A note to all young girls out there

Two hearts apart may have been a fictional tale, but the tale itself rings very true to all of our lives and all that we are forced to deal with.

Trying to brave the storm of teen hormones and the sea of boys is not a very easy task. We are, at best, vulnerable beings who long for comfort, warmth and affection. All these things, that we so desperately crave, though there is nothing in itself wrong with it, if directed in the wrong way, it can be very destructive.

I personally live in a society of extremes. There are those who believe that young girls and boys should not interact at all. They treat attraction and love as if it is something unnatural, and forget that we are forced to mix with the opposite sex on a daily basis. They have thus failed to teach us the proper etiquette when it comes to boys. 
Then are those who give young people free reign. They openly condone dating and 'having fun', and forget that these can invariably lead to life altering and indeed very haram situations. They expect young people to automatically understand where to draw the line and this, in my opinion, is unrealistic.

Yes girls and boys mix with each other every day. Yes mixing inevitably leads to attraction. This is all normal. This cannot be stopped. What we do with our own selves, that is the only thing we can control.
So my dear sisters let me say this to you now.
Don't forget Allah...
In all those times when your feelings and your attractions seem to get the better of you, please try not to forget that there is an All-Seeing Creator who is aware of all you do.
In all those times when your hormones seem to get the better of you, please don't forget that this passing phase will not last, but that the bad deeds that are being recorded in your book will remain forever.
You are the only one who can control how you behave. So behave in a manner that will never cause regret because regrets often come too late.
Don't ever give in to what you know in your heart to be wrong simply because you think you've found 'the one'. The 'one' my dear sister, is only the 'one' you were meant to marry. And then everything can be done in a halal manner.
You will only end up with 'the one' that you were meant to end up with and no amount of sin will ever change that. So be strong and remain steadfast in your faith, and look forward to all that Allah has in store for you.

You are precious, your modesty is precious, your innocence is precious and your imaan is precious.

Don't ever forget that.

Sincerely

Your sister



The End/Beginning of it all

Note to all the readers out there:
This is the final chapter! DO NOT read on if you have not read all the previous chapters! Massive spoilers ahead! Instead, look on the side menu to find Part 1. You'll be thanking me later! ;)

Enjoy!

Zahraa and Zaheer were married, 2 months later, in a small and intimate affair with just their closest family and friends. They had wanted their wedding to match their expectations of marriage; a simple yet sunny outlook on all that was to come.


Just after the nikkah had taken place Saaleha had taken Zahraa aside and given her a warm hug.
“You’ve filled us all with hope” she said to Zahraa.
“How did I mange to do that” Zahraa had replied astonished.
“Well,” Saaleha had said: “You’ve showed us all that you can sacrifice what you want in order to do things the right way, in order to do what you knew was better. And now today is a testament to the fact that Allah has still given you all that you yourself always wanted.”

Zahraa’s eyes had welled up with tears. In reply she said to her “Well Saal, you know it wasn’t easy, and there were times when I might’ve slipped. But you reminded me didn’t you? You held my hand and pulled me back up. So thank you for everything.”

“I told you back then” Saaleha said to her. “We all only end up with exactly what was meant for us. That doesn’t mean we musnt go out and do our best, but it certainly does mean that we must make damn sure we don’t do the worst.”
Their sisterly bonding moment was cut short with the arrival of Hafsah and Miriam, and the three of them instantly, amidst excited chatter, whisked Zahraa away in order for her to go and meet her new husband.

And then she saw him there and she was filled with a love that she thought would make her heart explode.

And then he saw her smiling at him and he was instantly brought back to the very first moment when he beheld that very same breathtaking smile. Only this time it was directed at him, this time she was his.

And they both knew in that moment, that this was surely destiny.

The End

Chapter 16: The reunion

The reunion between Zahraa and Zaheer was a moment that both of them would not soon forget. After reading his email Zahraa, too stunned and emotional for words, had instantly sent a reply. ‘Yes’ is all her email had said.

Zaheer hadn’t replied. He was done wasting time. He had other plans and he didnt want to waste his time with emails. He had spent years pining after this girl and he knew for certain that based on her intellect, character and piety, she was most definitely the girl for him. The minute after he received her reply, with a huge smile on his face, Zaheer began setting his plans into motion.

The next day he was on her doorstep.

With a bunch of roses in his hand and a big smile on his face he waited to be invited in, sat in her lounge and very calmly asked her father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Zahraa wasn’t even there at the time. She had known nothing of Zaheer’s unexpected visit and was still waiting for him to reply to the email she sent the previous night. Out shopping with Saaleha, Zahraa walked into her home to find Zaheer sitting and chatting comfortably with her parents.

She was so shocked that she almost dropped the parcels that she had in her hand.
“Whats going on here?” Zahraa managed to mumble through the wild surprise and excitement that was occurring in her mind.

