"Devotion to the Book did not cease,
but it lost its active character while
retaining what was irrational and mystic.

The Qur'an lost its authority as law while gaining in sanctity as an object.

In study and interpretation, wisdom yielded to hair-splitting, essence to form, and grandeur of thought to the skill of recitation.

Under constant influence of theological formalism, the Qur'an was read less and recited more, while commandments on struggle, uprightness, personal and material sacrifice - harsh and repellent to our inertia - dissolved and vanished in the pleasant sound of the Qur'anic text learnt off by heart.

This unnatural state of affairs came to be accepted as the norm because it suited an ever more enormous group of Muslims who could neither break with the Qur'an nor summon the strength to order their lives according to its dictates."

Alija Izetbegovic

NB: Thoughts and Flashbacks are in italics.

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Even as he made it almost halfway up the bridge, he heard the sound of the tinkling of an anklet.

That sound...

His mind went into a daze as he conjured up a long forgotten memory.

He smiled a faint smile, as he waited at the middle of the stone bridge for the owner of the sound to make their way up the bridge.

Maybe he had long known that it would be her, maybe he had only wanted her to say it first. Maybe he had only hoped that she recognized him first so it'd be all the more lot easier.

Thus his eyes didn't reveal any shock when he saw Maryam run up the bridge. He laughed inwardly. She's still the same, always running about like it's the end of the world even though she's growing into a lady.

Maryam reached the middle of the bridge to find Arkaan waiting on her. She was still panting and sweating a bit heavily, but the sweat came off her beautiful self as shining pearls in the rising morning sun, making her even more beautiful, and Arkaan was stunned once again.

It was when she came up close that the sound of her voice brought him out of his daze.

There he was again, in his usual leather trousers and black long sleeves top.

"Arkaan?"

He didn't know whether to lower his gaze or not. The girl had afterall, come to meet him.

There was no girl who I was stuck in a dilemma about except for you.

I didn't know how I could ever find obsession in anyone till I met you.

Seeing that the boy was at a loss upon seeing her, Maryam who had come up, turned to look at the flowing stream underneath the river, whilst standing by his side.

Seeing her turn towards the river, a calm expression on her face as she watched the flowing river, Arkaan also turned towards the river, his green eyes seemed to reflect the glimmer of green that the calm waters reflected, imaging the tree crowns around them.

A little girl stood with a boy upon a bridge as they watched the river flowing below them.

They both seemed to be content with the silence that reigned, calmly soaking in the effect of peaceful nature.

But whilst the girl was sighing in peaceful calm, the boy's eyes would shift ever so slightly to the girl. They were very little that time, and the boy didn't understand what it was in his heart, but he felt a great attraction to the companion by his side.

Normally, he was oblivious to such things, but this was the very girl who showed him kindness that day when everyone had turned their back on him and his mother.

He felt grateful to her.

"Zak couldn't come." Her voice broke the silence, stating what was obvious.

"He was caught up in something, so I'd to bring you this." She said, revealing a wrapped gift which she had hid within her black chador.

"It contains Elder brother Ismaîl's gift. He said, for winning the contest at the Masjid-ur-Rahmân, whatever it was."

"Two other gifts are included there; one from Sister Tasnîma, and the other from Elder Sister Fatima. Apparently they were impressed with your performance at yesterday's quiz."

Even as she spoke, Arkaan realized something, her voice was cold, and contained no emotion unlike the time they met at the Chinese market.

It was all so frigid.

Arkaan didn't realize, but his heart was breaking, his feelings bleak at everything. It wasn't that he expected something from her, especially now she's grown, Islam sets certain limits between male and female mixing unnecessarily.

As a young girl who would soon be ready to marry, she couldn't be associating with males so casually. A code of proper ethics to protect the dignity of females was inscribed in the revelation.

Whenever disgrace came due to lewd and promiscuous acts, it was the girl who took much of the shame in any community. Thus, laws exist to protect those who're most vulnerable. He knew, the only reason Maryam wasn't much bothered meeting him here, and in the Chinese market too, was because both places were public, and people would occasionally pass by.

But, all he wanted now, was only that she should remember.

Sadly, no flicker appeared in her eyes in reminiscence, looking at the calm water, with the boy beside her.

No emotion in her voice betrayed her excitement at meeting a long lost friend.

