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Short Gun Marriage
#WritcoStoryPrompt42
She chose her cleanest piece of clothing to wear. It was a festival afterall and she wanted to celebrate with everyone else. When she stepped into the street a speeding car drove by splashing dirty water on her.
A tear fell down her cheek. The poor had no right to celebrate. Little did she know that her life was about to change drastically from that incident. As she turned to return home, she heard the sound of vehicle coming towards her looking aside she saw it was the same car that splashed her with dirty water. She stood there admiring the most beautiful car she's ever seen her mind reeling with thoughts of how expensive it must be. Still in her thoughts she didn't see the man getting out of the car and heading towards her until he was right in front of her.
"Miss am very sorry for splashing you with dirty water, honestly I didn't expect anyone to be on the road at this time, I was sure everyone was at the festival already. Please allow me to take you home so that you can change." The lady shook her head partly to refuse the offer and the other part to unfaze her mind as the man infront of her was as handsome as they come. Everything about him was almost perfect, from his looks to his height, how he dressed and the tone of his voice! it was all enchanting.
"No thank you that won't be necessary," she said then in a low murmur continued that after all she had nothing better to wear as it is. She didn't think he heard but he did and for the first time he really looked at the girl infront of him. she couldn't be older than 20yrs and her body in those wet clothes was beautifully shaped. An hour glass body full in all the right places and curves too. Her face despite showing sadness was pretty and her lips so enchanting plump and rosy the kind you'd kiss till you drop. She might have read his mind because she hurredly turned and ran away back into the confines of the alley. Quickly he went to his car and followed her, luckily he knew this part of town well despite being from the other side. He had grown up here after all even though now it felt like many years ago. The alley path was too narrow but the tarmac road went round the block to the other entrance of the alley and since he had a car it was faster to catch up. As he alighted on the other side, he took a package he had in the car and quickly got out locking the car behind him. Just as he entered the alley he saw the girl entering one of the settlements from the other side, he called out to her asking her to wait for him. Startled the girl stopped out of curiosity as to why this rich man was wasting his time with a poor girl like her. But still she waited as something about him made her feel she could trust him.
"Here take this, it was something I was working on a prototype but the stitching didn't come out as I wanted. I was going to despose it but I'm glad I didn't." While saying this he handed her the package in his hands. The girl hesitated but since she didn't want to be rude she politely took thr package, said thank you and continued to enter into the tenament houses. Once inside she quickly removed the dirty clothes, went to the bathroom and thanked God that the water came back finally so she took a quick shower and wrapped the worn out towel she had used to dry herself around her body.
She went back to her tiny living room where she had left the package and decided to check it out. To her amazement it was a Farasha (a flowy butterfly like dress of Arabian origin.)it was made in Chiffon with high quality materials, drawn by bead and crystals décor. The white and gold theme made it so beautiful she was both shocked and excited at the same time, she didn't hesitate, quickly wore the dress, and put on the headscarf that came with it. She felt incredible and scared at the same time but excited that she can finally attend the festival. She rushed out after locking her house and headed to the festival taking the alley route that the man had stopped her from. Just as she appproached the end of the alley connecting her to the tarmac road she got surprised again as the same man was waiting right infront of her leaning on his expensive car scrolling his smart phone. She tried to pass him without raising his attention but her attempt failed as the man boldly addressed her that he was waiting for her. This shocked her to the point of stopping just a few meters from him almost at the edge of the car. She looked at him curiously a thousand thoughts passing her mind as to why he was waiting for her. As if reading her thoughts he explained that he was curious to se if the dress fit her and how it would look and also since it was getting late in the evening he felt obligated to wait for her and ensure she reached the festival safely. While saying this he opened the passenger door for her which he was previously leaning on and waited for her to enter. The girl stood her ground flabbergasted at his words. Seeing her dilemma he told her that if he had any ill intentions he would have attacked her already and that she can relax as she was safe with him. She hesitated for a while but then said a short supplication for protection and entered the passenger seat. The man closed the door then went around to his side while his heart was beating fast. The girl looked so beautiful in his dress. She probably didn't know the worth of the farasha or how many would kill just to wear his designer dresses. This particular one was hand stitched by him making it even more valuable. How is it that without any make up and just a dress she managed to outshine all the models who keeps swooning over him? He asked himself as he started the engine of his Land Cruiser V8. After starting to drive he suddenly looked her way and found her sitting timidly in the passenger seat it was almost comical. "I'm Feroz btw you are?" looking up at him she hesitated but responded "I'm Ahlam." Smiling with his enchanting smile told her it was a pleasure meeting her. They drove in silence until they reached the festival venue. Being a gentleman he got out and opened the door for her then went ahead to help her out of the car. They proceeded to enter the festival venue together unaware of the curious stares and murmurs that surrounded their entrance.
