ON HOLD The perks of being a Hafizah

Hardship and ease?

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

Amatullah's POV

My mind was blank and there was nothing I could do about it.

My eyes made there way towards the masjid clock. I was now upstairs settled on the floor, leaning upon the bench with my arms stretched across.

The noise from the classroom, once loud and vivid, began to tune down, like as if my brain had developed a volume button that muted all sound.
And from that very moment I let myself delve into the clock, oblivious to the group discussion, making out each minute and within that minute each second, the composure of the clock, it's wooden artwork that adorned the time within; like a wrapped sweet that is demanded to be eaten much like time; it's faceting entity, how it had begun to shape us into scavenging beings, product of constrain to finish what is unfinished and to do what has been undone.

"Amatullah?" I voice spoke to me.

I turned my head towards the head desk where my Apa (teacher) was sitting.

By this time the classroom was isolated, benches all unaccompanied.

"Come here" she tapped the floor right next to her.

I got up from my place and hesitated whether to sit opposite the desk where all pupils sit or where she was pointing.

"Come here Amatullah" she said calmly.

I sat next to her and before I knew it, her arms wrapped around me.

I hugged her back and the sweet smell of Bakhoor emanated from her clothes.

She let go and smiled at me and held my hands.

"Amatullah, I know it's difficult what you had heard about Zahra and I understand. " her eyes searched my face for a definitive answer.

I, on the other hand looked blankly.

"With every hardship comes ease" she filled the silence.

"That is after she has suffered Apa, I want to help her now" my voice began to hint signs of remorse and pity for Zahra which Apa sensed.

"I said WITH every hardship comes ease. Not after, but rather with. Amatullah, ease comes at the same time as hardship. Growing up, I too understood the ayah wrongly. I used to think it meant ; after hardship comes ease when it really means that it is together. Amatullah, nothing in this life is ever all bad or all good. In every bad situation we are in there is always something to be grateful for. With hardship, Allah also gives us the strength and patience to bear it. If we study the all the difficult and problematic times in or lives, they are also filled with a lot of good. And the question is- which one do we focus on? Life isn't perfect Amatullah, and so nothing is perfectly good or perfectly bad.....that's for the hereafter which is filled with the perfection of things. Jannah is perfectly and completely good and jahannam is perfectly and completely bad. Don't worry for Zahra Amatullah for indeed Allah swt has something good in store for her in this"

Apa projected a glowing smile, that's gave light to my wondering self back to the right way.

She was right.....

"Jizakallah jizakallah jizakallah jizakallah!" I repeated while embracing her in a hug.

"Wa iyyakum Amatullah" she said White struggled in my grasp.

"Oh sorry Apa!" I picked up my bag and Ran for the door.

"Assalamualaykum Apa!" I shouted at her.

"Wa alaykum Salam wa rehmatullah!" She attempted to shout with her soft gentle voice.

I flew out of the door and down the stairs and in no time I was out of the masjid struggling with placing my second shoe on.

"Amatullah" I turned around to a large figure, broad in width fixed with a subtle smile and accompanied with a short beard begging to grow.

"Assalamualaykum Moulana"

"How is hifz?" His voice was deep and course but hinted his beautiful Quranic recitation.

"Urm, okay moulana I guess" i hesitantly replied.

"Your exams in 1 month you know end of ear. My boys been training hard hard you know" he said challengingly while opening his car.

The EXAMS!!!!!!!!!!

YA Allah!!!!! The exams!!!!

From complete reassurance that I was on track with my Hifz to feeling utterly deprived of success, i glared at the moulana in complete shock.

"You revising?" He spoke while sitting in his car. He shut the door and opened his window.

"Urm not yet moulana" my voice shook.

He let out a low monotoned laugh.

"In sha Allah I'll see you in first place" he smiled and drove off leaving me in utter pessimism.

Great!

From every hardship comes ease....in sha Allah!