The Halaal Way

CHAPTER FIVE

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3895) and Ibn Majaah (1977)

The house was an attractive bungalow painted in gray and white, with the white colour accentuating its architectural features. A carpet grassed floor surrounded the whole building with a small garden full of flowers behind the building. It had a parking lot large enough to accommodate two cars and with the building erected some meters above ground level, the building was a sight to behold. It looked simple yet, majestic.

The building had three bedrooms, a living room with a glass wall that gave a view of the small garden, a dining room and a kitchen. Each of the room had a walk in closet attached to the bathroom. One needed to walk in through the closet to reach the bathroom. The house was well furnished with beautiful furnitures that one would fall in love with it at first sight.
This was Nihlah's new home.

In one of the rooms, Nihlah sat on the queen sized bed with her legs folded and her alkyabba covering the most of her face. She had cried so much that her eyes hurt her. Right now, she was the only person in the house and she was waiting for her groom. Groom. The word resonated in her ears as she thought of it. She would be staying with him from now on and for the rest of her life. At least, that was what she hoped. She had pleaded with Tasneem to stay with her for the night, saying Kamal wouldn't mind but Tasneem had loudly screamed,

“Haram! Besides it isn't your first time” and after putting out her tongue at her cousin, she had taken her leave.

Since Tasneem left, Nihlah didn't make an effort to move. She didn't even bother to check what her face looked like but she was sure it was a complete mess. She didn't care either, her body ached all over and her heart was heavy. All she needed was a long and comforting sleep but she wasn't sure if she would be able to get that. There was something she was feeling, it felt like fear and anxiety and the feeling chased away her sleep.

The soft knock that came on the door dragged her out of her thoughts and she slowly looked up, but because most of her face was covered, she couldn't see the door clearly; so she simply looked down. Few seconds passed and the door was slowly pushed open.
Kamal walked in, muttering a salam as he did that. Nihlah responded to his salam, though she was not loud enough so he didn't hear her.

“How are you?” She heard him ask. Tired. She wanted to say but she didn't. Instead, she said,

“Fine”

“Welcome home” Kamal said and Nihlah smiled shyly before muttering a ‘thank you’.

Silence engulfed them and Nihlah couldn't help but feel strange. In the little time she had interacted with him, Nihlah could say that any atmosphere with Kamal in it was always lively but tonight was different. It felt dull and suffocating that it made it difficult for her to breathe normally.

‘You should understand that he's probably as tired as you or even more'

Her subconscious reminded her and she agreed with it. She was being selfish.

The beeping sound of Kamal's phone brought Nihlah's attention back to him. He didn't even make an effort to open her face and she wondered why. Did he not want to see her face?
She observed as he typed away on his phone and when he was done, he stood on his feet. Seeing him stand, she anticipated that he would place his hand on her head and recite the du'a for a new bride but he did nothing close to that. Instead, he said,