Ahlam went straight to the refreshments section. She was starving having not eaten since morning. The banquet prepared was amazing and she was spoiled for choice! from Moroccan Chicken Bastilla a savory and sweet chicken, almond and egg pie, Mechoui - Roasted Leg of Lamb or Shoulder and sweet and savory dish features saffron-infused chicken (or lamb) hidden within a mound of steamed vermicelli. The classic flavors include ginger, saffron, cinnamon, and fried almonds. There was also An impressive and lovely starter course, four different vegetables are arranged around a mound of rice salad. Lamb or fillet beef brochettes,
Krachel - Moroccan Sweet Rolls, not to forget the many varieties of non Alcoholic beverages. She quickly thanked her Creator for the Maulid festival as these amazing culinary treats would not be affordable to her otherwise. She settled for a bit of each of her favourite meals which included two very famous types of pancakes, the M’semen and the Baghrir, couscous or a special Mawlid bread sprinkled with sesame seeds. a special dish prepared for the celebration, the “caliente” which is made with flour, chickpeas, water, oil, salt and eggs, all cooked in the oven. and the found a secluded spot to enjoy her meal. She loved food and that she was never ashamed of. Ahlam was in the process of clearing her plate with her finger when she heard the soft chuckle aside from her, turning to the voice she was both surprised and embarrassed to see Feroz was the person who sat next to her! She summed up all her courage and ignored him. Took the dirty plate aside n went to refresh her self. She could feel Feroz's gaze on her and it made her uneasy. What did this guy want? Just as she was contemplating going to sit elsewhere, the mc called everyone to attention that the guest speaker was about to speak.
The guest speaker went ahead and greeted the congregation and gave salutations to prophet Muhammad and his family, then he started explaining the celebration. Mawlid is a celebration shared by the Muslim community in many countries around the world. It is a spiritual celebration meant to gather faithful at the mosque to read some passages of the Koran about the life of the Prophet. It is a way to remember his way of life and achievements. On this festive day, many educational and cultural activities were organised by the community, as Mawlid is also an opportunity to share values with the younger generation. It is also uniting celebration where the tradition is to gather together as families to share good moments, traditional meals and offer each other gifts.
After his speech the verses of Qur'an and the Maulid prayers were recited. Then they all joined in the Candle Convoy of Salé - an artistic and religious carnival. Participants in the convoy carry large frames of wood, decorated with colorful candles in various shapes taking the forms of domes and minarets, inspired from the Islamic architecture. The colored candles create Arabic words such as “Allah” (God) or praises to the prophet.
The people carrying the decorated candles started their march from the main market of Sale’s old town where the festival venue was being held. The march as usual attracted thousands of participants including tourists who dance to folk music from musical groups accompanying the crowds. The convoy reaches its destination, the “Square of Martyrs,” after travelling through some of the city’s main avenues.
