ABOUT THIS BOOK
Description
When I told the driver to turn back, I had completely lost my senses.
I could only think of my children, remembering how they wept when I was leaving. I felt a tight constriction in my chest; I completely lost control of myself. Only one thought echoed through my heart and body: Fa'iza, you can give your marriage another chance. Fa'iza, you can do it, if only for your children.
Before I knew it, I muttered aloud, "I will give him another chance. I will do it, if only for my children."
I said this while wiping away my tears, trying to build up my courage. But then, what happened? The moment we turned onto our street, my entire body went numb. My resolve began to shatter, my chest felt heavy, and my heart dropped instantly. In that moment, it felt as though a voice was whispering deep inside my soul: Oh, come on, Fa'iza. Have you really forgotten the kind of life you endured for over ten years with Ishaq? Have you forgotten that he never loved you? That his mother detests you? Even your children were just destiny's intervention. Have you forgotten that someone who says they don’t love you will never love you? He is only doing you a favor, just like he said.
You are not the first mother to leave her children behind, Fa'iza. They won’t die; if they do, it’s simply because their time has come. If they survive, it is Allah who sustains them, whether you are with them or not. Whatever Allah decrees for them will happen. Do not let pity for your children stop you from achieving your own peace.
It felt as though I had been snapped awake. In the blink of an eye, I came back to my senses and realized the foolish mistake I was about to make with my life, just as I had always done in the past.
Quickly, I called out, "Driver! Driver, turn around. Let's just go back."
I choked out the words, trying to suppress my sobs. Bewildered, the driver pulled over, turned around, and looked at me. Seeing the state I was in as I wept, he adjusted himself in his seat and said, "Hajiya, please make up your mind. Are we going forward or are we going back?"
Wiping the tears with the back of my hand, I replied in a cracked, raspy voice, "Let's just go..."
To be absolutely sure, he asked, "Are you certain, Hajiya?"
Firmly, I nodded my head, trying to summon every ounce of inner strength.
Deep within my heart, I kept repeating, "Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel" (Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs) to find comfort. The driver immediately turned the car around, and we headed back.
I didn't allow myself to sit idly again, fearing my heart might waver once more. As we drove, I quietly recited praises to the Prophet and declarations of faith in my mind. Yet, my quiet sobbing wouldn't stop; the tears flowed relentlessly down my face. I kept wiping them away with my hands, sniffing back my tears and mucus the entire way.
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