Zahraa scrambled to gather all her stuff before leaving, unconsciously going through the list in her mind. Purse in bag, check. Cellphone, check. Presents, check. Quickly, before leaving her bedroom, she glanced at her mirror one more time to make sure that her hijaab was perfectly in place. She hurriedly made her way to the front door, hoping that she hadn’t forgotten anything. Her mother, Farida, was busy in the kitchen and stopped her as she hurried out.
“Relax” she said reassuringly “Miriam is not even here yet is she?”
“No” said Zahraa stumbling around with the presents. “She’ll be here any second though- I just spoke to her now and she says that she’s a few blocks away.”
“So what time will Hafsah be there?” Farida asked.”
“Well, we told Bilquis to hold her off for a while longer" replied Zahraa "but I don’t know how much longer she’ll be able to do that without Hafsah getting suspicious.”
Zahraa, Miriam and a few other friends had decided to throw a surprise get together for Hafsah. Hafsah, married for 2 years now, was just one month away from giving birth to her first child. While Zahraa and Miriam had not been so close to Hafsah in high school, the three were now inseparable. Out of the confines of the restrictive high school atmosphere and the pressures that the teens faced, they had really actually come to appreciate and enjoy each other's company.
Since Hafsah had never been close to any of her family members, Zahraa and Miriam had gone all out in trying to make this time special for her. They had arranged a small get together between Hafsah’s closest friends, made sure that her husband Suhail had made other plans, and ensured that the venue ( Hafsah’s lounge), was well decorated and furnished for the event. Bilquis, another friend of Hafsah’s had taken on the responsibility of keeping Hafsah out of the house. Everything was perfect- Until now. Now Miriam, who was on her way to fetch Zahraa, was 30 minutes late due to traffic, all the guests were awaiting their arrival, and Hafsah was getting extremely antsy to return home.
Just then Zahraa heard the sound of the hooter and immediately made her way out.
“ Assalamu alaikum mummy!” she screamed as she ran towards Miriam’s car. As soon as she entered Miriam gave her one of her ‘chill out’ looks to which Zahraa replied “Don’t even tell me not to stress, we’re already half an hour late!” Miriam knew better than to argue with an irritable Zahraa so she quickly got the car ready, waved to Zahraa’s mother and drove off to Hafsah’s house.
They were there in just 10 minutes and hurriedly set up all the final arrangements. No sooner had they arrived when Miriam’s phone beeped with the arrival of a sms from Bilquis informing her that she and Hafsah were now headed home.
They had kept the invitation list small and intimate and had rearranged all the furniture in Hafsah’s lounge. With comfy blankets spread out on the floor, tables spread with different savouries and snacks, one corner filled with all the presents and a big comfy chair for Hafsah to sit in; all the arrangements were finally done. Just then Miriam came into the lounge to get them all ready.
“Ok” she said. “Bilquis just sms’ed to say that they five minutes away. So it won’t be much longer now. Everybody ready?”
Since they didn’t all want to jump out and scream surprise at an 8 month pregnant woman, they had planned the perfect surprise. On Hafsah’s arrival, Miriam would first go outside and present Hafsah with one present and a gentle surprise. Hafsah would be baffled to see Miriam there- after all, she was supposed to come home to her husband. Then slowly by slowly each one of her friends would each come out, ushering her into the house. This way, they thought, she would be afforded a gentle and subtle surprise.
When Hafsah and Bilquis arrived- ten minutes later, they all jumped up and prepared for all their roles. The plan went exactly as expected without any problems. Hafsah was graciously surprised, in fact, she actually began crying:
“You guys did all of this for me” she sobbed softly, “It’s so sweet”.
“Are you crying?” said Zahraa and Miriam in unison.
“Seriously Hafsah” continued Miriam, “It’s just a silly little get-together, it’s no big deal.”
Hafsah, clearly hormonal, replied with a sharp admonition: “Of course it’s a big deal, look at all that you guys did. There’s food and presents, and food.”
To this everybody laughed. For the past eight months Hafsah had been experiencing strange cravings and had been spending an increased amount of time eating. Her friends constantly teased her for all that she ate.
