Requital (COMPLETED)

Chapter 8 - The sacred journey.

"And when my servants ask you, Oh Muhammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ), concerning me, Indeed I am near.
I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon me.
So let them respond to me
(My obedience) and  believe in me so that they be rightly guided."

(Al-Quraan Al Kareem)

***

Prior to the crack of dawn, before the sun  rose from it's apointed place and washed the earth with its radiance, before the birds left their nests in search for their sustenance of the day, before the hubbub of the city could resume, before mankind could carry out their mundane tasks, before the rest of creation could rise up and answer to the call of fajr.

When the night lowered its veils of darkness, when sleep is beloved and sweet, when the soft, fluffy pillows entice mankind, and the bed invites one and all into its warmth.

When Allah Ta'allah answers supplications, only a few chosen bondsmen of Allah suceed in awakening at the dead of the night soley to worship Him and today Yusaira was one of those fortunate ones.

She was not steadfast with the tahjjud Salaah, but whenever she was able to perform it, she would try her best to. 

When darkness encompassed all light, in the darkness of the night, in the darkness of the house, in the darkness of her room. At the furthest corner, she sat on her musallah, supplicating to Allah SWT for all that her heart desired.

She  begged Allah SWT for forgiveness, asked Allah SWT to keep her steadfast upon her religion, for prosperity in the world and in the hereafter, for chastisement from the fire, for entrance into Jannah, for an easy reckoning, for an enlightened qabr, for protection against all types of evil, for a patient heart, for a grateful  tongue and  whatever else had crossed her mind.

It is mentioned that tahajjd is like an arrow that never misses its target, and she had full faith that it was.

She was well aware that this was one of the best times to supplicate to her Lord and today she defeated shaytaan and rose early, and she never regretted. She felt more at peace than she would  any other time.

She felt as if though it was her special moment, with her whispering all her hearts desires and Allah Ta'allah listening attentively to each and every word that she uttered. This was her communiaction with her Beloved Allah, it was just her and her Beloved, Merciful, Bountiful,Supreme Lord and she loved every moment of it immensely.

Once she completed with her supplication, she made her way to the cupboard, gently taking the Quraan from the top shelf, she settled down back on the musallah, placing a cushion on her lap, and settled  the Quraan on the cushion.

She smiled down at the Quraan covered in a grape purple, velvety material, along the edges were beautiful golden carvings, beautifullly and intricately designed.

Her grandmother had gifted her the Holy Quraan along with the cover at the age of twelve, when she had completed her hifdh.

From a young age, she had shown a keen interest in memorizing the Quraan, her granny had been overjoyed when she discovered  her love and attachment to the Quraan.

When Yusaira had just turned nine,  her grandmother had urged her foster parents to allow her to do hifdh along with Laeeq and Alhamdulillah with the help of Allah SWT, and with Laeeqs help, side by side they both had memorized the Holy Quraan.