Alnihayya

||S m a r t||

F o r t y  E i g h t
This one is for desertrose001
:)

"If you want to sleep peacefully
in the grave, you have to wake up in the dunya."

☆

Mashal

White sheets were spread out, the funeral prayer was performed, gasping cries and choking sobs echoed as the body was taken away to be buried.

Me and Saddia stayed with Zara the whole time. No one else dared to come near the screaming, seemingly mad Zara. They just sat around her with grim faces and teary eyes. No one knew what to say to her, how to soothe her aching heart.

I recited verses of the Quran to her, Saddia informed her about a hadith that her brother was lucky to die in Ramadan and on top of that, die as a shaheed. A martyr.

But Zara's sorrow grew more profound with each passing second, even though the tears dried out.

Isha was prayed late and by the time taraweeh ended, it was time for suhoor and no one slept until after fajr.

Zara wasn't in a state to be left alone so I volunteered to sleep in her room. I didn't see Zeyara since he went for the burial but I was positive that he wasn't going to sleep at all. He was as shaken as Zara, he just wasn't good at expressing it.

Zara on the other hand was really good at expressing it. Nearly everyone could feel the heaviness in her limbs. She stopped talking to anyone. She would not speak at all and if it was really necessary, she would simply nod her head instead of speaking. I stayed beside her in her room even though she wasn't willing. Saddia brought our iftaar and suhoor in the room. She was aware that Zara was too deeply grieved to eat with a crowd of sympathetic people. I didn't want to stop practicing the fighting skills I had learnt so I practiced in the room doing random push-ups and punching the air. Other than that, I never left the room.

On the third day of Zeyara bin Hamid's death, however, everyone including me and Zara gathered in the cavern.
Zara was reluctant to go but the leaders had to make an important announcement and all the members had to be present.

We were all sitting on the carpets, staring at the empty stage, waiting for the leaders to come and make the announcement. Zara had her head on my shoulder and eyes closed, refusing to look at a world without her brother.

A while later, Saddia approached me and kneeled down as she said. "There you are! Miss you are a leader. You have to go up with the other leaders."

I stared at her dumbfounded and then glanced at the sad girl resting on my shoulder expectantly.

"I'm okay. Go." Zara murmured, lifting her head up with difficulty.

"Are you sure?" I asked, giving her hand a light squeeze.
Her pale face nodded a yes, allowing me to go.
Saddia instructed me to go to the back of the stage where the other leaders were waiting. I followed her cue and was greeted by a number of recognisable faces. There was a masked person.....baba, the leaders and Zeyara without the balaclava mask.

But none of that mattered because as soon as I saw Zeyara, I couldn't hold myself. I ran up to him and threw my arms around his shoulders, finally feeling complete.
The feel of him being so close to me soothed me even though he didn't hug back and stood there awkwardly.
I'm positive I would've never let go until Zeyara sheepishly whispered in my ear. "Uh- people are staring zawjati. You can hug me as much as you want when we're alone."