A Match Made In Jannah

Chapter 42

NABEEL'S POV

I looked at my watch nervously.
Did Maariah tell Danyaal?
Would Danyaal hit me, or even worse, stare straight through me until I couldn't bear it and testified to the truth?

"Calm down, calm down. Maariah wouldn't have told anyone. It would have made her look bad. She wouldn't tell Danyaal of course. Danyaal is becoming an Aalim. He would have approached me earlier if it were true.

I was overthinking it. He probably just wanted to speak to me because I was going to get married to his cousin. I smiled. It would be alright.

The squeal of tyres brought me back from my thoughts and onto the situation before me. Danyaal stepped out of the car, and I knew in that instant, that something was wrong. I had a gut feeling that life was about to be turned upside down.

"Nabeel, no time to joke. I need to tell you something. I just don't know how to," Danyaal said quickly.

"Wa Alaikumus Salaam to you too, Danyaal. I'm Alhamdulillah and you?"

"Maaf. Wa Alaikumus Salaam. Alhamdulillah. Well, not really. We need to talk. I know about what happened with Maariah."

My heart dropped to the floor. I didn't know whether to defend myself and tell the truth or defend Maariah and say that I was to blame.

"Danyaal, I..."

"Nabeel. It's okay. Well, actually, it isn't okay, but Maariah told me that she made you do that to her. Still, I believe that you were a little at fault. You shouldn't have gone with her to the tent in the first place. Besides that isn't important right now."

"What do you mean it isn't important right now? I messed up Danyaal. I shouldn't have done that. It was my fault, I know. It was more my fault than hers. My Taqwa should have stopped me. The drugs shouldn't have made a difference," I raked my hand through my hair.

Danyaal let out a short, humourless laugh. "Nabeel, don't be so hard on yourself. You're a human being. We make mistakes. We also don't have the ability to withstand drugs. It's human nature to react the way you did. I just feel like you should have dealt with Maariah in a different way. Maybe if you had walked her back, none of this would have happened. Maybe if you hadn't had whatever she gave you, none of this would have happened. Still, Allah's mercy is greater than your sins, never forget that." He paused. He inhaled. He exhaled. He inhaled. He exhaled. The moments seemed to drag on. My mind flashed back to school. Could his diaphragm handle what he was doing to it at that very moment?

"Danyaal, I think you've said enough. I'll make taubah, and I'll find a way to make it up to you. Relax. I need to find Allah again." I turned on my heel and began to walk away.

Suddenly a strong arm grasped mine. "Don't leave, Nabeel. We're not done. Even if you think we are. Nabeel, you're going to be a father," Danyaal said calmly.

"In Sha Allah I will be, one day. Today though, that's the last thing I want to think about. In Sha Allah I'll have pious children with Husna and they will be flag bearers of Deen. Make dua for me."

"I don't mean that," he responded roughly. "Nabeel, look at me. Maariah is pregnant, and you're the father."