Affianced By Force

CHAPTER SEVEN - The Wake Up Call

Umamah sat in the middle of the guest room, her legs raised to her chin and her eyes focused on the translated Qur'an in front of her. The door was locked from the inside. she had made sure of that last night.

She had woken up this morning to the reflection from last night. She had almost been raped... if not for Faisal... Allah. If not that Allah sent Faisal and the police men who found her at the entrance.

She had locked herself in here the moment she came to and found Faisal staring at her with a worry frown last night. His look had left her confused as to how to feel. Guilty and Ashamed, certainly. But it had been deeper. She had felt deep regret washing through her.

It was the first time she was realizing how ungrateful she has always been to Allah.

Allah! The Lord, Creator, Sustainer, Cherisher, Provider, Nourisher, The Rabb of all that is in the heavens and the earth. The same Allah she has ignored for nineteen years of her life, despite the endless reminders around her.

For the first time, she picked up the Qur'an and was guided to Surah Al- Asr, verses 1-3.

"By the passage of time!"

"Surely man is in a state of loss,"

"except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance."

For Nineteen years, she lived in such oblivion, though she had people who were guided around her. If Allah had taken her life at the Creek, would she have met Him in a 'state of loss'?

She did not know what she was doing, but she turned more pages and this time to the very beginning of the Qur'an. Surah Al-Faatiha.

When she read the very first verse, tears rolled down her eyes. "In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful."

This was how every chapter in the Qur'an Began, right? Introducing Allah as the Lord of Compassion and Mercy.

She was convinced that He will have mercy on her. He was the Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Had he not saved her from the very clutches of her own heedlessness? If he didn't, wouldn't she really be in a state of grave loss and not be of those who have faith as Allah had mentioned in Surah Al-Asr and Faatiha?

She continued to read, when she arrived at "Guide us along the Straight Path" She could not control the tears that flowed and when she arrived at the last verse,

The Path of those You have blessed—not of those You are displeased with, or those who are astray, she completely broke down into a fit of tears.

"O Allah! I do not want to be of those who You are displeased with" She cried desperately.

Then, she opened to another page.

"Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allāh and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient."

The tittle of the Chapter read Surah al-Hadid, verse 16.

The tears that rolled down her eyes this time was one of regret. She felt heavy in her heart. Heavily burdened with knowledge and acceptance that was long overdue. She felt so much void in her heart that was yearning to be filled up. But with what? And How? Will she ever find the filler?

There was knock on the door.

"Umamah. Are you okay?" It was Farid.

Umamah wiped her tears, still holding the Qur'an. "Yes. I am." She was bad at lying. Farid's words reminded her how much.