All this while Ahlam and Feroz found themselves mingling together as part of the procession loughing and chanting along, Feroz supporting her time an again from mass rampage and Ahlam letting herself fully engulfed in the celebration that she forgot who was watching. Feroz held her hand tightly in his with one arm over her shoulder to protect her from the masses. How he got the courage to do so no one knows but it came naturally to him and he'd forgotten what it felt like to be this care free. How the festival ended is still a mystery and they finally found themselves back to Ahlam's alley both speechless yet very happy. It was past midnight thus Feroz had to see her home safely, they stared awkwardly at each other neither knowing what to say, after several minutes, Ahlam told him thank you and went inside. Feroz stood there feeling weird leaving her, wishing he could express the uneasiness he felt but ultimately he had to leave as he knew he's family would start worrying about him.
It was on Sunday Feroz was having brunch at his family's villa Rabat - Charming new villa, modern style, of 294m² of living space on a plot of 667m² located 5 minutes walk from the beach of Nations, in a magnificent residential, seaside and golfing site just 20 minutes from Rabat including an 18-hole golf course, a ledge, a surf club, a Paris Saint-Germain football academy, a gym and a range of high-end services. Built on 2 levels, with its 4 facades, the villa is south-east facing and very precious.
They were in the Triple Living room with marble floor and bay windows overlooking the lush green flowery garden with the sea breeze making the place so serene. His younger brother Amir was playing a football game on his phone while eating his meal, His Younger sister Noorin was chatting with their mum about the previous day madrassah's festivities. His dad as usual was reading his paper; Morocco World News is an English language e-newspaper.
His Aunt who was visiting was next to him telling him all about the potential brides she had found for him and the topic was unsettling him. He respected arranged marriages but Feroz wanted to chose his own bride just like his father had. His mother was an amazing woman well cultured, a practicing Muslimah and raised them right. Despite being wealthy they never misbehaved and earned every luxury they had aside from the basics. His parents taught them the value of self empowerment from a young age. For example he started designing clothes for both men an women since he was 11years old, by the time he was 15yrs he started working part-time in his father's textile company that manufacture and produce a wide variety of garments and apparel for both men and women. He started from the lowest position and grew in ranks till where he was now at 34yrs old and the most sought after designer in Morocco for both men and women custom made designer garments.
They were engrossed in their own interactions that they were startled when their burtler cleared his throat to get their attention. Normally they were rarely disturbed when having a family meal. So they all looked up to him. Pardon my interruption there's a commotion outside some sheikh's from Masjid Al Aadam in Salé insist on seeing you and your son Feroz immediately. Puzzled by the information both the Father and son rose up and headed outside to where the sheikh's were.
"Assalam Aleiykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh - Peace be upon you". Feroz's father greeted the sheikhs. "Welcome to my home how may we assist you" he continued.
After responding to the salams one of the sheikh handed a closed letter to Feroz and informed him he has been summoned to the masjid by the Imam the next day at 11am without fail. Surprised by the summon he opened the letter which just repeated the message issued by the sheikh written in Arabic, the only extra information was that the Imam requested for the male elders of the family to accompany him.
Once they had seen the sheikh's off after offering them refreshments and gifting them with money for the trouble of having to come deliver the letter, they went back in and everyone kept asking Feroz why he was summoned but he just remained silent not knowing what to say.
Monday 11.00am sharp found Feroz, his father and his uncle who was his dad's elder brother at the Imam's office. Unknown to Feroz, Ahlam was in a private room adjacent to the office trembling with fear her eyes red and swollen from crying.
The imam and four other elders joined them and after the greeting the Imam addressed them. "I have received troubling information that your son Feroz was seen mingling with a young lady during the maulid festivities in public, this has troubled her guardian to extreme since aside from mingling in public, Feroz was seen taking Ahlam back to her place late at night and there has been terrible rumours of what transpired between them. Please Feroz tell us your side of the story."