Nobody replied for a while and the silence only made Zahraa more anxious.
She repeated her question: “No really, can someone tell me whats happening here?”

“Relax Zahraa” her father said smiling. “Your mother and I have just been chatting to this very nice fellow over here. It turns out that he is actually interested in marrying you”

Now Zahraa was so surprised that she actually had to sit down to catch her breath. Sure Zaheer had asked her in the email to marry him, but she hadn’t expected this. Not like this. Not so soon.

“So” her father continued: “We think he is a very good guy and very well suited for you too but well... we need your input.”

Zahraa was at a loss for words so she continued staring, first at her parents then at Zaheer, then at her parents then back at Zaheer.

Now her mother spoke: “Yusuf I think that we should give these two a chance to talk don’t you? Let them catch up and all of that and then we can take it from there. Poor Zahraa does seem a bit stunned.”

With that Zahraa’s parents quickly left the room, leaving Zahraa and Zaheer staring at each other.

Zaheer was the first to speak: “So you gonna marry me or what?” he said with a smile on his face. “I know you said yes, well im assuming that's what your yes was for...am I right”
Zahraa spoke slowly. “Yes, you're right, but well you really managed to catch me off guard Zaheer. I didn’t think you meant that all this should happen so well... soon!”
“Why not?” Zaheer asked blatantly. “I wasted enough time Zahraa. If I wasn’t so stupid we’d be married a long time ago. I didn’t wanna waste another moment spending my days without you.”
“But come now Zaheer” Zahraa replied, finally regaining her composure. “We not even sure about this.”
“Zahraa I have never been so sure about anything before. I know we never really know and for that reason I've been reading Istikhaara salaah and making dua. And again I say, I have never been so sure about anything before.”

Zahraa remained silent.

Zaheer continued talking.

He moved closer to her looked right at her and said honestly and calmly:
“Look, Im not saying that I cant live without you, because well I'm sure I could. Im saying that I don’t want to. Im not choosing you because of some stupid high school crush that Ive harboured for years, im choosing you because I know that you have everything I need in a partner in order to have a successful marriage. Im not saying that we wont have our bumpy roads and rocky paths, its inevitable that we will. Instead Im saying that while I know that marriage may be tough, you’re the only person I want by my side when I conquer those bumpy roads and rocky paths. And I know that with you Allah will always come first, and I know now that that is what is most important."

Now it was Zahraa’s turn to reply and again she was at a loss for words. What could she say at a time like this? How could she even fathom what her heart was feeling?
“Okay Zaheer” she said eventually. “Let’s do this. I’m with you. I’ve always been with you. Let’s travel this path together. Let’s do it.”

Zaheer smiled and Zahraa smiled in return

No longer apart, now they were finally together.

Chapter 15: The letter

Zahraa received the letter via email early the next day. She read it slowly. Then she read it over and over again.

I'm not good at this kind of thing. I'm not the guy who writes poetry, who cries for sappy music and is aware of all of my feelings. This is not my thing, and I know I’m not good at it.
That being said, please forgive me for what will probably be a failed attempt at an honest rendition of my heart.

You once said that our two hearts weren’t meant to be together. Well, I have to disagree. I think that our hearts were never meant to be apart. You are a part of me as I am of you. Forever more.


I know that I failed you. When you said that you didn’t want to chat anymore, I should have agreed then and there to stop it all. I should have chased after you until I caught up, and married you right then. More than anything I feel bad that you were the one that had to end it all. I should have known, for my own imaan, not to engage in acts that would lead to sin. In all those moments with you I forgot Allah, but you never did. Not only that, you reminded me too. And for that I will always be grateful!


My father said that when contemplating marriage you should ask yourself whether the girl would make a good mother, wife and a trustful companion. In your case, I can easily answer yes for all those questions. You are the best choice. Your looks might fade someday and any infatuation between us may slowly wither; but your character and your spirit will never die, and those are the two best things about you. It is for that very reason that my heart is a witness.. I could never give up on you. You were always meant for me.
 I need you in my life Zahraa, your passion astounds me, your piety inspires me and you wisdom spurs me on. You make me want to do everything better. You have improved my life, and I cant bear to let you go.
I wont try to make any excuses for myself. I have failed you and I know that. I handled everything so wrong. I didn’t think that I was ready for marriage, but that was just fear that was crippling me. Now I know that Im ready, and I know that there is only one person that I want to take that plunge with. I know that you have someone else in your life right now, but I ask, no I beg you to give me as second chance. And if you do, I promise- I’ll spend my lifetime making it up to you and treating you in a manner that you deserve to be treated.


So I ask you, Zahraa, please forgive me. Please overlook all my faults. Please let me find my way back into your heart. Oh and Zahraa, please marry me.
Zaheer


By the time Zahraa was done with the letter tears were streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.