“Well then come and sit down already” Zahraa said excitedly. “For the next few hours we will be waiting on you hand and foot, just don’t take us up on that foot offer ok? We’ve got all your favourites- there’s even choc mint ice cream in the freezer, and we’ve got silly games, great presents and even better company.”
And with that their little party got off to a great start.
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Chapter 2: Old Flames and Good Friends
Two hours later Hafsah, Zahraa and Miriam sat laughing and talking animatedly. All the opened presents were neatly stacked in the corner while the discarded wrapping paper was strewn over the floor. The other women had all left more than an hour ago, and all that was left were the three old school friends who were jokingly reminiscing about days long gone. The subject of boys had begun when Hafsah, who had actually forgotten to ask earlier, finally enquired as to the whereabouts of her husband. “Where is Suhail anyway?” she asked her 2 remaining friends. “He really likes sitting at home, please don’t tell me you guys have him gagged up in the cupboard or something!”
“No” laughed Zahraa. “He was so generous to accommodate our wishes, I think he was actually afraid at the prospect of all of us getting together- he made a quick break for himself and said that he’d go spend the day with his brother.”
It was at this juncture that they began talking about Hafsah’s past and all the crazy things that she had done.
“Remember that guy” laughed Miriam, just before you married Suhail, what was his name again, oh yeah Ikraam. He was crazy about you, he even wanted to marry you- but you said he was too annoying. ‘Too emotional’, if I remember correctly- that’s exactly how you described him.”
“Well he was too emotional” replied Hafsah defensively. “He would cry constantly- even for stupid things. And I know that all women think that they want a man who’s in tune with his emotions- but I think that what all women really want is a guy who knows when to be emotional and caring, and knows when to be tough and manly. Ikraam was just too emotional. When you got a guy who cries more than you do- that’s where you draw the line."
The girls laughed hysterically as they continued to reminisce.
“Well what about you Zahraa” said Hafsah, glad to change the focus onto Zahraa. “How exactly do you plan on getting married if you don’t want to give anyone a chance? I know how you feel about dating, but really- you don’t have to do anything.”
Zahraa was tired of trying to explain it to them. Miriam seemed to share her ideas but when it came to boys she was far less strict than Zahraa. As for Hafsah, despite the fact that she had put all her wild days behind her, she could not fathom the idea that anyone could get married without dating. She was of the opinion that in order to get married you had to date so that you could get to know your prospective partner. Otherwise, how else would you know whether you wanted to marry him or not? Zahraa kept trying to explain the Sunnah way. She spent hours explaining to them that the whole concept of dating was completely wrong; that a woman should never even really be alone with a guy; and that ‘getting to know someone’ was just another word for dating- which in the correct sense of the word, was haraam. Zahraa knew that all of this was difficult for them to understand, especially when growing up in a society and in families where dating and hanging out with boys were generally accepted (parents themselves felt that the only way to ensure that their daughter get married was to allow her to date random boys) and so she explained it to them again like a patient teacher.
“There’s nothing wrong with arranged marriages” she said calmly. “Its how they did it in the time of the Prophet (S.A.W). A guy will come and propose, I’ll sit and get to know him- in the company or near vicinity of my mahrams, and then depending on whether I like him or not- things will progress from there. You know we can only really get married when Allah wills it to happen right? So it will happen when Allah wills it for me- its as easy as that.”
With that she gave a contented smile since Miriam and Hafsah didn’t have a reply. “Besides”, she continued “You’re one to talk Hafsah. After all your dating and all the guys you’ve dumped (to this she and Miriam both giggled) you still ended up marrying the one guy that your father brought. So what does that say? What good did all the dating do?”
About an hour later, after the three of them had chatted, teased and joked to their hearts content; Zahraa and Miriam (who had just finished getting the house back in order) were ready to leave.
“You know who I was just thinking about” said Miriam, clearly still enjoying teasing Hafsah. “Zaheer, from high school, do you guys remember him?” Hafsah dated him for like a second or so before chewing and spitting him out.”
