Aug 22nd, 2018

It's been one year since Ahmed joined his company, so he demanded his TL to increase his salary a week before. In every dua after every namaz, he'll ask for his betterment of his career life. In today's Jummu'ah(Friday prayer), he asked the same dua wholeheartedly. He'll be praying his 3 times prayer(Duhr, Asr, Magrib) in his office every weekdays. Though his company owner belongs to different religion, they allocated a prayer room for Muslim staffs. This is one of the Allah's blessings for Ahmed to worship his Rabbu during his office hours too. Many won't get such facilities and many prefer jobs to praying their compulsory salah. For every Jummu'ah, they'll allow every Muslim staffs to go to nearby masjid.

Asusual, he came to his office after the Friday namaz, he was surprised to see his PC screen. It was a mail notification from his team, when he opens it, he really felt the amazing power of his Rabbu. He wants to do sujood(prostration) that time itself,

Dear Ahmed,
Congratulations on your Paper Anniversary to be part of our team. Our team is really proud to have a hardworking and efficient staff like you. So your salary has been increased from its usual increment, the total net amount is Rs.xxxxx. Unlike the salary statement of each year, you really deserve this package. Hope you will continue this kind of credits in the future.

With regards,
Voltech HR Team

His happiness knew no bounds. First he thanked Allah. He just asked for a yearly increment but Allah gave him more than he expected. His duas got answered. Later he texted Ridha about this great news though she was not online,
"Assalamu Alaikum Ridha, I got salary this month more than I expected. Really I am more happy. In sha a Allah(if Allah wills), If I get increment like this in the upcoming year, we'll marry soon, unlike our plan"

They had their plans, like, they have to achieve their goals within four years, so that they can have a happy and peaceful life in the future (In sha a Allah). Despite they knew that Allah have better plans for them. He thought of a Qura'anic verse,
"And Allah is the best of Planners"
Al-Qur'an (8:30)

This verse reminds him about his Almighty's plans. When we have patience in our life, Allah will reward us for our patience. And no dua is left unanswered by Him. He will surely answer the dua of his slave when he asks him by raising his hands. There are three kinds of dua,
A dua will answer quickly,
A dua will answer when the right time arrives,
A dua had its rewards on the day of judgement.

See how beneficial our lord is???

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Ridha's Past starts:

"One additional sheet, Mam", Ridha stood by her desk and asked to the hall supervisor. She looks over the same desk where she find no one seated on it unlike yesterday. She engulfed at the thought that he might be absent due to some reasons. By the time, she failed to realise the staff who is staring at Ridha. Soon she took the sheet from her and continue to write her last term exam.

While leaving the exam hall, she urged to ask his copied friend about Ahmed's absence by looking at the Ahmed's desk. When his friend throw a confused look at Ridha, she suddenly turned outside and left the hall. She wondered why she felt a little ache in her heart in his absence. She consoled her heart not to think about Ahmed anymore. But her heart defeated her mind.

'Has he did something for my last words near the street yesterday? What if he did something? If that is the truth, I could not forgive me. Or did he gets upset because of me so that he avoided to meet my gaze in the exam hall today? No, how come he can take leave for the term exam. So it's not possible. Or something happened to his relative? Or What if he had fever? Anything it might be. He has to be fine, Nothing should happen to Ahmed'
With that, she ended up her mind from overthinking and left her worries to Allah.

She doesn't know why she got worried for his only one day absence. The whole day, her heart wandered the every corner of the school. But she ended up without seeing his face.

That evening, she just walks with her friend Sadhia and Afeera to leave their school to home. Everyday, Afeera's cousin Bhurhaan also join them while leaving home. She also belongs to same grade like them, but different sections. So she is not that much close to Ridha. When they slowly made their walk near the street where Ahmed will sometimes wait for Ridha to have conversation. When she searched for him in that street, she didn't get him in her sight when she expected him for his presence.

Sadia keep on noticing Ridha's behaviour from the exam hall, so she break the silence with a question,
"Why are you maintaining silent from the time when you left the hall, Ridhu?"
"Nothing, I m fine", Ridha replied
"You are not fine, something disturbs you, why are you feeling that you can't get centum in today's exam?", Afeera chidded her since Ridha always score high in every subjects, especially in Maths.
Ridha half-smiled and thought to divert the attention to her friends, "Yes, I didn't write well, How about you people?"
Then the friends began to converse about the day's examination. Though Ridha is mentally absent, she nodded for every questions which has been posted by her friends.

Then Sadhia left their way and entered her home which is a few metres away from school. Ridha has to go long way from school to home everyday. So she chit-chatted till Afeera's street came. Afeera's house is midway between school and Ridha's house. Now Ridha has to walk alone till her home. Mostly she always play football on the street by kicking the small stones on the way till reaching her house. But today she just cross-played with her two thumbs and forefingers till her house.

In their term holidays,

It is a December month, where the climate is dull and too cold. Some were enjoying the climate and some fell sick due to severe cold.

One night, Ahmed gets very disturbed by Ridha, so he went to the nearby park to get some relaxation. It's been a week, he didn't saw her since they had their term holidays. Unlike many students, Ahmed couldn't rejoice and utilize his holidays. He expected for the school reopening day. Her last words on that day disturbed his mind a lot. He couldn't attend his last exam as well due to some wedding preparations of his own sister's marriage. He returned from his native two days ago. He is the only brother for his only elder sister. So he has to deal with every work in her marriage. But he involved in every work absent mindedly, he couldn't able to recover from his loved one's harsh words. He is still messed up with her words 'I don't like you'. Those words are running repeatedly. Unknowingly he began to shed his tears. He wiped away his tears because a boy shouldn't cry and he has to be strong everytime.

