Mother gave me that name with Father's approval
In order that I'd become as the name 'The Adornment of the Saintly Ones...'

I chose not the path of the saints,
For many are the saints who turned away,
From being of benefit to our Beloved Lord's creation,
Even as they turned away from the world, seeking only their own guidance
Into the presence of Our Lord and King
They did this, forgetting the King's love for the salvation of all His creation.
The true lover of God, lets go of his own desires for the desires of his Beloved...

Nor did I choose the path of the worldly people,
For what greater injustice is there, than to turn away
From a Lord, Most Compassionate and Generous,
His All-embracing Grace is showered on all
For when rain arrives to relieve the people of drought,
It falls on all, sinner and saint alike...
He keeps His watch on all His creation down below, always...
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him, In His watch, he feels no fatigue
Or the worlds will be pulled out of orbit, into utter destruction whilst we're in it.

I only chose the path to Allah,
ONLY THAT PATH I SHALL TREAD!
Our Lord has called to all, sinner and saint,"Indeed, this is a reminder, so he who wills may take to his Lord a way."

My name is Hilya, the servant of Allah
My name is Hilya, who belongs to Allah...

"Hilya..."، Arkaan murmured absently. Now, he was sure the book belonged to the same girl saint he had met when he was ten. This was because, everything, even the ideologies in the book pointed to her. Though he struggled a bit with the Arabic words, he was able to read them; though he'd need someone to help him with the meanings."For now, Zak would do..." Arkaan thought.
As he went through the book in a scanning way, over and over again, he noticed the diary was handmade. Someone seems to have made it especially for her...

"But, why would a diary be made for a girl so young..."، Arkaan thought, his dazzling green eyes shone with curiosity. Suddenly, he realized; a saintly young girl smiling across a stream. He remembered there was something strange about some of the words she said...about forgetting.
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Maasha Allah. The above poster was sent by a sister, sheikhafathima. Barakallahu feehaa.

May Allah reward her, and all those who've contributed in anyway in helping my story,"The Circle Of The Qur'an"to gain audience.

Was-Salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh:D