Hafsah was quick to defend herself. “Well you can’t tease me with him,” she said quickly. “Didn’t he and Zahraa like each other or something? Weren’t you guy’s friends or something Zahraa?"
“Yeah, we were friends” replied Zahraa casually-"you were the one who dated him though (to which Hafsah scowled). We sms’ed each other for a while after school but I guess our lives just went in different directions. I think we were both just at different places at the time. After a while it all just stopped.”
“My brother was talking about him the other day” said Miriam. “I think that they're facebook friends or something. You know all guys know each other and all of that.”
“Anyway”, said Zahraa “We better be going now. We’ll leave you to get back to your husband and everything. I’m sure we’ve banished him for long enough.”
Zahraa and Miriam then proceeded to gather all their stuff and, after all the greetings and departing words, (which lasted for like another ten minutes) they eventually left.
Later that night, before retiring to bed- when Zahraa was checking her emails, Yahoo so generously informed her that Hafsah had left a new post on Zahraa’s facebook wall. The post said simply:
“Thanks Zahraa for the wonderful day. Good company and good friends are hard to come by. I’m glad I have you in my life!”
Zahraa followed the link that led her into facebook and replied to Hafsah’s post.
“ I see you’re still hormonal Hafsah!” :) Just kidding! Glad you enjoyed it!!! Glad to have you around too...”
It was then, because of all that there reminiscing had stirred up, that Zahraa had a sudden idea. She clicked on Miriam’s name and this led her into Miriam’s facebook page. Then she went to Miriam’s friends and looked for Ahmed, Miriam’s brother’s name. Then she was on Ahmed’s page and even though he wasn’t her friend, she could see a list of all of his friends. She clicked on the ‘see all’ link and was directed to an entire list of all of Ahmed’s 258 facebook friends. She clicked onto page 5 and there at the bottom she found his name ‘Zaheer Mohammed’. Finally she clicked on the link to his name and then invited him to be her friend. Well that was that.
After all this time she didn’t even know what she would say to him. She didn’t exactly have any intention to stir things up or anything, she was just curious to know how he was doing. After all, at some point in their lives they had actually meant something to each other. When she had completed it all she turned off her computer and went to sleep.
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Chapter 3: Helping Hands
Zahraa, Miriam and Hafsah had, in a short space of time, progressed from High school classmates to best of friends. When they had finished school Zahraa and Miriam had gone to study in the same University; Zahraa had studied journalism while Miriam had studied Speech and Therapy. Since they had already been friends in high school, and since they now found themselves in a strange new world- they held on tight to each other and embraced the changes of university together. Hafsah had never really been all that close to either of them back in high school. While both of them shared far more Islamic ideals, Hafsah rather enjoyed hanging out with the ‘partying crowd’.
Immediately after Hafsah had finished high school her father, Jameel, had decided that it was time for her to get married. It was thus, with increased zeal, that he had come to Johannesburg and, with the help of his parents, contemplated the possible proposals. Hafsah would have none of it. She and her father were constantly engaged in endless arguments that would almost always end in tears. But Hafsah was stubborn, and she was convinced that marriage- especially if her father arranged it, would ruin her life. Her father refused to give up. In his mind the best thing for Hafsah, at this point, was to find a good, wealthy man who could afford to look well after her.
Hafsah, being the woman that she was, was determined to be difficult. She was convinced that the only reason that her father wanted to get her married was so that, a) he could get her out of his life for once and for all, and b) because he didn’t trust her. She knew that he still remembered what had happened back in Nelspruit and that he wanted her to get married in order to spare him the shame of her possible future mistakes. For this, she was angry and hurt. Though he could never know it, she believed that since she had left Nelspruit, she had grown immensely. And even though she still had a bad reputation, she had been trying to change her ways. Determined to spite her father, she began parading different boys around just so that she could make him believe that his worst fears were coming true. At this point her father was barking mad and was prepared to force her, by sheer brute strength to marry any man he chose. He was forced to calm down, however, when his parents reminded him that any marriage that he forced upon his daughter- would not be valid in Islam.
It was at this point in her life, this point where she cursed her father and wondered why her mother had to die; this point where she desperately needed a shoulder to cry on; this point that she felts so desperately, utterly alone, that she bumped into Miriam and Zahraa.
