"Assalâmu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.." He said in his tensed up voice, and yet, he didn't shake.

The four boys turned to him, and in an almost unified voice, they responded,"Wa alaykas salâm wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh." Their voices sounded like what he would have called 'The hymning of heavenly creations on Earth'.

Even as they opened up, and he took his sitting position beside them within their circle, the first guy began to speak.

"You must be the new student Ustadh informed us about, Zak right?.. He said you might be joining our group, some days before."The guy who had just spoken, was of a rich dark shade, bronze - some may call it. He sat by the left of the tree, framing the entire scenery. The most striking feature that presented itself readily to people about him were his eyes. They were as piercing as an eagle's. With a shaven head and a charming calm to himself, he was a maturely gorgeous youth.

"I really couldn't believe it at first, but now, seeing how you confidently walked past all those unspoken malicious voices, and stares..."The boy said, as his eyes slightly traced the other guys Zak had just walked through, a cold glint seemed to spark...

"Yaa Ayyuhal ladhîna aamanuj tanibuu kathîram minaz zanni inna ba'daz zanniismunw wa laa tajassasuu wa la yaghtab ba'dukum ba'daa; a yuhibbu ahadukum any yaa'kula lahma akhîhi maitan fakarih tumuuh; wattaqullâh; innallâha tawwaabur Raheem...

(O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.)"

Zak heard another among them Recite. The new boy sat directly opposite the dark-skinned youth. His voice had a simple elegance and beauty to it.

"Abdul Bâqi, watch your words, or they'll become an evidence against you on a day you'd powerless to refute them..."He spoke, reprimanding his dark companion, and then as if suddenly remembering something, he looked away in nonchalance, as though he didn't care anymore.

Zak analyzed the boy's reserved nature, and noticed he had an air of dignity engulf him. His countenance held a stoicism like polished or refined jade, and his skin was strangely unblemished, without any imperfections.

Raising his hands in surrender, the dark-skinned guy smirked,"Hey, look, I didn't mean for it to become something like a gossip alright. Also, who said I was backbiting?!

Right now you just assumed that I was backbiting, isn't that a take back on your own words...seriously you seem to have something haraam to say about everything I do, geez it's so annoying!"He pouted, supposedly angrily, and yet Zak could see the cheerful playfulness in his eyes. He seemed to like how he was getting on the jade-face guy's nerves.

"At least you should be grateful Ukashah has the time to point out your mistakes so you'd repent. You know, not every friend is like that. It just goes to show he cares about your Aakhirah too.."

"You too and your whining!"Abdul Bâqi snapped, glaring at the boy who just spoke. This time, he looked a little bit irritated though, like they'd deliberately ganged up on him, and that too, in front of the new boy!

Zak now realized that this new guy had his head bowed slightly, throughout the time that he had been here, he hadn't even felt his presence any strongly. It was strange, like he had no aura at all!!!

He was lean in structure, with a deathly pale complexion like he's been severely sick for long.

"Astaghfirullâh...Astaghfirullâh...",the guy murmured so silently that his friends probably did not hear him, but Zak did, and that was because he was sitting very close. The guy's eyes were slightly lowered, as was his head.

Was it just Zak imagining, or was there a trail of tears on his cheeks.

The boy suddenly raised his head to smile faintly at Zak,"How're you doing?... In my language, they say Nǐ hǎo ma*. But I guess Kayfa haaluk would also do. My name is Urwàh." There was a sense of melancholic piety that radiated from his otherwise pleasant Asian appearance.

*Chinese (How are you?)

If not for his malaise state, he might have shone like the embodiment of spring flowers at his full bloom.

"Ana bikhayr, shukran. Zak", Zak returned the smile, extending his hand to a warm handshake.

Even as he turned to look towards the last boy who was leaning with his back against the tree cross-legged, and seemed the youngest, something caught Zak's attention.

The boy had been smiling in his direction all the while, his eyes intently focused on Zak.

Wait, how long has he been smiling at me like th-th...

Zak was suddenly dazed off.

He had never seen beauty like him before. No-It were as though the full moon at its peak had descended in his form! All his companions paled in comparison! It is said; once the sun appears in all its glory, what is left of the beauty and radiance of the stars to talk about?!

In the ahadith, the prophet Yûsuf alayhis salaam was said to be given half of beauty(of all the world).

He was so handsome, that when he walked into the room, the ladies who were busy cutting fruit, exalted him(at his beauty) and ended up cutting their hands.

"... Haasha lillâh!(How perfect is Allah! or Allah forbid!) No man is this! This is none other than a noble angel!"(They had said.)

[Qur'an 12:31].

Zak thought that perhaps, if this boy went back in time, similar praises would have been said of him! For he was a child one could only define as mindbogglingly handsome! The epitome of an eternal spring! A specimen of Al wildanummukhalladûn (The eternal children of Paradise) descended on the Earth.

"Salaamu alaykum! My name is Zayn-al-Aabidîn, and I hope we've a good time with you!"The boy said, smiling mirthfully in Zak's direction, whilst showing his amazingly white pearl-like teeth. Zak was still lost in a moment of stupor of an eternal spring.

The boy seemed to realize something, and drew his impossibly long and white turban which he wore, up, to cover the lower part of his visage. The overflowing turban wrapped around his head, and lightly veil his neck and the part of his lower visage.

Only then did Zak snap back to normal, an embarrassed expression on his face that made the others burst into some amount of laughter. Among them, Urwàh and Ukashah laughed only a little and lightly, before shortly stopping.

Zayn giggled, understanding what was going on.