That time, she saw Sadhia who is coming in front of him. Ahmed saw Sadhia, who is actively involved in a deep conversation with her Sister. She also happened to see Ahmed and greeted him. Meanwhile her sister had a phone call so she has been busy with that. Ahmed replied for Sadhia's salam. Sadhia noticed the worried face of Ahmed and asked, " Bhaiyya , Are you okay?" Ahmed hesitated with her question, and asked, "Hmm, I need to know one thing that why Ridha dislikes me?". This is what the question he longed to ask Ridha. But unfortunately he met with her close friend, so he asked her. Sadhia doesn't know how to answer but she always speak straight forwardly.
"Listen Bhaiyya, Ridha hated love from her teen age, she always wished and wanted to follow her parent's wish, besides her family brought up her too Islamically, so she will never love you back. It's good for you if you make up your mind." She ended by bidding salam to him. He couldn't withstand his pain.

It's the night when Ahmed actually feared of losing Ridha,
It's the night when he didn't want to go home and wanted to stay in that peaceful place,
It's the night when he really cried a lot where his tears hided with the tears of the sky,
It's the night when he wetted himself in rain till 11pm,
It's the night when he lost his confidence that she will not find his heart anymore,
And it's the only night that he forgets it's his 17th bornday...

Ahmed went to his home late night wandering over the streets of JJ Nagar and made himself wet in the pouring heavy rain. Then he reached his home and went to his bed without having dinner. Sometimes he'll tell his parents that he had dinner in the hotel with his friends. So they won't question much on him for having dinner or not.

His day ended miserably thinking that whether the fore coming year will also remain miserable or not?

Ridha's Past ends....
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Ridha was happy by seeing Ahmed's text because she just want to make this relationship as a halal one. She too prayed for his improvement in career life and she too thanked Allah for His blessings towards her beloved one. She replied for his message and insisted Ahmed to pray Shukriya nafeel(Thanking prayer) once he returns home. And also she hopes that Ahmed should not allow his mother to go for that tiring work anymore. She knows that he'll keep up his words. So she didn't say much about those things.

The next day she waited for Ahmed's text or call from morning. Later in the afternoon, he texted Ridha that he is bit busy and told her, 'since it's Saturday, we'll have chat at night'.

Everyday Ahmed will go to bed very soon since he has to go to his work the next morning. So he'll call or text for one or two minutes before going to do his work. They converse about asking their daily routine. They don't have time for a deep conversation since they did that before one month 10 days. She knows he is well and He knows she is well. That's it.

Ridha won't pressurise Ahmed to talk to her. But she wished that she wanted to have a deep talk once in a week rather than having a dumb conversation for few minutes. She felt that Ahmed's love got decreased.

Whenever there is an incoming call or message notification, she'll rush up to her phone hoping it will be from Ahmed. But unluckily it will be some other person, mostly company calls will raise her temper in such situations. So she hopes for the night talk. She wishes to have conversation with him atleast for thirty minutes.

At 10pm, Ridha got literally upset by seeing Ahmed's status stating "At ECR". Nowadays Ahmed don't take interest to come near Ridha's house to see her though he used to come to ECR beach(nearby to Ridha's house) with his friends. Ridha won't ask Ahmed why he did not wish to come to see her. She thought Ahmed didn't longed to see her as Ridha.

By seeing his status, she replied to that, "Enjoy the night with your friends, Bye"
A minute later, he replied,
"Sorry! I couldn't chat with you tonight, because I came to my Mama's house since they are leaving for hajj by tomorrow"
"And my Nani is deeply conversing about my marriage with my mother, Will text you later, Ridha"
With that, he has gone offline.

Ridha worried a lot, why Ahmed is avoiding her this much. She thought of her school days when he longed for her phone call. She couldn't feel Ahmed's love for her nowadays. She felt so weak, her heart pained more. She doesn't want to talk to anyone. So she kept her phone on shelf by making her mind that, she should not check for any notifications till fajr and made her way to bed.

It's like some obstacle stuck over her throat, tears are flowing down her eyes, her heart longed for Ahmed's lovable words. She thought of why Ahmed is not preferring her over his work unlike those days.
'Those days I told not to prefer me, but now,
I just want his preference over me.
His love on me is fading, what will I do, if he stopped loving me, why did he mentioned as 'talking about my marriage' in his last text. 'my marriage' in the sense?
Will he leave me when his family gets a suitable bride for him? Or Is his Nani searching bride for him?
Did he mentioned that? I couldn't live a life without him, then how can he think to live without me?
Is it possible for him?
Then I have to make my heart more stronger like first.
Am I the same girl who made myself stronger those days? Where the stiffness gone? Why do I feel weak and insecure?
I just need him, I could not able to stay without speaking to him properly, Am I addicted to his love?

Love must not be this way, if it is this way, it will completely ruin one's heart. I have to stop expecting him more all the time', her heart began to question her inner voice.

The voice said to her, 'There is Only one who can help you is Allah. So ask him what you need. Remember the Almighty instead of remembering the one who gives you pain, Remember Him, you'll find rest', she started to recite his favourite dua 'Hasbiyallahu...' after making her heart firm and rubbed her overwhelming tears with her own hand. Whenever she urged to see her phone, she engulfed the pain and recited that dua as a dhikr(continuously). Her tongue keeps on repeating that dua and finally her sleep had overcome her worries.

A/N:

I wish you all had a blasting Eid. Eid Mubarak to all. We still have 2 more days to celebrate this Eid. Say a lot of takbeer till Friday magrib:-):-):-):-)