It was a Saturday afternoon and Miriam and Zahraa had spent the morning shopping. They were just about to leave when they unexpectedly bumped into Hafsah. It had been about six months since school had ended and so they spent a while catching up on each other’s lives. When the focus turned to Hafsah and when they both waited for her response to the question of how and what she was doing, Hafsah suddenly, without warning, burst into tears. Miriam and Zahraa were taken by complete surprise. The Hafsah they knew was usually so confident and self assured. They had never seen Hafsah break down like this before. They took her aside immediately, found a good spot to sit, and enquired as to what was going on. The three of them spent the next hour and half talking.
From that day; that day when the two most unlikeliest people had come to her aid, Hafsah began relying on the support of her two best friends. From that day the three of them became inseparable.
Hafsah, with the support of Zahraa and Miriam, decided to sit down and have an honest talk with her father. He was (as they had told her) despite his flaws, still her father. So she tried hard to communicate with him and to understand the thoughts that he held. She stopped trying to spite him, stopped running around with boys and stopped fighting and swearing at him. It would be unrealistic to say that their relationship was fixed; instead they were rather learning how to co exist peacefully. They began listening to each other, that’s all it really took. Once they began understanding each other’s fears and motivations; they moved towards a peaceful middle ground. Jameel would not push his daughter to get married until she thought that she was ready, and Hafsah would start becoming more responsible.
It wasn’t long after all of this that Hafsah was introduced, via Jameel, to her future husband Suhail. Despite denying any arranged set up, Hafsah always suspected that her father had deliberately arranged for Suhail and Hafsah to meet. And although she tried her hardest to banish her newfound feelings for him, in a short space of time she had begun contemplating marriage. A short while later Suhail and Hafsah were happily married.
Hafsah was never able to forget the support that Miriam and Zahraa had provided her with and the words of advice that they had given her at the most crucial time. And as time went on, as life became more challenging, their bond of friendship and sisterhood would only continue to grow.
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Chapter 4: One of those days
Zahraa was woken early the next morning by the sound of her cell phone. As it turned out Riaz, the editor of the local Islamic newspaper had lost something (again) and desperately needed Zahraa’s help.
“Oh crap!” She muttered as she begrudgingly got out of bed. As irritated as she was by Riaz’s constant calls, she knew that she was needed.
After obtaining her journalism degree, Zahraa had been all set to conquer the world of news. A straight A student (even at University) she was already anticipating all that was to occur, before even graduating. What she hadn’t anticipated was the realization that would surprisingly dawn upon her.
It happened on the day of her graduation. While everybody was overjoyed at their achievements, happily celebrating and enjoying the completion of their degree and the fulfilment of a dream, Zahraa was suddenly filled with grief. What is all this about? She thought. What was the real point of all of this. If the end game was Jannat, like she always knew it was; and if the pathway to Jannat was filled with trials and with tests and the task of becoming a better person, a better muslim, then what was the point of spending all of her time on a career that wouldn’t benefit her in the afterlife. She stared at all the beaming faces, at the proud parents and delighted graduates. Will my degree gain me a better station in Jannat, she asked herself. Will it prevent the fire from touching my body. On this day, the day she had anticipated for the past 4 years, she was left feeling utterly confused.
Her father Yusuf immediately sensed that something was amiss. What had suddenly happened to his over enthusiastic daughter? His over achieving graduate? When anybody offered their congratulations, he noticed that Zahraa would smile meekly. And though he thought he would hear, non stop, about her future plans and carefully planned lists, Zahraa just remained silent.
This went on for a few days until Yusuf decided to confront his daughter.
When he asked her what the problem was, what was bothering her, Zahraa didn’t exactly know how to express the confused thoughts in her mind. Slowly she tried explaining what was bothering her in a way that her father could understand. Her father, as always, eased her worries as he embarked on a lengthy lecture to explain the significance of a Muslim life.