Shocked but composed Feroz heart was beating hard what had he done! was Ahlam okay? how could he have been so reckless! He asked himself and a nudge from his father was what unfazed him from his thoughts. He went ahead and explained his recollection of that day and the entire office were silent. Once he finished. There was a brief silence as if to digest the news. Then the Imam spoke... " Feroz, thank you for telling us the truth, your story matches word to word with Ahlam thus for the sake of Allah swt we shall accept it as the truth." He then turned to Ahlam's guardian an old man in his 70s and asked him to speak. The guardian went to narrate how Ahlam was orphaned at a young age and since he was her father's uncle and the only living relative she was entrusted unto him but due to his old age he couldn't provide the best for her thus he tried his best to keep her reputation intact so that she could one day get married into a respectable home. He told them how he struggled to keep her in school with lots of hardships and made sure her Islamic studies were not left out thus he had great hopes that he would find a suitable husband to care for his grandchild even after his death. But due to the foolishness of his 19 year old girl and the carelessness of Feroz, his grand daughter's image was tarnished and thus his dreams were shattered. After saying this the old man cried bitterly and it broke Feroz heart to pieces seeing the mess he had created.
The imam then addressed Feroz's dad and uncle asking them what they feel should be done in this situation. As his uncle was suggesting sending Ahlam to a different city, Out of nowhere Feroz stood up looked directly at the Imam and said, "I will marry Ahlam even today if need be." Shocked by his out burst everyone went silent then they all stood up and started talking at the sametime. The imam asked all of them to settle down then turned to Feroz and asked him to repeat his statement.
Calmly Feroz stood up went to the guardian who was also shocked at that time kneeled infront of him and said. "Grandfather, please forgive me for hurting you and your grandchild so carelessly, I assure you I had no ill intention by my actions and our connection happened unconsciously. I have heard your dilemma and I am here requesting and willing to marry Ahlam and give her the security she needs for as long as I live. If you accept me to marry her she will lack nothing neither shall you. Please allow me to marry Ahlam as soon as possible. Even now if possible." Still on his knees he could hear takbir's and salawats behind him, beside him and around him.
The Imam gently pulled up Feroz and hugged him with tears in his eyes. "Maa-sha-Allah son you have impressed me today, if it was any other young man taking such a responsibility would not come as easy as yours has. May Allah swt grant you Jannah." Then he turned to Feroz father and asked him if he concents to Feroz's decision, His father still in shock looked between his son an the Imam and when he saw his son nodding towards him to accept he smiled and trusted that his son was responsible enough to make the best decision for himself. "If my son accepts Ahlam as his wife then I have no objection as his father especially if her guardian accepts their union too." To this Feroz smiled brightly at his father until his father's worry for accepting the union without even seeing his future daughter in law first diminished. On the other side Ahlam's grand father cried tears of both shock and happiness. Feroz once again kneeled infront of him and wiped his tears.
The old man took Feroz's face in his palms and kissed him on both cheeks he thanked Feroz's for his offer and told him that if Ahlam agreed then they have his blessings. The Imam then asked only Feroz to follow him to the adjacent room where they found a very scared, confused and perplexed Ahlam. She had heard all that transpired and it did not make sense to her. The Imam told her that Feroz wished to marry her and that her grandfather has agreed to concent only if she accepts.
Ahlam looked at both of them then looked down. The imam asked her what she wants. And in a very silent tone she thanked Feroz for offering to marry her but said she cannot allow him to make such a sacrifice for her. She told him she releases him from his responsibility and holds nothing against him. Both the Imam and Firoz were shocked by this.
without thinking Feroz rushed to Ahlam's side, held her hand and told her gently, "I'm not sacrificing habibty, I genuinely want to marry you. From the moment I saw you I was taken by your gentle nature your innocence and your beauty. Marrying you will not be a sacrifice but a wonderful endeavor so please allow me the honour of being your life partner." This shocked Ahlam to the core, her eyes went wild and she looked into Feroz eyes and saw he was telling the truth so meekly she nodded in acceptance. The imam asked her to vocalize her anwer and she smiled and said I accept to be married to Feroz. To this Feroz was over come with joy and hugged her tightly only to be separated by the coughing of the imam behind them.
...
To be Continued.
