"What do you mean there are stones in the woods from where you read stories?"

"Not stories, Alayna," Nageen sighed, drawing up a chair in the school cafeteria. "Poems. I read poems."

"Yeah?" Alayna's brows shot up as she held her sloppy sandwich in hand, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean... there are tablet stones in Dhulumaat Woods and there's actual writing on those stones."

"I don't believe you," Alayna rolled her eyes. "Sounds like some nonsense you picked up from Brave."

Nageen blinked. "Brave?"

"Yeah... you know, Merida- sneaking into the woods and finding some grand old witch and whatnot," Alayna mused.

"Oh, but I'm not talking of some grand old witch, Alayna. I'm talking about actual writing... my Nana's seen them too from his childhood. He's told me about it loads of times- it's actually real!"

When Alayna could not bring herself to submit to Nageen's 'nonsense', Nageen's cheeks flushed deep red and she thud back on her chair. Her sandwich laid forgotten.

"I'll show it to you."

Alayna raised her head. "What?"

"After school," Nageen nodded. "I'll show it you and then you'll see."

_________

"How can such writing be preserved for so many centuries?"

"I don't know..." Nageen whispered, sitting by the river bank and watching as Alayna moved around the mossy tablets. Her friend's hazel eyes skimmed over the writings, as her hands began to shiver and she took her seat beside Nageen.

The two girls stared from afar at the writings and the whole crown of tablets within their midst. The feathery wind whispered in the air, the sky crawled with gray clouds.

"But look? Whoever wrote it back then..." Nageen drew circles on the cold stone beside her, "Really wrote it for a reason."

"Hmm," Alayna nodded her head, still shivering with thought. She pulled up her legs to chest and rested her chin on her knees. Hazelnut eyes having cracked, she began to ponder.

"A reason..."

"A reason for us to believe in," Nageen said softly. Her eyes raised to the sky, "And I believe Allah really has blessed us, Alayna."

"Why?"

"Because some of these tablets are broken, and dirty with moss. And imagine if everyone had to find a special place, or a secret hideaway or some miraculous wonderland just to be told that there's a Creator, there's a purpose in life, there's a world beyond our vision that we're one day going to open up our eyes to... when really, all we need is the Quran. We don't have to look far and wide to find some 'magic' to happen. We just need the truth."

"Yeah... I guess you're right," Alayna muttered, throwing a pebble over the river waters. "We're blessed."

"Alhumdullilah," Nageen stared off at the tablets. Her head tilting.

Not everyone can access you,

But the Word of our Rabb can.

Oh how beautiful and easy our deen is

To lend us a message and a helping hand

We've forgotten our ways

Like the moss on these tablets

It's taken generations to pass

To remind us of what our past is

And yet we stand

Like boulders in sight

People pass

With grandeur and might

Wondering who

Are we in this world?

Neither here, nor there

Neither left, or right

But because we haven't chosen anything yet

Because we haven't read their footsteps yet

Of what they did

How they lead

How they behaved

How they fed

We don't know what to say

"Oh, I'm Muslim."

"What's even a Muslim? Oh- right, you cover, right? You fast in Ramadan? Oh, oh- you pray five times a day? That's cool. But what's that even? What's God? You guys believe in a God? You guys believe in all that?"

Oh worry not, anguished soul

If their questions tire you

If your tongue rolls and fails to answer

Because in truth

All that has been hidden from you

Remember the people of the past

Whom He gave favor to

Remember their struggle

Even at the face of pain and tyranny

They kept saying, "Ahad. Ahad. Ahad."

To believe in One and Only Allah.

To Believe in the Unseen.

I'm sure the names in your head are figures quite told

Their stories have been shared centuries old

Their hearts have been noticed like gold

Their adherence to faith was bold

And while you still don't know how to fix your mold

Let me tell you

It's not quite late

With each passing breath

And quickening faith

You can make your way

To Jannah's gates

But do not lay distracted or forgotten in the sand

There's something more

There's that Land

Land of Bliss and Grace

Your entirely is not this body

Your happiness is not that money

Your livelihood is not the career

You're a human being

Given to your mother by Him

Your power is in Dhikr

Your food is in your Fasting

Your time is in your Salah

Your sleep is in your Tahajjud

Your might is in your Fajr

Your friends are in the company of the Angels and the believers on earth

Your enemies are in the satan and his followers

Your work is for Allah

Or it's work of no worth

Your life is for Him

Your death is to meet Him

In this way, do I declare - the love of Allah for you that He guided you and so put yourself forth in prostration to Him

Love Him, dear soul. Love Him, fall into sajdah for Him.

Be of those who meet Him and their faces glow with joy

For they had finally passed this life's test and remembered their Rabb and pleased Him

- e . a

May Allah make us among those who He is pleased with and enter us into His Jannatul Firdaus

Ameen 🥹🌸