"Don't worry. You'll get a hang of it, we all did. But if you don't, perhaps Zayn would have to be veiling in front of you too!"Abdul Bâqi joked, which made Zak become even redder. It was as though tomato juice had been squashed all over his face and neck.

"Your full name is Zakariyya Ibn Ya'qûb, right? We've heard of you - memorized a large number of ahadith by yourself at a very early age - "Abdul Bâqi said tentatively, as though probing him.

"Maasha Allah!, You're like some little muhaddith! Can you recite for us some of what you've learnt?"Urwàh suddenly interjected, making Abdul Bâqi look at him like he wanted to kill someone.

Zak laughed,"I've completed An Nawawi's Arba'în, and some of Malik's muwatta, and Imam Ahmad's musnâd, but I'm nowher-"

"Wow! - "The melancholic Urwàh suddenly had a light in his before dimmed eyes.

"Can you teach us!!!"Three of the four students ganged in on Zak, almost toppling him over. Zak noticed that, even though Zayn was sitting upright from his earlier leaning position, he had not made any movement like the rest, and seemed to be fixed in that same position since Zak arrived. Yet, they all seemed sincerely amazed, Zayn included.

Even the taciturn Ukashah had interest in his glowing brown orbs.

They looked at Zak with praise. Obviously, they might be genius of Qur'an, but in ahadith, Zak seemed to have one over them, such talent was rare to them! So Zak had automatically earned their respect.

Zak looked at their faces filled with excitement and pleadings. He didn't know why, but he suddenly burst out laughing. All his previous anxiety at being accepted and blending in had disappeared. It was like his soul had found a spiritual oasis...with them.

These were the best students in the halaqah, and yet, upon hearing about someone with knowledge, they humbled themselves to learn something of what he had.

True knowledge brought humility into the heart. Sometimes, people became arrogant upon learning so much, but these students of the Qur'an were humble and treated him like a friend, even with respect.

The little Zak remembered; among the ahadith he learnt was one, in which the qualities Allah loved were mentioned, among them was 'humility'.

The young students in their elegant white thobes, and within their first bloom of youthful innocence, sat in their circles, the grace of Allah about them.

A holy air seemed to surround them, as the flowers in the meadow on the cliff suddenly seemed to bloom all around them.

The glow of the dusk sun cast golden rays, like fire upon a holy mountain, as numerous students sat on it's cliff, reciting the words of The Originator of all things.

It suddenly felt like he was always there with them - on Mt. Shirah, reciting together...imprinting in him a never-forgetting scene; one, Zak would always remember.

It was beautiful.

Like this, this was Zak's first day at the halaqah of Qur'an, and he already felt near to the people who loved Allah - he felt near to the love, and remembrance of Allah; and as they continued, his heart found peace and happiness - contentment...

As Bibi Fatima read that hadith of Qur'an gatherings, bringing one in Allah's mentioning, and close to Him, Zakariyya also remembered the verse of Allah:
أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

"...Alaa bidhikrillâhi tatma-innul qulûb." Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest. (13:28)

The sudden remembrance of his friends made Zak feel melancholic and painful over separation, with only Ukashah left.

A tear drop fell from his right sky blue eye.

No one saw this, except a certain someone very close nearby - Arkaan.

He looked away, feeling he was intruding, but the happy smile even in the melancholy Zak exuded, got to him. He didn't know why, but it made him feel moved.

He had the feeling Zak was remembering his former days in Sheikh Inaayat's study circles.

"Friends who upon seeing them, cause one to remember Allah..."

Zak murmured in his heart the hadith about the best companions one can make.

"Even remembering you all, makes me think of Him..."

He remembered what he had in the past; he felt joy over the graces once upon a time, and then sorrow over what he once had that had already long gone by.

It was a kind of sentimental yearning that Zak couldn't explain, created by wistful fond memories. It then fueled his heart desire, to start the halaqât once again...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Who is the young scholar?

Who is the exiled prince?

Who is the child saint?

Who is the repentant sinner?

Who is the guy who seems to excel at everything he puts his mind to...?

Who is the black-hooded boy, and where does he fix in this whole story?

Watch out for the black-hooded boy in the next crescent, in shaa Allah.

Meanwhile, I decided to test my free hand writing on a side story I started recently, "The Innocence Of The Unicorn". You can check that one out too, about six chapters released, and more in draft form.

That book is related to this one in that it'll speak about Hilya's own story, and Zayn-Al-Âbidîn. It'll end, in shaa Allah, where Zayn and Inaayat reach Tâ Hâ without Hilya.

I'll still write things wholly here though, so you'll not have to compulsorily read that to understand this one; but it'll better your understanding of those two characters.

I was planning to make such short side stories for: Hilya and Zayn, Urwah and Ukashah, Zak and Abdul Bâqi, and Arkaan's own past.

I had planned to start releasing them after I published Halaqât are diverse 2!

This is because, as you'll soon see, this Crescent would introduce all the five Quraa by face.

Yet, I couldn't stop myself from publishing the first chapter of the first short side story "The Innocence of the Unicorn"

After amaturrahmaan7 read it, and encouraged me, I decided to publish the next three chapters.

Because it's free writing, once again, that's why I'm suddenly publishing quicker than this book. So we could patiently wait till I finish with uploading my hardcopy of this book, and in shaa Allah things would flow here too.

So whilst we're waiting we could still enjoy that book too, in shaa Allah.

Jazakumullahul khayran for all your support and patience with me and this book, once again.

Till we meet again in the next Crescent!😎

Salaamu alaykum Wa rahmatullah Wa barakatuhu.