© Saadiya Nasser
She chose her cleanest piece of clothing to wear. It was a festival afterall and she wanted to celebrate with everyone else. When she stepped into the street a speeding car drove by splashing dirty water on her.
A tear fell down her cheek. The poor had no right to celebrate. Little did she know that her life was about to change drastically from that incident. As she turned to return home, she heard the sound of vehicle coming towards her looking aside she saw it was the same car that splashed her with dirty water. She stood there admiring the most beautiful car she's ever seen her mind reeling with thoughts of how expensive it must be. Still in her thoughts she didn't see the man getting out of the car and heading towards her until he was right in front of her.
"Miss am very sorry for splashing you with dirty water, honestly I didn't expect anyone to be on the road at this time, I was sure everyone was at the festival already. Please allow me to take you home so that you can change." The lady shook her head partly to refuse the offer and the other part to unfaze her mind as the man infront of her was as handsome as they come. Everything about him was almost perfect, from his looks to his height, how he dressed and the tone of his voice! it was all enchanting.
"No thank you that won't be necessary," she said then in a low murmur continued that after all she had nothing better to wear as it is. She didn't think he heard but he did and for the first time he really looked at the girl infront of him. she couldn't be older than 20yrs and her body in those wet clothes was beautifully shaped. An hour glass body full in all the right places and curves too. Her face despite showing sadness was pretty and her lips so enchanting plump and rosy the kind you'd kiss till you drop. She might have read his mind because she hurredly turned and ran away back into the confines of the alley. Quickly he went to his car and followed her, luckily he knew this part of town well despite being from the other side. He had grown up here after all even though now it felt like many years ago. The alley path was too narrow but the tarmac road went round the block to the other entrance of the alley and since he had a car it was faster to catch up. As he alighted on the other side, he took a package he had in the car and quickly got out locking the car behind him. Just as he entered the alley he saw the girl entering one of the settlements from the other side, he called out to her asking her to wait for him. Startled the girl stopped out of curiosity as to why this rich man was wasting his time with a poor girl like her. But still she waited as something about him made her feel she could trust him.
"Here take this, it was something I was working on a prototype but the stitching didn't come out as I wanted. I was going to despose it but I'm glad I didn't." While saying this he handed her the package in his hands. The girl hesitated but since she didn't want to be rude she politely took thr package, said thank you and continued to enter into the tenament houses. Once inside she quickly removed the dirty clothes, went to the bathroom and thanked God that the water came back finally so she took a quick shower and wrapped the worn out towel she had used to dry herself around her body.
She went back to her tiny living room where she had left the package and decided to check it out. To her amazement it was a Farasha (a flowy butterfly like dress of Arabian origin.)it was made in Chiffon with high quality materials, drawn by bead and crystals décor. The white and gold theme made it so beautiful she was both shocked and excited at the same time, she didn't hesitate, quickly wore the dress, and put on the headscarf that came with it. She felt incredible and scared at the same time but excited that she can finally attend the festival. She rushed out after locking her house and headed to the festival taking the alley route that the man had stopped her from. Just as she appproached the end of the alley connecting her to the tarmac road she got surprised again as the same man was waiting right infront of her leaning on his expensive car scrolling his smart phone. She tried to pass him without raising his attention but her attempt failed as the man boldly addressed her that he was waiting for her. This shocked her to the point of stopping just a few meters from him almost at the edge of the car. She looked at him curiously a thousand thoughts passing her mind as to why he was waiting for her. As if reading her thoughts he explained that he was curious to se if the dress fit her and how it would look and also since it was getting late in the evening he felt obligated to wait for her and ensure she reached the festival safely. While saying this he opened the passenger door for her which he was previously leaning on and waited for her to enter. The girl stood her ground flabbergasted at his words. Seeing her dilemma he told her that if he had any ill intentions he would have attacked her already and that she can relax as she was safe with him. She hesitated for a while but then said a short supplication for protection and entered the passenger seat. The man closed the door then went around to his side while his heart was beating fast. The girl looked so beautiful in his dress. She probably didn't know the worth of the farasha or how many would kill just to wear his designer dresses. This particular one was hand stitched by him making it even more valuable. How is it that without any make up and just a dress she managed to outshine all the models who keeps swooning over him? He asked himself as he started the engine of his Land Cruiser V8. After starting to drive he suddenly looked her way and found her sitting timidly in the passenger seat it was almost comical. "I'm Feroz btw you are?" looking up at him she hesitated but responded "I'm Ahlam." Smiling with his enchanting smile told her it was a pleasure meeting her. They drove in silence until they reached the festival venue. Being a gentleman he got out and opened the door for her then went ahead to help her out of the car. They proceeded to enter the festival venue together unaware of the curious stares and murmurs that surrounded their entrance.
