Winning her heart-Complete story

Realizing the mistake

The next day, as Masooma prepared for college, Hadi noticed her. His eyes lingered on the cut on her forehead, a silent reminder of the previous day's incident. Masooma, too, wanted to ask about his well-being, but hesitated.

"Why do you wear this niqab? As far as I know, it's not mandatory," Hadi remarked casually, reaching for an apple from the fruit basket.

"I believe wearing the niqab is mandatory. Besides, I wear it to please Allah Ta'ala. And, inshallah, no matter what happens, I won't stop wearing it," Masooma replied, alluding to the events of the previous day, and then left.

Hadi watched her departure, her words resonating in his mind. "'Please Allah?'" he echoed internally, the impact of her conviction settling within him.

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Hadi had come to the mosque after a long time with his father, Rafiq, for the Jummah prayer. The imam was delivering the Friday sermon."Today, I would like to talk about something important that is related to half of our deen. Can someone tell me in Islam what's equivalent to half of our deen?"Hadi, sitting at the back, observed many people raising their hands. The imam pointed at a person and said, "Brother, you answer."

"Marriage," the man replied.

"Correct. Marriage is equivalent to half of our debt. Yet, how many take this seriously?" The imam paused. "Many of you might say, 'What are you saying, Sheikh? We take this quite seriously.' I know. I know. We all take marriage seriously. However, I'm talking about the fitnah related to marriage. Nowadays, I've found many men and women asking me this question: 'Sheikh, my parents forced me to marry so and so, and now I can't tolerate him or her. What to do?' Now, brothers, let me make this fact clear: Parents forcing their children to get married to someone against their will is haram.The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: A previously married woman should not be married without being consulted, and a virgin should not be married without asking her permission. They said, O Messenger of Allah, how is her permission given? He said, By her silence.(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6455) Aaishah reported that a girl came to her and said, My father married me to his brothers' son in order to raise his social standing, and I did not want this marriage [I was forced into it]. Aaishah said, Sit here until the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) comes. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came, and she told him about the girl. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent for her father, and then he gave the girl the choice of what to do. She said, O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted what my father did, but I wanted to prove something to other women. (Reported by al-Nisaai, 3217) So, both the guardian and the woman must agree to the marriage.

Parents cannot force their sons to marry against their will. Nowadays, when a son likes a girl and, Alhamdulillah, he doesn't want to start a haram relationship, he goes to his parents to send his proposal to the girl's family. However, his family rejects it because they don't like the girl's appearance, hair, or family, even if the girl is extremely pious. They make the son choose between the girl and his parents. In the end, the boy gives up and marries the girl that his parents chose for him. Then what happens next? He comes to me and says, 'I can't love this girl.'

Hadi looked at his father, who was staring at the floor. Then he returned his attention to the khutba. The imam continued, 'So, your parents made a mistake, Akhi. But let me tell you, if you are going to marry someone, you are capable enough to bear your and your wife's expenses. What made you agree to your parents' decision in the first place? You shouldn't have given up on your choice. We are indeed obliged to abide by our parents, to treat them with love and affection, and not to even say 'oof' in front of them. Yet, as a man, you are free to choose your wife and marry her. A woman needs the permission of her guardian. Even so, her guardian can't marry her against her will. You can marry the girl you want and still fulfill your duties to your parents as a son. But you gave up and married someone else. And now you can't love her. So, what's the innocent girl's fault? Why must she suffer for your actions?'

This time, Hadi lowered his eyes and looked at the carpet. His shoulders slumped. He remembered the words he told his mother, and he could only imagine how Masooma had felt hearing those words. 'Akhi, marriage is not a joke. This is half our deen. Don't make it a child's play. Fear Allah and do justice.' After the sermon was finished, all of them prayed salah. During prostration, tears rolled down from Hadi's eyes. This was the first time he shed tears in front of the Almighty. He had realized his mistake, but already it was too late. He had caused a lot of damage to their marriage. After they came out of the mosque, Rafiq placed his hand on Hadi's shoulder and said, 'We are sorry, son. Your mother and I are sorry for forcing this marriage on you. But your mother had no other option. If she wanted to bring Masooma with her, she needed a relationship. Otherwise, the villagers would never let her go. Don't think your mother was wrong. At that time, she did what she thought was right. However, now we will fix everything, Insha'Allah. We've consulted a divorce lawyer. Soon, we will file for divorce.' Hadi felt like someone had inserted a dagger into his chest.

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