THE VIRTUE OF KEEPING PROMISE part 2

Nazeeya dug the grave the way she had seen others do. Her hands trembled as the shovel cut through the soil, tears mixing with the dust on her face. “Nazeeya, go to my luxury wardrobe number seventeen. Bring out my pilgrimage cloth and the remaining white material from your father’s burial,” said AfraaNazeeya wiped her tears with the back of her hand and went inside. She found the clothes neatly folded, still carrying the faint scent of her father’s perfume. Her heart broke again as she had them back to her mother.“Now, Wafeeqa,” her mother said faintly, turning to her friend, “I want you to wrap me in them… just as you wrap the dead at your workplace.” Wafeeqa froze, her eyes widening. “Afraa, don’t say that. You’ll be fine,” she whispered, her voice shaking. But Afraa smiled weakly, the peace of acceptance shining in her eyes. “No, my dear. A promise must be kept, even to the grave."After Wafeeqa and Nazeeya had wrapped Afraa, and she was about to be carried into the grave, she raised her trembling hands and said:“Ya Allah, You are the leader of all who call themselves leaders. You are the Greatest and the Lord of all worlds. I went to everyone I thought could help me, but I found no help. Now I come to You, keeping my promise. Please let me return to my daughter the way I am leaving her now. Do not let me die here."The only sound was Nazeeya’s quiet sobbing. Wafeeqa’s hands shook as she held the cloth tighter around Afraa, tears streaming down her face. As Afraa was placed in the grave and covered with earth, Allah decreed the land to open and make her grave spacious. When she opened her eyes inside the grave, she looked ahead and saw a small house. In front of it stood two women.She greeted them softly, saying, “As-salamu alaykum.” [Peace be upon you]But they did not reply. Surprised, she said again, “Oh, why don’t you answer me?”One of the women turned to her and said, “As-salamu alaykum is an act of worship, and the dead can no longer worship. You can greet us because you are still alive."Afraa saw a large bird sitting on the head of the first woman, and another large bird rested on the head of the second. The bird on the first woman’s head was pecking at her eyes, ears, and brain, eating them over and over again. Each time they grew back, the bird would start again. The woman screamed in endless pain, her cries echoing through the strange land.But the second woman was different. The great bird on her head stretched one of its feathers to form a shade over her, like an umbrella. Then it spread its other feathers before her like a table, filled with food and drink. The woman ate and drank peacefully while the bird watched over her.Afraa called out to the first woman, “I call upon you, first woman, what did you do to Allah to deserve this everlasting punishment?'' At Afraa’s question, the bird stopped pecking, and the woman began to speak.“When I was alive, I married a Wally [Friend of Allah], but I did not respect him at all. He was patient with me for the sake of Allah, yet I continued to disobey him. Whenever my husband said ‘A’, I would say ‘B’. If he said ‘1’, I would say ‘18’ to prove that I was not foolish and that he had no control over me. And most especially, I am a 21st-century lady who does not take nonsense. I rejected all that Allah instructed women to be in the Qur’an, such as to be obedient, kind, and respectful to their husbands. Instead, I followed my so-called scientific instincts to the extreme, believing I was wiser than faith itself. When I died, my husband came to my grave and said, ‘Oh Allah, I tried my best with her for Your sake until her last breath. Now she is dead and buried here. I am off her case; deal with her as you wish. As you will deal with does who drift away from their manual because you are the manufacturer of all things, including we humans, and your manual is the holy book.''Then Afraa turned to the second woman, the one sitting under the bird’s feather that shaded her like an umbrella while food and drink were laid out before her.“You,” Afraa said softly, “what did you do for Allah to deserve this eternal enjoyment?” The woman smiled gently and answered, “Nothing. I did nothing special. It wasn’t my prayers, it wasn’t my almsgiving, it wasn’t being better than anybody else. I was married to a very poor man, and despite his poverty, I never disobeyed him. I never shared my body with any other man apart from him. I made a promise to Allah that, from the day I got married, my body and my heart were closed to any other man.Even though he cheated on me with his poverty and shortcomings, I did not overstep my boundary with him, because Allah says in the Qur’an that we should not judge others. I worked hard, took care of him, clothed him, put money in his pocket, and focused on myself and our children. When I died, he came to my grave with tears and remorse and said: ‘Yā Rabbī, my wife was a very good wife. Everything in her she used to respect me, even though I knew I was not a good husband. But she was a good wife, and now I am sending her to You. Do not question her about her flaws as a human being. Until the Day of Judgement, when I am also present, ask me whatever you would ask her. Let her see triple of whatever she did for me in her lifetime.’”Then the first woman said to Afraa, “Now go back to your grave where you stood up. It’s already seven days…” Before she could finish, the second woman cut in, her eyes full of tears. “Please, if you return to life, help me find my husband. His name is Sheikh Nazeer. Tell him his wife, Sauda, sent you to seek his forgiveness. Tell him my condition and what you have heard here. No one is praying for me, and my own prayers are not enough to sustain me here.”The first woman spoke again, firmer this time. “Go back now. Your daughter has started digging the grave. By the time Nazeeya lifts the planks, she will carry you up.”And just as the words faded, the ground began to shift beneath Afraa. The vision dissolved. She felt herself being lifted, and when she opened her eyes, it was her daughter’s trembling hands pulling her up from the grave. The End.

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