Ahlam went straight to the refreshments section. She was starving having not eaten since morning. The banquet prepared was amazing and she was spoiled for choice! from Moroccan Chicken Bastilla a savory and sweet chicken, almond and egg pie, Mechoui - Roasted Leg of Lamb or Shoulder and sweet and savory dish features saffron-infused chicken (or lamb) hidden within a mound of steamed vermicelli. The classic flavors include ginger, saffron, cinnamon, and fried almonds. There was also An impressive and lovely starter course, four different vegetables are arranged around a mound of rice salad. Lamb or fillet beef brochettes,
Krachel - Moroccan Sweet Rolls, not to forget the many varieties of non Alcoholic beverages. She quickly thanked her Creator for the Maulid festival as these amazing culinary treats would not be affordable to her otherwise. She settled for a bit of each of her favourite meals which included two very famous types of pancakes, the M’semen and the Baghrir, couscous or a special Mawlid bread sprinkled with sesame seeds. a special dish prepared for the celebration, the “caliente” which is made with flour, chickpeas, water, oil, salt and eggs, all cooked in the oven. and the found a secluded spot to enjoy her meal. She loved food and that she was never ashamed of. Ahlam was in the process of clearing her plate with her finger when she heard the soft chuckle aside from her, turning to the voice she was both surprised and embarrassed to see Feroz was the person who sat next to her! She summed up all her courage and ignored him. Took the dirty plate aside n went to refresh her self. She could feel Feroz's gaze on her and it made her uneasy. What did this guy want? Just as she was contemplating going to sit elsewhere, the mc called everyone to attention that the guest speaker was about to speak.
The guest speaker went ahead and greeted the congregation and gave salutations to prophet Muhammad and his family, then he started explaining the celebration. Mawlid is a celebration shared by the Muslim community in many countries around the world. It is a spiritual celebration meant to gather faithful at the mosque to read some passages of the Koran about the life of the Prophet. It is a way to remember his way of life and achievements. On this festive day, many educational and cultural activities were organised by the community, as Mawlid is also an opportunity to share values with the younger generation. It is also uniting celebration where the tradition is to gather together as families to share good moments, traditional meals and offer each other gifts.
After his speech the verses of Qur'an and the Maulid prayers were recited. Then they all joined in the Candle Convoy of Salé - an artistic and religious carnival. Participants in the convoy carry large frames of wood, decorated with colorful candles in various shapes taking the forms of domes and minarets, inspired from the Islamic architecture. The colored candles create Arabic words such as “Allah” (God) or praises to the prophet.
The people carrying the decorated candles started their march from the main market of Sale’s old town where the festival venue was being held. The march as usual attracted thousands of participants including tourists who dance to folk music from musical groups accompanying the crowds. The convoy reaches its destination, the “Square of Martyrs,” after travelling through some of the city’s main avenues.