“You see”, said Yusuf. “A believer is always a believer, in everything he does. Whether you sleep, work, eat or relieve yourself, you have to follow a conduct and manner that is befitting of a believer. You don’t get to be a believer by night and in the day you’re someone else. No, no, a believer is always a believer. So when you choose a career, a path or a job, choose one that will benefit your imaan. Whether you’re helping others, promoting Islam, or even just displaying your good conduct and righteous beliefs to others, all of this will be counted towards the final journey. Whether you work for 702 or The Star Newspaper, you can use anything to earn those bonus points for the hereafter.”
Yusuf looked lovingly at his youngest daughter and sincerely said to her: “Confusion is natural, but let me tell you, nothing needs to go for waste. You’ve worked really hard to complete your studies and have excelled at it. Now go out and use all of that in a manner that your Creator will be pleased with. Do what’s good for your Imaan and do what makes you happy!”
It was at that juncture, while her father was talking, that Zahraa realised all that she could possibly do. She thanked her father for his advice and ensured him that it had truly helped. In the months that followed she had contemplated several different job opportunities and had chosen the one that made her the happiest- working for her local Islamic newspaper entitled ‘The Everyday Muslim’.
When Zahraa arrived at the offices of The Everyday Muslim, twenty minutes after Riaz’s call (but 1 hour before her usual arrival time), she was welcomed by a swarm of confusion. It turned out that Riaz’s presentation for an important meeting was nowhere to be found, the secretary had called in sick and the usual mass confusion and chaos was somehow 10 times worse. Yes, today was one of those days, those days when you close your eyes and wish that night time had already arrived to signal the end of a tiring day.
Nine hours later Zahraa was relieved to be back home. She had spent the day trying to get everything in order. With the combined efforts of everybody, Riaz’s presentation had been found and, when she had left a mere hour ago they had managed to restore a semblance of order and normalcy.
She was so relived when, after performing her Esha prayers, she could finally retire to bed. She grabbed her phone from her bedside to set the alarm and then quickly checked her emails to ensure that no other chaos had ensued. It was then that she received the message that informed her that Zaheer had accepted her friend request. Too tired to even bother writing a message, Zahraa switched off her lights and went to sleep.
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Chapter 5: Reconnecting
It was after Fajr the next morning that Zahraa decided to send Zaheer a message. But what should she send? What should she say to him after years of silence? The truth was that though Zaheer had once meant something to her, Zahraa had left all those feelings and ideas where they had first emerged- back in high school. So why was she contacting him now, she asked herself. Maybe it was because the after effects of a meaningful crush still lingered, maybe it was just because she wanted to find out how he was, maybe- as she kept on telling herself, it was completely innocent.
She quickly logged on and started composing her message and after a few tries she had completed it.
“Hey stranger, it’s been a long time. You’re still alive and kicking or what? Just thought I’d send you a line to find out how things are going and how life is treating you. Anyway, hope all is good with you. Take care. Zahraa (from high school- just in case you forgot!)”
That should do it, she thought. That would sound casual but yet concerned. And though it sounded concerned, it didn’t sound too needy. She clicked the send button, and then logged off. Then she climbed back into bed and went to sleep again.
Zahraa woke up a few hours later to the fresh breeze of a bright sunny day. Since she only worked at the newspaper from Monday to Thursday, she was looking forward to spending her Friday morning, well... not working! She finished her usual Friday Morning routine and that’s when she remembered about Zaheer. She switched on her computer, logged in and waited to see if she had received any incoming messages. Sure enough, there waiting for her was a new message from Zaheer.
“Zahraa, what a surprise! It’s been so long you stranger. I’m good, better now- thanks to you! What’s up with you? You’re married yet or what? What have you been up to lately?
Oh, and Zahraa from high school- I’ve never forgotten!”
Zahraa read his message and couldn’t help smiling. Suddenly a rush of emotions ran through her. Wait a minute, she thought. What exactly was she getting herself into here? Clearly she still harboured some feelings for Zaheer, and now she was putting herself in a position that could so easily expose her vulnerability. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from getting far ahead of her. What if she and Zaheer found that they still liked each other, what would they do then? Was he really the man she wanted to marry? When it came to Zaheer, would she be able to stop herself from getting too close? What if it didn’t work out, would she be able to handle it. All these thoughts flooded Zahraa’s mind instantaneously.
