The Halaal Way

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ibn Abbas reported: I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said to me, "Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. If you ask, ask from Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the nations gathered together to benefit you, they could not benefit you unless Allah has decreed it for you. And if the nations gathered together to harm you, they could not harm you unless Allah has decreed it for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."
[Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2516]

An endless abyss.

It was all Kamal saw when he opened his eyes. He was alone there, without any trace of humanity. Everywhere was so white that for a moment, he thought he was in heaven. He began to look around him, hoping to set his eyes on anyone or anything. Suddenly, he saw something, or rather someone approaching him from a distance. As the person covered the distance between them, Kamal was able to pick out the person's face.

"Nehlah!" He exclaimed as he began to run towards her. He kept on running and running, but it felt like he was not covering any distance at all. She was still faraway from him.

"Nehlah I can't reach you. What is happening?" Kamal asked as he kept on running. He was already feeling tired.

At a point, he got so tired that he fell on his knees and panted heavily. He couldn't run anymore, he didn't have the strength.

Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up and he saw her standing in front of him. She flashed him a smile as she stretched out her hand for him to hold. He stretched out his hand too, but before he could reach her, a car appeared out of nowhere and hit her, splashing blood all over his face, causing him to close his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he saw her lying lifeless on the floor, her head oozing with blood. He ran towards her and placed her head on his laps, shaking her vigorously.

"Nehlaaaaaaaah!" Kamal yelled as he sprang up from the hospital bed, opening his eyes, almost plugging out the cannula that was inside his vein. About three to four doctors surrounded him and they all tried to hold him in place.

"Relax mister. Relaaaax" One of the doctors said as he gently pushed him back to lie down. He was panting heavily as he began to look around the room.

"Where is Nehlah? She got hit by a car. She's not dead right?" Kamal said in between short breaths. The doctors exchanged a meaningful look before they focused their gaze back on him.

"We'll tell you where she is only if you calm down" One of the doctors said.

Kamal looked from one face to another and all of them gave him a reassuring nod. He relaxed as his breath began to normalize.

"I am going to ask you a few questions" One of the doctors said. Kamal only looked at him. He could not even nod his head.

"What is your name?" The same doctor asked while another held a paper and a pen.

"Kamal... Idris Boris" He said staring into space.

"You were brought here together with a woman wearing a long hijab. Is she Nehlah?" The doctor asked pronouncing the name the same way he had been pronouncing it.
Actually, this was the tenth time he had yelled her name like that and each time he did, he passed out after then. It was only this time around that he opened his eyes. They had already taken the name to heart.

"Yes"

"What is your relationship with her?"

"She is my wife"