All this while Ahlam and Feroz found themselves mingling together as part of the procession loughing and chanting along, Feroz supporting her time an again from mass rampage and Ahlam letting herself fully engulfed in the celebration that she forgot who was watching. Feroz held her hand tightly in his with one arm over her shoulder to protect her from the masses. How he got the courage to do so no one knows but it came naturally to him and he'd forgotten what it felt like to be this care free. How the festival ended is still a mystery and they finally found themselves back to Ahlam's alley both speechless yet very happy. It was past midnight thus Feroz had to see her home safely, they stared awkwardly at each other neither knowing what to say, after several minutes, Ahlam told him thank you and went inside. Feroz stood there feeling weird leaving her, wishing he could express the uneasiness he felt but ultimately he had to leave as he knew he's family would start worrying about him.
It was on Sunday Feroz was having brunch at his family's villa Rabat - Charming new villa, modern style, of 294m² of living space on a plot of 667m² located 5 minutes walk from the beach of Nations, in a magnificent residential, seaside and golfing site just 20 minutes from Rabat including an 18-hole golf course, a ledge, a surf club, a Paris Saint-Germain football academy, a gym and a range of high-end services. Built on 2 levels, with its 4 facades, the villa is south-east facing and very precious.
They were in the Triple Living room with marble floor and bay windows overlooking the lush green flowery garden with the sea breeze making the place so serene. His younger brother Amir was playing a football game on his phone while eating his meal, His Younger sister Noorin was chatting with their mum about the previous day madrassah's festivities. His dad as usual was reading his paper; Morocco World News is an English language e-newspaper.
His Aunt who was visiting was next to him telling him all about the potential brides she had found for him and the topic was unsettling him. He respected arranged marriages but Feroz wanted to chose his own bride just like his father had. His mother was an amazing woman well cultured, a practicing Muslimah and raised them right. Despite being wealthy they never misbehaved and earned every luxury they had aside from the basics. His parents taught them the value of self empowerment from a young age. For example he started designing clothes for both men an women since he was 11years old, by the time he was 15yrs he started working part-time in his father's textile company that manufacture and produce a wide variety of garments and apparel for both men and women. He started from the lowest position and grew in ranks till where he was now at 34yrs old and the most sought after designer in Morocco for both men and women custom made designer garments.
They were engrossed in their own interactions that they were startled when their burtler cleared his throat to get their attention. Normally they were rarely disturbed when having a family meal. So they all looked up to him. Pardon my interruption there's a commotion outside some sheikh's from Masjid Al Aadam in Salé insist on seeing you and your son Feroz immediately. Puzzled by the information both the Father and son rose up and headed outside to where the sheikh's were.
"Assalam Aleiykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh - Peace be upon you". Feroz's father greeted the sheikhs. "Welcome to my home how may we assist you" he continued.
After responding to the salams one of the sheikh handed a closed letter to Feroz and informed him he has been summoned to the masjid by the Imam the next day at 11am without fail. Surprised by the summon he opened the letter which just repeated the message issued by the sheikh written in Arabic, the only extra information was that the Imam requested for the male elders of the family to accompany him.
Once they had seen the sheikh's off after offering them refreshments and gifting them with money for the trouble of having to come deliver the letter, they went back in and everyone kept asking Feroz why he was summoned but he just remained silent not knowing what to say.
Monday 11.00am sharp found Feroz, his father and his uncle who was his dad's elder brother at the Imam's office. Unknown to Feroz, Ahlam was in a private room adjacent to the office trembling with fear her eyes red and swollen from crying.
The imam and four other elders joined them and after the greeting the Imam addressed them. "I have received troubling information that your son Feroz was seen mingling with a young lady during the maulid festivities in public, this has troubled her guardian to extreme since aside from mingling in public, Feroz was seen taking Ahlam back to her place late at night and there has been terrible rumours of what transpired between them. Please Feroz tell us your side of the story."
