Chapter 2

Habiba walked inside the room leaving the handbag on the couch she moved towards the babysitter standing by the rear door rocking a crying toddler in her arms. Untieing the hijab while walking she kept the cotton brown veil on the single couch beside the rear door. Her wavy dark locks slid on her waist with the short curls kissed her cheeks as soon as they were freed from the several hours of penned-up.

"What happened?" she stated making her presence known to the babysitter who turned behind hearing her voice.

"Oh, Habiba." She breathed out. Relief crossed over her feature as her body relaxed visibly.

Habiba gave her an apologetic smile and took the extended baby in her arms who curled inside his mother's arm feeling peace and tranquility finally.

"Habiba, he has been crying for half an hour now. You know how fussy he becomes when you come late. Why don't you tell your boss that you've a son to take care of so that he lets you depart early," Maria (the babysitter) scolded Habiba who was more like a daughter to her.

Habiba pouted and cursed her kingpin boss in mind who was the villain of her lovely life with her son.

"I tried to come at the time but I got caught up in the work," she explained running her hand through her son's curls soothing his hiccup in the process.

"Whatever, I don't know about you and your work. I just don't want him to cry very often for his mother's lateness. It's been so late already, I'll take my leave now." She collected all of her belongings and moved towards the door but stopped once she reached the door and looked behind at her.

"Oh accha, he didn't have supper yet," Maria said with a sorrow-filled tone.

"Oh, it's ok. I'll feed him something. Don't worry, khala." Habiba waved away her worries.

"Ok, Allah Hafiz. Take care of him and yourself though I know you are already in big trouble. May Allah have mercy on you. Ameen," Maria said dramatically.

They both chuckled at Maria's words and Habiba bid her goodbye and stood until she saw her reached her home safely which was a few houses away from her.

Maria was a sweet middle-aged woman from a small village in Bangladesh but shifted to London with her husband thirty years ago. She was 18 then when she was married and her husband took her away from her country to London as the so-called narrow-minded society used to torment her just because she was from a very poor background and her husband was the son of the landlord of her village. She was blessed with a lovely son who studied in Chelsea and her husband was a pilot in London airlines.

Habiba was having a hard time taking care of her son and her job as she was a newbie in the both field. Every day was becoming harder for her since she had no one to help her taking care of her son. She was a new mother who didn't know how to take care of a newborn until then when her lovely new neighbor came forward and extended a helping hand towards her.

Maria's husband had to stay abroad for work three times a week and her son studied in a different city. So she was lonely and bored at the house but when she noticed the troubled young woman in her neighborhood she decided to help her taking care of the baby.

She never took the money from Habiba since she didn't need that and she worked for killing her boredness. Thus Habiba was always thankful towards her and to her Rab for sending a woman like Maria to her.

Habiba shut the door carefully trying not to make any sound but it beeped when it was locked by the device. The sound made her son move from her chest to look up at her.

Habiba looked down at him and gave him her sweet dimpled smile hoping it would help her from the upcoming misery. Although she knew fate wasn't on her side that time and her thoughts were proven right the next moment when the small chubby hand threw not-so-small punches on her delicate face.

He wasn't pleased by that only as his nails worked on leaving his not-so-pleasing art by scratching her fragile cheek. But the patience mother was still silent as she wanted him to lash out his anger on her cause she deserved that. But she couldn't be silent longer as a small yelp left her mouth when he fisted her hair in a painful grip and tugged hardly.

Habiba somehow freed her hair from his fist tearing some locks in the process but she didn't care about it as it wasn't her first time experiencing that. She looked down at her angry son whose chest was moving up and down fastly in each of his rush breaths.

"I am sorry, Zayn. Mama tried to come earlier but she couldn't. Forgive me this time and I promise I'll never be late again." She gave the promise that would soon be broken but to calm him she told then.

Zayn's lips trembled along with a new set of tears pooled in his eyes and it didn't take long when he busted crying out loud. She pushed his head on her chest and patted his back softly. Tears brimmed in her eyes too but she wiped them away and stayed strong for both of their sake. She hated to witness moments like that and her mind roamed over the fact of never leaving him again but reality reminded her that she had to leave the next day just like every other day.

Taking the hijab from the couch she wrapped her head and shoulder by it and walked out from the back door. She went into the small garden in the backyard where she and Zayn had planted both flowers and fruit plants. Her lips adored in a sweet smile remembering that day when his whole body was painted in mud while helping her planting some trees.

Under the moonlight, the mother-son duo roamed around the garden and the trillion of stars were beaming at the duo while pouring blessings. Swaying happily the green leaves were the witness of the whole scenario.

The innocent big blue eyes were looking up at the sky and his small chubby finger rose up pointing to the moon.

"Thas a mun," he said in his improper pronunciation.

Habiba smiled at him and pointed her finger at the shining thing beside the moon.

"What are those?" she asked.

"stass." He craned his neck up and looked all over the sky with big eyes as the stars always amazed him.

Habiba chuckled at his awestruck face causing him to look down and a full-blown smile cherished on his smile making her chest filled up with happiness. His one smile was enough for her to overcome all hardships and establish happiness.

