𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 55

She was sleeping in bed, her hands resting on her stomach. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, and she sat up straight, breathing heavily. Placing a hand on her chest, she rubbed it, trying to catch her breath. After a few moments, she steadied herself and looked down at her empty hands, realizing it had all been just a dream. Turning her head to the left, she was greeted by the most beautiful view in front of her eyes. This sight wasn’t new to her, but every time she saw it, it filled her with a renewed sense of admiration for this man—her man!

He was sitting on the prayer mat, engaged in his sujood. She had always watched him perform long sujoods, and after getting up, he completed his second sujood, sitting back on the mat with his hands resting on his thighs. His face glowed in the dim light of the room; she could tell he was deeply immersed in pleasing his Lord. As she gazed at him, a smile spread across her face unconsciously, and when he concluded his prayer with salam and raised his hands, she felt her heart swell.

"Ya Rabbul Alamin, I want nothing from You. The blessings You have given me over the months are so abundant that I wouldn’t be able to express enough gratitude if You gave me more," he prayed.

"I don’t know what is written for me, Ya Rabb, but I will always pray that whatever You have decreed, please let it be in my favor."

"There is one thing troubling me, though. Ayat's... she doesn’t lie, Ya Rabb, but I don’t understand why she was worried yesterday. I can't figure out the reason."

"Ya Rabb, please don’t let my fears be true. I don’t want anything from her; just her presence in my life is enough to keep me alive, Allah! Please remove any doubts from her mind!"

After finishing his prayer, he rubbed his hands over his face. Sensing someone’s gaze on him, he turned to see her smiling at him with adoration in her eyes. If peace were to take a human form, it would undoubtedly be Ayat.

He returned her smile before getting up and walking toward the shelf. Reaching for a Qur'an, he noticed her mini Qur'an, the one she kept close to her heart. He took it and moved back to the prayer area, where he found her spreading out her prayer mat. Frowning in confusion, he approached her. She looked up, smiled at him, and he recognized the gesture. With a chuckle, he bent down and laid his head on her lap. Her heart swelled with emotion; the dream she had just experienced had left her feeling heartbroken, and only this person could bring her peace since her performance of ibadat was currently prohibited.

He opened the Qur'an and spotted a highlighted verse she had marked. Looking up at her, "I used to learn the Qur'an like this, that’s why!" She answered his unasked question and smiled while stroking his hair.

"What happened, huh?" he inquired, flipping through the pages of the Qur'an in his hand. Caught off guard, she realized she had forgotten how well he could read her.

"N-nothing!" she replied, offering a nervous smile. He narrowed his eyes at her but soon returned his attention to examining the verses.

وَلَا تُجَـٰدِلْ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًۭا.

Do not advocate for those who wrong themselves. "Surely Allah does not like those who are deceitful, sinful"
Ayaan recited a highlighted verse that seemed perfectly suited for the situation and then read its meaning, emphasizing the words: "Surely Allah does not like those who are deceitful and sinful." At this, Ayat twitched her eyebrows at his remarks, and he raised his eyes to look up at her.

"Maybe my sweetheart has forgotten that lying is a sin!" he said with a tight smile. She widened her eyes; she couldn't tell him the truth because she knew he would scold her, but... she was doing it for his happiness, right? So it wasn't sinful. "I didn't lie!" she protested while gently stroking his hair. He shot her a knowing look, and she chuckled.