The Nearest Heaven ✔️

Part 22 - Growth and Love

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Part 22 – Growth and love

"And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect."

Surah Kahf, verse 28.

After their first date as a married couple, Fadiyah and Faraaz grew closer and closer to one another, until they eventually acted like extensions of one another. They could finish one another's sentences and thoughts. They were a lot more at ease with each other, no longer did Fadiyah act like an uncomfortable stranger in their home. She walked around with a broad and cheerful smile on her face and always a compliment to anyone she saw.

To ensure that they could spend more time together, Faraaz had hired a full-time housekeeper. Her duties entailed running the house the way Fadiyah saw fit. It may have been slightly presumptuous of Faraaz to do it, but one part of his reasoning was that should Fadiyah fall pregnant, there will be someone to help her in managing everything that she wanted. Faraaz realised that since her parents' accident Fadiyah had developed a habit in trying to gain control over everything if she could. He did not approve of her trying to do that, because he felt like it was his job to take care of her and to ensure that all of her wants were taken care of. For that reason alone, Faraaz began to work twice as hard as before in his therapy sessions.

He did not want to consummate their marriage unless he could walk. To him, his reason seemed legitimate: he did not want to force Fadiyah into a marriage where she felt like she was obligated. "Focus, Faraaz," he hissed to himself. "She said that she loves you. She is not feeling forced! No, work harder!"

Since their date, he had increased his therapy hours. His physiotherapist had told him that his entire body still had sensation and that within another three months, In Shaa Allah, he will be able to stand. Another three months, and then he could hopefully walk. However, Faraaz had set a personal goal, and that was to be able to walk in four months. The intensive physical therapy was focused on strengthening his muscles and re-learning to use them. For six hours a day, he pushed himself to heal; and when he was not at physiotherapy, he spent an hour to an hour and a half with a psychologist twice a week. Faraaz wanted to ensure that he bettered himself, for Fadiyah and for himself. He wanted to be a better man.

The very first step that had made him realise that he wanted to be a better man was the time when Fadiyah began reading Qur'aan to him. Shame filled his heart and instantly he felt guilt at forgetting his Lord. Allah had saved his life and yet, he had moaned the lost of usage of his limbs when he could have very easily lost his life. As from that day onwards, Faraaz had become punctual with making his salaah. Thereafter, he begun listening to the Qur'aan with earphones so that he could start re-learning all those Surahs that he knew off by heart previously.

Currently, as he focused on lifting his leg with the use of some stretchy band that was attached to a machine, he subconsciously began reading Surah Kahf. Slowly, as the words flowed from memory, he recalled some of the meaning. Verse by verse, he recanted the story and the lessons.

The story about the man with the two gardens suddenly began to make sense to him.

'Two men, one small town. One man was poor, but happy with what Allah had blessed him with. While the other man, he was rich, blessed endlessly with Allah's mercy on his lands. His gardens were beautiful, his trees bore ripe fruit and he had rivers flowing through his lands, but he was arrogant, and greedy. He constantly boasted that his wealth was due to him alone. That with all this wealth, he would never be poor. The man never thanked Allah for His blessings on the man, and never did he give charity to the poor. The poor man had reminded him to give thanks to Allah, he reminded him that one day he will have to give account of his wealth and what he did with it, but in his arrogance, he did not believe the poor man. Instead of thanking Allah, he bragged and said that he does not have to worry about giving account because he is wealthy in this life. Sadly, his conceit had led to his downfall. When he went to sleep that night, Allah had sent a terrible storm which caused his rivers to dry up and caused him to lose all his fruits. Upon seeing this sight, he regretted not heeding to the poor man's advice and wept in desolation.'