A Blissed and Blessed Arafah

19. In Him... Hope is Never Dead

Bismillahi Rrahmaani Rraheem.

My Lovely readers.. I hope you are in best state of health and faith.. and if Not.. May Allah cure your hearts and ease your affairs.

As I write today on 10 May 2018, one of my close friends is seriously ill.. She is in pain SubhanaAllaah.. I beg you to please remember her in your dua's

That.. May Allah grant her cure, remove her pain, grant her and her family swabrun jameel. I pray that she reaches Ramadhan in sound health and faith. Ameeen.

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Tasneem was talking to her husband Aliy in their sitting room as they were having dinner. The couple had both agreed that eating on the floor was much better and cuter, so they left the dining table for guests only. After all it is considered as sunnah.

And it was narrated that the prophet may peace be upon him said: "I eat as a slave eats and I sit as a slave sits."

Categorized as saheeh by Albaani.

It was also narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never ate at a khiwaan or a sikrujjah, and he never had any soft bread." I said to Qutaadah: "What did he used to eat from?" He said, "A cloth (spread on the floor)."

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5099).

A khiwaan is a kind of tray on which food is placed.

A sikrujjah is a vessel in which appetizers are placed.

Like the case in many families, there too, dinner was the only bonding moment, Ali's busy schedule made it hard for them to talk often. There was a moment where they had felt so distanced until their counselor suggested that come rain come sun always and always have dinner together.

Tasneem was a teacher at one kindergarten in their neighborhood whereas Aliy worked as a business manager in one of his father's shops. He was in charge of two of his shops which sold motor vehicles' spare parts and various machines. In addition to that, he had enrolled in an evening classes diploma course on business management. That explained how he came home very exhausted.

"One chapati only?" Tasneem felt hurt on his husband's new behaviors. "Come on! Add at least one more." He used to finish three.

"Habibty, am on diet, remember?" Aliy was avoiding her gaze, something he would do every time he was giving half-truths.

"Ok, then a half." She pleaded.

Aliy raised his eyes and looked at her. He needed to find that person who stated that wives were an accumulation of friend, sister, brother, buddy, mother and father all in one and give him a gift. That mother part was the truest of all.

Her eyes were pleading making it hard for him to resist. He held her hand giving it a soft brush. "Please my wife..." he hated to say it, but there was no other way out, "I can't."

'My wife' That term was only used when Aliy was in dead-serious mood. Tasneem started sniffing as if she was trying hard not to cry.

"All shall be well, habiby. Just trust Allah. Remember Tawakkul is trusting that Allah shall open a way for you, just as you trust the sun to rise after Fajr."

"Let us increase our Istighfar and decrease over thinking, cause Allah opens through istighfar (seeking forgiveness) doors which do not open through over thinking."

Several days back, Aliy had come home truly shaken. For the first time since they got married a couple of years back, Aliy refused to eat. That was when they had been growing apart, something that had a great effect on Tasneem.