He looked aside and pointed to two plants from them one was slightly taller than the other.

"Thas Zayn's dasy and thas Mama's rosh." Habiba chuckled at his way of telling the names of flowers.

One was daisy that Zayn adored too much and claimed his own while the other was his mother's favorite flower rose's plant.

He faced his mother pouting making her tensed as she voiced out, "What happened?"

"Zayn's humgy (hungry)," he said caressing his stomach.

"Let's fill this empty stomach with food then." Habiba tickled his stomach and a fit of giggles left his mouth.

The happy mother and son went inside the house and prepared for dinner together.



"And...done," Habiba put the food on the table, taking off the apron from her body she hanged it in its own place.

"Zayn, food is ready. Come here," she shouted for Zayn who was watching cartoons in the leaving room.

The slow tip-tap of the small leg running inside the kitchen made her turned behind only to saw her son standing there with his hand extending up.

She smiled at him and brought him in her arms for washing his hand. After she was done with that she took him down who ran towards the dining table and climbed up his high chair by himself.

She served him his mashed potato and chicken nugget where she ate rice with spicy chicken curry.

She had to cook separately for both of them cause Zayn couldn't eat spicy food whereas she couldn't live without spicy food.

In the middle of eating Habiba looked at Zayn and observed all of his actions. The way he eats without staining his clothe or face unlike most of the kids at his ages did. He was way too tidy for his age.

After she was done she noticed Zayn whose eyes were almost closed though it made sense as it was past his sleeping hour. She collected all the dishes and kept them in the sink for tomorrow and returned towards her sleepy son. Habiba drank him water and wiped his face with the tissue.

"Let's give you a bath now then we'll sleep, Insha'Allah" She got him down and said who screamed in return shocking his mother.

"Yes," Zayn shouted and ran towards the bathroom.

Habiba was dumfounded seeing his enthusiasm for the shower. She wasn't new to that as she knew he loved playing with water but at that time the situation was different than every other time cause he was tired and she thought he would become fussy. Looked like her assumption was wrong.

While cleaning the table Habiba's mind pondered over the fact of how different Zayn was than her. His habits, his likings, his behavior didn't match with her at all. One thought came in her mind and her hand halted from wiping the table.

"Did he get all of the characteristics from him?"

She sighed, shaking her thoughts aside she finished cleaning the table and walked towards the bathroom and ran the bath when she stepped inside. Once she was done with checking the temperature of the water she put a very impatient Zayn on the tub who instantly started playing with water.

"Zaynnn..." a loud shriek left Habiba's mouth when Zayn threw water at her face.

Unfortunately, her scolding didn't do any work as Zayn continued throwing water at his mother along with laughing out loudly.

Habiba stopped scolding him as she didn't have the heart to sadden his happy moment.

While she was done with his bath she warped him in his fluffy blue towel and went inside the room. Putting him on the bed she applied lotion and moisturizer all over his body and kissed both of his chubby cheeks after dressing him in his night pajama. She laid him on the bed who was rubbing his eyes as he was back in his sleepy mode.

Habiba played a sura on her phone and kept it beside him as it was her savior on difficult times like putting him on the bed. She knew it would help him fall asleep and he wouldn't notice his mother's absence.

When she ensured the rhythmic fall and rise of his chest, Habiba ran inside the bathroom quickly and prepared for a bath. While the tub was filling with water her gaze fell on herself in the mirror. Indeed she got some scratches on her face and her brown skin turned red due to the sharp nail's scratches of her son.

"Oh man, I've to cut his nails as soon as possible," she thought to herself with the following chuckle left her mouth.

After she was done with shower and ablution she walked out of the bathroom and stepped forward. Her gaze fell on her sleeping son laying on his stomach with his thumb inside his mouth.

She tiptoed towards the bed and paused the sura playing on her phone. Walking towards the wardrobe at the farthest corner of the room she brought out her big hijab and wearing that she read Shahadah.

Laying the prayer she offered her Isha salah and once she was done praying she closed all the windows, changed in her matching pajama with her son and hopped on the bed as her body was too tired to do anything else.

Reading the dua's before sleeping she pulled Zayn in her arms and cuddled with him who fisted her mother's shirt in his small hand.

Habiba almost fell asleep when his soft mumbles held her back from falling.

"I mi...ss...ed you, Mama." His words brought tears to her eyes still she smiled and kissed his head replying back.

"I missed you more jaani." After that, she couldn't keep opening her eyes anymore as sleep consumed her in a warm embrace gracefully.

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Sayyiduna 'Umar (radiyallahu'anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu'alayhi wasallam) said:

'Anyone who recites the following after wudu will have all eight doors of Jannah opened for him to enter from whichever of them he wishes' (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 552)

Dua's before sleeping:

1) 33 times SubhanAllah, 33 times Alhamduliilah, 33 times Allahu Akbar

2) Recitation of sura-Fill, Sura-Naas, and Ayatul Kursi.

3) And the dua for sleeping, 'Allahumma Bismika Am'tu Wa'hiya'

[Ps: Read all the suras and ayat's while laying on the right side and keep hand under the right cheek.]

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