The Orphan Child

Chapter 5

Harris winced as another hard strike was brought upon his palm. His hands shook but Ustaad Jamal was oblivious as he repeated the process until 10 hits had been accomplished.

"Now next time think before you do something reckless boy." Ustaad Jamal sneered bringing himself down to Harris's height.

Harris bit back his remark that he was so tempted to say and instead left the room without being told to. He took his place on the brown chair and waited until his detention would be over and he would be let out by Principle Haq.

He stared at his palm and saw the lines left from the hits. His palm was redder than it had ever been and he wondered how he could hide this from his Grandma.

He stroked his palms but that was all he could do until the stinging sensation would fade away with time. It would not have been so bad if his palms had recovered from the previous hits but so be it. He won't ever hit another human being again. Allah would surely not be pleased if he turns out to be such a person.

Across the brightly lit corridor an elderly women hobbled with her walking stick struggling to make it to the ladies staff room. She had needed a rest and a good cup of tea before she could make it home. Her legs had been aching and paining even more than usual and the last past hour she had been reading all kinds of duas to help the pain ease.

"Dear boy. Please move over. My legs are about to collapse."

Harris snapped out from his deep thoughts and blinked at the Ustaada before him. She was old and moving fast towards the chair as if about to fall.

In haste he stood and helped the old women guiding her by her elbow and sitting her down. Although he never had this Ustaada as his teacher before he knew her name because she had her own bedroom in this very School that no other teacher was given. It was because she was old and got tired easily that Principle Haq had made her a seperate room to rest. The door that Harris past many times read Ustaada Amina.

"Jazakallahu khair. What a lovely boy Ma Shaa Allah." Ustaada Amina brushed the hairs of Harris with a loving hand. "But may I ask what a kind young man such as yourself is doing in detention?" Ustaada Amina asked skeptically.

Harris who didn't want to have to explain his bad behaviour a second time to this nice old lady blinked considering his options. He had already decided that he likes this lady. No other teacher had ever rubbed his head like that before, but he was afraid after she found out what he had done she would leave him to drown in his guilt.

"Ah..that's okay you don't have to tell me." Ustaada Amina says after seeing the sadness in his eyes. Although her eye sight wasn't the sharpest she could sense this boys feeling by a mere glance.

"I..done something bad." Harris admits head bowed guiltily. He didn't think Ustaada Amina was like the others and for some reason he felt comfortable with her.

"And have you asked Allah's forgiveness?"

"No...I don't think I can ask him again?"

"And why not dear?!" Came the surprised response.

"Because I have done too many sins. He might not forgive me this time."

"Oh my..this is not the way we speak of our Lord. He is Al-Ghafoor. The All-forgiving. It doesn't matter what you have done or how many times you've done it, If you turn back to him with a sincere heart then of course he will forgive. He is Allah The All-forgiving. He loves to forgive. Don't make another bad choice dear, believe me he will definitely forgive you."

"But..." Harris rubbed his aching palm which had started to itch now.

"No buts uh..." Ustaada Amina searched for his name and realised she has no idea who she is talking to.