For a long time now Zahraa was a firm believer in arranged marriages. And even though her friends thought that arranged marriages were outdated, Zahraa believed firmly that it was the best way. She saw how often people were heartbroken and forlorn and how quickly a bad relationship could break their spirits. She felt that while people constantly felt the need to spend hours ‘getting to know a guy’, the very concept of dating was so fake and unreal, that the person one was trying to ‘get to know’ could only really be known once they were actually married. She had long since noticed that people became so blinded by their feelings for their boyfriends, that they often could not see important warning signs that were so clearly visible. And then, after marriage, those same warning signs were the ones that came to wreak havoc in their marriages.
The only way to ensure you get a good guy then, as she constantly told her friends, was to let other elders choose (others who know your taste and preferences) the prospective ‘good guys’ that they knew. That way the choice would be yours, based on physical attraction and mutual interests, but you wouldn’t have to put yourself in any position where you might possibly get hurt.
Now Zahraa found herself in front of her computer contemplating her intentions. What did she want with Zaheer? Even if she did become his friend and fall for him, would she become so blinded by her feelings for him that she wouldn’t be able to make firm, logical decisions? Would she be able to prevent herself from doing anything that she might later regret?
In the end she decided to ignore Zaheer’s message for the time being until she had managed to rearrange and organize all her thoughts.
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Chapter 6: Close Encounters
Saturdays, for Zahraa, was usually either spent running errands with her mother, or just relaxing at home. This Saturday she found herself, along with her sister Saleeha and her mother, shopping in the Oriental Plaza. Saleeha had just moved into a new house and insisted that they help her find material to make curtains. They spent all afternoon in and out of various shops looking for the perfect material to match the idea in Saleeha’s mind.
“No!” Saleeha would argue when Zahraa and Farida suggested a type of material.
“This material doesn’t flow loosely enough.” “This orange is too bright; I need an orange that matches my bedding.”
What was supposed to be a quick errand turned into a shopping expedition and Zahraa and Farida, as much as they enjoyed shopping, were beginning to grow weary. At last, after hours of searching, Saleeha finally began making progress; finding a succession of fabrics that she happened to adore. When they were almost completed, Saleeha realized that she was still in need of cotton. Since they were running out of time, (and energy) Zahraa volunteered to go and buy it while Saleeha finished what she still needed to do.
She was on her way to the cotton shop, silently remembering all the different colour cottons that Saleeha needed, when she failed to notice that Zaheer- the same Zaheer who she hadn’t spoken to in ages, the same Zaheer who she had just contacted so recently, was standing just several feet away from her. Suddenly she heard her name being called and turned to see who the caller was. It was only then that she noticed him making his way towards her.
“Zahraa” he said when he arrived. “I thought that was you, but I thought I was probably wrong since we never ever bump into each other. But then when you came closer I realized it really was you.”
“Well this is not a usual hangout spot for me” explained Zahraa. “I just came to do some shopping with my family.”
Before she could enquire as to how Zaheer was, he asked her: “So what’s up with you these days?”
“Well I work for a local newspaper, the everyday Muslim- I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Before she could continue Zaheer interrupted her.
“So are you married?” he asked her eagerly.
She responded with a simple: “Not yet”.
“Well what does that mean?” he asked “are you engaged or something?”
“No” she replied with a giggle, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that I haven’t yet gotten married.
For a minute there it almost seemed to her as if Zaheer looked relieved, but since she thought that he couldn’t possibly still harbour any feelings for her after all this time, she assumed that she had just imagined it.
“What about you Zaheer” Zahraa asked him. “Are you married yet?”
“No” Zaheer replied with a sudden pensive look. “I came close actually. Had someone who I thought was the one but well, she turned out to be not-so-great after all.”
Well that’s far closer than I ever got, thought Zahraa silently. So much for my theory of him still being hung up on me. Clearly he’s still hung op on this other girl. To Zaheer she simply said: “Shame man, maybe you’ll have better luck next time.”