Shocked but composed Feroz heart was beating hard what had he done! was Ahlam okay? how could he have been so reckless! He asked himself and a nudge from his father was what unfazed him from his thoughts. He went ahead and explained his recollection of that day and the entire office were silent. Once he finished. There was a brief silence as if to digest the news. Then the Imam spoke... " Feroz, thank you for telling us the truth, your story matches word to word with Ahlam thus for the sake of Allah swt we shall accept it as the truth." He then turned to Ahlam's guardian an old man in his 70s and asked him to speak. The guardian went to narrate how Ahlam was orphaned at a young age and since he was her father's uncle and the only living relative she was entrusted unto him but due to his old age he couldn't provide the best for her thus he tried his best to keep her reputation intact so that she could one day get married into a respectable home. He told them how he struggled to keep her in school with lots of hardships and made sure her Islamic studies were not left out thus he had great hopes that he would find a suitable husband to care for his grandchild even after his death. But due to the foolishness of his 19 year old girl and the carelessness of Feroz, his grand daughter's image was tarnished and thus his dreams were shattered. After saying this the old man cried bitterly and it broke Feroz heart to pieces seeing the mess he had created.
The imam then addressed Feroz's dad and uncle asking them what they feel should be done in this situation. As his uncle was suggesting sending Ahlam to a different city, Out of nowhere Feroz stood up looked directly at the Imam and said, "I will marry Ahlam even today if need be." Shocked by his out burst everyone went silent then they all stood up and started talking at the sametime. The imam asked all of them to settle down then turned to Feroz and asked him to repeat his statement.
Calmly Feroz stood up went to the guardian who was also shocked at that time kneeled infront of him and said. "Grandfather, please forgive me for hurting you and your grandchild so carelessly, I assure you I had no ill intention by my actions and our connection happened unconsciously. I have heard your dilemma and I am here requesting and willing to marry Ahlam and give her the security she needs for as long as I live. If you accept me to marry her she will lack nothing neither shall you. Please allow me to marry Ahlam as soon as possible. Even now if possible." Still on his knees he could hear takbir's and salawats behind him, beside him and around him.
The Imam gently pulled up Feroz and hugged him with tears in his eyes. "Maa-sha-Allah son you have impressed me today, if it was any other young man taking such a responsibility would not come as easy as yours has. May Allah swt grant you Jannah." Then he turned to Feroz father and asked him if he concents to Feroz's decision, His father still in shock looked between his son an the Imam and when he saw his son nodding towards him to accept he smiled and trusted that his son was responsible enough to make the best decision for himself. "If my son accepts Ahlam as his wife then I have no objection as his father especially if her guardian accepts their union too." To this Feroz smiled brightly at his father until his father's worry for accepting the union without even seeing his future daughter in law first diminished. On the other side Ahlam's grand father cried tears of both shock and happiness. Feroz once again kneeled infront of him and wiped his tears.
The old man took Feroz's face in his palms and kissed him on both cheeks he thanked Feroz's for his offer and told him that if Ahlam agreed then they have his blessings. The Imam then asked only Feroz to follow him to the adjacent room where they found a very scared, confused and perplexed Ahlam. She had heard all that transpired and it did not make sense to her. The Imam told her that Feroz wished to marry her and that her grandfather has agreed to concent only if she accepts.
Ahlam looked at both of them then looked down. The imam asked her what she wants. And in a very silent tone she thanked Feroz for offering to marry her but said she cannot allow him to make such a sacrifice for her. She told him she releases him from his responsibility and holds nothing against him. Both the Imam and Firoz were shocked by this.
without thinking Feroz rushed to Ahlam's side, held her hand and told her gently, "I'm not sacrificing habibty, I genuinely want to marry you. From the moment I saw you I was taken by your gentle nature your innocence and your beauty. Marrying you will not be a sacrifice but a wonderful endeavor so please allow me the honour of being your life partner." This shocked Ahlam to the core, her eyes went wild and she looked into Feroz eyes and saw he was telling the truth so meekly she nodded in acceptance. The imam asked her to vocalize her anwer and she smiled and said I accept to be married to Feroz. To this Feroz was over come with joy and hugged her tightly only to be separated by the coughing of the imam behind them.
...
To be Continued.
© Saadiya Nasser
