Zainab sat alone in the dimly lit dining room of her two bedroom apartment. Her husband’s unexpected announcement of divorce left her speechless. A myriad of thoughts raced through her mind. Her head throbbed; her eyes glistened.
The next few days were particularly challenging. Warm plates of home cooked rice and fish curry filled her tummy, but her soul was famished. Mineral water hydrated her body, but her heart was perpetually thirsty for affection.
A month later, Zainab’s guest arrived at her doorstep with the gift of siyam and qiyam. Zainab capitalized on her guest’s month long visit. With the help of YouTube videos of ten-minute meal recipes, Zainab hoped to devote more time during the day for extra worship.
She prepared freezer bags of precooked meals so she could serve iftar on time. Sahl bin Sa’d (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The people will continue to be on the right path as long as they hasten in the breaking of the fast.” [Agreed upon]
Zainab also stocked her pantry with the spices, condiments, lentils and grains as she would need to prepare sahoor for her family. Anas bin Malik (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Take a meal (just) before dawn, for there is a blessing in Sahoor (taking a meal) at that time.” [Agreed upon]
Troubled by marital rifts, Zainab found solace in the Quraan. Reciting each letter of Allah’s Book, which carries a tenfold reward, soothed her heart. Ibn Masud (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward..” [At-Tirmidhi]
The carpet of the masjid absorbed her silent tears during tarawih prayers. A strange tranquility engulfed her with every bowing and prostration performed behind the imam. With the expectation of reward equivalent to standing the whole night in prayer, joy did not elude her anymore. Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven.” [Agreed upon]
At dusk, every day, Allah’s greatness was proclaimed from the minaret. Dates sweetened Zainab’s palate followed by earnest supplications with the certainty of acceptance at iftar time. Fasting was difficult for a mother struggling with gastritis. But, the promise of salvation from the fire made it worthwhile. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “No slave (of Allah) will fast for a day while engaged in jihad without Allah removing the Hellfire a distance of 70 years from his face for that day.” [Agreed upon]
Every heaped spoonful of porridge at sahoor fed her determination to engage in more nawaafil acts of worship throughout the day. Each sunnah prayer offered would enjoy the same status as a fard (obligatory) prayer, while each fard prayer offered would be rewarded seventy-fold. Glory be to Allah! With such grand prizes waiting to be claimed, it would be foolish not to prioritize carefully.
The prospect of earning a seventy-fold return in the afterlife for each penny invested in a charitable cause prompted Zainab’s decision to donate two fifths of her personal savings. Her husband’s stinginess did not curtail her generosity towards the part time maid. She prepared a packet of staples and fruits which the maid took home for her malnourished children thrice a week. Narrated by Hakim ibn Hizam (radiAllahu anhu) that The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The upper hand is better than the lower hand; and start giving charity first to your dependents..” [Agreed upon]
Generous portions of meat stew, flatbreads and rice pudding endeared Zainab to her neighbors, whom she saw once in a blue moon. What she truly wanted from her neighborliness was Allah’s Pleasure. Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who provides a fasting person something with which to break his fast, will earn the same reward as the one who was observing the fast, without diminishing in any way the reward of the latter.” [At-Tirmidhi]
Huge volumes of tafseer books adorned Zainab’s mahogany bookcase in the living room, where she spent a couple of hours each day drawing inspiration from the Quraan. Prophet Muhammad’s (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) biography was to her like nectar is to the bee. The stories of the Prophet’s personal misfortune eclipsed her own unhappiness.
The time came for Zainab’s guest to depart. Zainab occupied herself during the last few days with a multiplicity of virtues anticipating the reward of a thousand months of worship. Allah the Most High says in the Quraan: “The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months).” [Al-Quran, 97:3]
On completing her iddah a week after Eid Al-Fitr, Zainab returned to her parents’ home with a renewed sense of dignity and self-confidence. Alhamdulillah for Ramadan!