It was then that she realized that she still had cotton to buy and that Saleeha and Farida were probably already waiting. So she quickly apologized to Zaheer for having to leave and assured him that she would send him a message and that they would continue their conversation online.
“I really enjoyed bumping into you after all this time” Zaheer told her as she began leaving. “Me too”, she said as she walked away smiling. Before turning the corner she turned around to find that Zaheer was still looking at her. She smiled simply, waved at him, and continued to walk.
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Chapter 7: Little Arrivals
It was early Sunday morning, just before Fajr, when Zahraa, who was still in bed, suddenly heard her phone ringing. "Now who on earth would phone this time of the morning?" she thought to herself. Groggy and tired she grabbed her phone off her side pedestal and checked her caller ID. It was Hafsah. On answering she was greeted by a frantic Hafsah who informed her that she was on her way to the hospital to give birth. Zahraa was taken by surprise and blurted: “already, but you’re 3 weeks too early.”
“I know” replied Hafsah irritably “But my gynae says its real and so she’s booking me in already. I’m just grabbing some stuff and then Suhail and I are going.
“Ok”, said Zahraa, already beginning to panic. “I’m going to make dua and read Qur'aan for you now. I’ll phone Suhail to see what’s happening. I’ll see you later.”
After she put down the phone with Hafsah she got ready for Fajr and then, quite nervously and frantically, began making dua for her.
When Hafsah had first informed Zahraa and Miriam of her pregnancy, Zahraa was instantly filled with fear. Her sister Saleeha had been struggling to have children ever since she had gotten married. And though she had been optimistic at first, all the effort, tears and treatments were all to no avail. Zahraa was with her right through the grief of 2 miscarriages and had watched how broken her sister had become. With each new pregnancy she would raise her hopes and become overjoyed, but the devastating results would instantly shatter her dreams.
So when Hafsah had told them, one afternoon when they had all gathered for lunch, Zahraa- instead of being overjoyed like Miriam, understood the possible results. And while she outwardly shared Hafsah and Miriam's enthusiasm, inwardly she could only alleviate her worries by making dua.
For the past few months Hafsah had experienced a number of false labours. Each time she would get all excited, only to realize that the time had not yet come. Now, Zahraa knew that the time was here.
The next few hours were spent on calls between Suhail, Miriam and Zahraa. Suhail informed them that Hafsah was doing fine but that the baby, according to the doctor, would still take a few hours to arrive. It was only around 1 pm that day that Suhail phoned to inform Zahraa that Hafsah had given birth to a little girl.
A few hours later Zahraa and Miriam were sitting by Hafsah in the hospital, overjoyed that her delivery had gone well. Zahraa and Miriam had insisted that though they would love to be with her, they feared that she may need her rest. But Hafsah was adamant that all she needed, more than rest even, was her husband and 2 best friends by her side. “I’m tired and all of that sure” she argued, “but I want you both here as soon as the hospital will allow it.” So they had both left everything they had planned, and had made their way to the hospital.
Suhail had gone off to check on his daughter- leaving the three of them alone, when the conversation suddenly turned serious. Hafsah, who up until this point had appeared excited and overjoyed (though she was still clearly in pain), much to Zahraa and Miriam’s surprise, suddenly began crying.
“Do you think I could be a good mother” Hafsah asked sadly.
With tears rolling down her eyes, she continued: “I mean I loved my mother, but I think she and my father really messed me up. Do you guys think that I’ll mess up my little girl?”
Zahraa and Miriam both looked at her earnestly and together they assured her that she could be a good, no, great mother.
“Of course you’ll make a good mother” they said in unison. “Don’t even doubt that.” Miriam continued: “You’ll be fine Hafsah, I really believe that. Sure you’ll probably make some mistakes along the way, but that little girl will be blessed to have a mother like you.”
Zahraa continued: “You know what you went through. You’ve learnt from the mistakes of your parents. You don’t have to make all those same mistakes again. You’re that much wiser because of all that you’ve gone through. You’ll do just fine, believe me. With the help of Allah, you’ll raise a wonderful little girl.”
“Besides”, Miriam chipped in: “You’ll always have us around to help you!”
