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When Life Begins --------- ---------
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When Life Begins ---------
We started walking again and came close to a beautiful and
delicately woven tent. I could feel my heart beating faster. Saleh turned
towards me and asked:
“Is your wife called Naimah?”
I nodded in affirmative. Saleh pointed towards the tent with his
finger and said:
“That is her tent.”
“Does she know that I’m here?” I asked with a pounding heart.
Saleh answered, “No.” Then he gestured towards the tent and said,
“This is your destination.”
I slowly ambled towards the tent and, after saying Salam, sought
permission to enter. My heart started pounding fiercely when I heard
the voice coming from the tent:
“Who are you?”
“Abdullah.”
As soon as I uttered these words, the curtain was pulled up and
darkness fell in the entire world. If there was any light in the world, it
was emanating solely from the face in front of me. Time, era, centuries,
and moments, everything stopped. I just stood there, silently staring at
her. The name Naimah means radiance. But that radiance could be so
beautiful, I only realised it at that moment.
The last time when we were together, our association of a lifetime
had matured into a comfortable companionship of old age. It was a
time in our lives when love did not depend on beauty and youth.
Nevertheless, Naimah had sacrificed all the wishes and desires of her
youth for my sake. She was by my side even when I chose the thorny
way over an easy life. She supported me through life’s difficult
moments and ups and downs to the best of her abilities, until death did
us apart.
But today, as the transient curtain of death had pulled back, facing
me was pearly white moon light, sparkle of the stars, shine of the sun,
fragrance of the flowers, delicateness of the buds, freshness of the dew,
splendour of the morning light, and beauty of the dusk twilight, all of
them emanating from her face.
I was trying to analyse a companionship of years in a few moments
in my thoughts. Naimah’s eyes were wet as tears ran down her cheeks.
I extended my hand to wipe the tears away and taking her hands in
mine, said:
“Didn’t I tell you, with a little wait and perseverance, we’ll win this
war?”
“When did I not believe you? Now my faith has turned into reality.
It feels like you went out of our home for a little while and then came
back. We persevered for a short while and now we have won a great
war.”
“We had to win, Naimah. God never loses; and neither do people
who fight for his cause. They may stay behind in the world, but they’ll
always be ahead of everyone else in the Hereafter.”
“What happens now?” Naimah closed her eyes as she asked as if
she was imagining the surroundings of Paradise, a life that was about to
begin.
“We spent our mortal life in spreading the message of God. Now, he
will compensate us with ever-lasting life in Paradise.”
Saying so, I closed my eyes as well. I could recall every moment of
my life that was full of hardship and struggle. I had dedicated the best
years of my youth and adult life in the service of the religion as ordained
by God. I had even devoted the diminishing strength of my middle age
in his way. I was an extra-ordinarily talented and intelligent person. If I
had made success in this life my goal, I would have easily achieved the
pinnacle of accomplishments here. However, I had decided that if I had
to make a career, an estate, a high status, and a name for myself, I
would only do so for the life in Hereafter.
All my life, I had not only battled with myself over the desires of life,
but I had also battled against prejudices and emotions. I never let
myself be dirtied by sectarianism, personality-worship, or prejudices. I
always tried to understand the religion of God with honesty and with
intellect and then followed it sincerely and honestly. I spread his
religion in the entire world and ignored the rebukes. God blessed me
with the love and friendship of Naimah that gave me the fortitude to
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