Only the distinct sound of her anklet, made him not to doubt it was her; for no other action of hers revealed their past.

Even her looks had bloomed drastically; if at first, she was a glimmering beauty; the epitome of a resplendent earthly flower, then now, she was an enchantress, a fallen Venus on Earth.

Even as they stood there, an appreciable distance between them, people began passing by; it began with single passersby to large groups of people moving to and fro, about their own business. Each person seemed in a haste upon their own chores, afterall, it was a working day.

Maryam raised her chador to cover her face as she turned to look at him. Her eyes contained a conflicting feeling.

"You have something to ask, so ask away~ I'm listening.." Arkaan's voice was firm as he realized the hesitation in her.

"I also came because of a different reason." She continued.

Arkaan looked up.

"To ask you a question.."

Arkaan waited for her to continue.

"Why do you wish to learn the Qur'an?"

Her voice suddenly turned light, all frigidity was gone, to be replaced by a sole and curious wish to understand, and to confirm something about him for herself.

Hearing everything that had happened since he came, she was as excited as anyone else to hear of the wish to revive the South district's halaqah. But something bothered her deeply, what was the intention?

What was the motivation? In the end, that would determine a person's true bond with the Holy Book. Was he like the others, studying for anything else other than the real goal to study towards?

Arkaan looked down to hide the smile on his face. She's really still the same. Oblivious to everything else, whether intentionally, or just her naïveté.

That time too, she wouldn't enjoy anything else, except when I spoke to her of the Scholar Al Iskandarī. She wanted to hear all about what he thought, his ideals, what he thought the Qur'an should be studied for, the best student of the Qur'an.

When I spoke to her about my adventures in Town, she only was excited because it spoke of my own return, how the Qur'an was positively changing me. How I was going through change.

As to why she liked to understand?

She was just inquisitive about people and things, about the Dîn, about how people were making progress, working towards the Aakhirah.

Maybe that's all she's ever grown up in, an environment where the drive is to Allah. And thus, hearing others achievement motivate her, or at least calms her heart, especially for her friend whom she'd only just met.

Maryam didn't know why Arkaan had lowered his head when she asked the question, but she had hoped he'd answer.

Arkaan raised his head to answer. Even though I found my answer because I wanted to know the Book of Allah and thus, know who Allah is, you had told me the answer once when I asked you, but even that meeting you seem not to remember.

He remembered. It happened here at the same bridge.

That day, Al Iskandarī had asked him a question,"I've taught you for for weeks now for you to answer a question I would ask you." He smiled at Arkaan warmly.

"Right now, ..why do you wish to learn the Qur'an?"

"..I took you as my student to teach you, but by now, since you still come to learn, and have not run away, you must have already developed a reason - one that drives you, your motivation to be here with me today."

That day, he looked at his teacher with a gaping mouth, going through his innermost self, searching for an answer.

He also wanted to know.

Under normal circumstances, with his character, he wouldn't have made to meet the Scholar ever again, after their first meeting. But he went to search for him, and he did that everyday afterwards...

The Scholar got up to leave.

The boy raised his head to ask inquisitively," When is our next meeting, Uztadh?"

He smiled back,"When you've found your answer."

From there, the boy knew the answer was important if he wanted to continue learning under the Scholar, but what could he do.

He was sulking in this state at the bridge where he would usually meet his new favourite friend, when she arrived, a jovial expression on her face.

His bleak attitude towards her made her realize something was wrong. When she asked him, he flowed his heart out to her. She listened calmly.

"After all this time, I've been going to look for him, and he just wants to abandon me like that!" He scoffed.

"You know, that sulking face doesn't fit you one bit!" She said. In her mind, she reviewed everything. If the Scholar asked such a question at this time, there must be a definite answer to it that he's expecting, not just a personal thought. My guess is that, if the expected answer is not delivered, it'll lead to ~" She suddenly looked at the boy with green eyes before her. She felt sad for him.

"You know, I was really starting to enjoy my time spent with him learning. Since my father left, I've not had anyone to morally guide me as a boy~"

She laughed at his last statement.

"What?" Arkaan looked at her, his sad eyes with blame.

"Nothing." She said, turning back to look at the water. She had been with him to see his change, to witness it, to hear it from him, so she couldn't let him lose to such a test like this.

The very next day, she came to him with an answer. Arkaan would never know with what intensity she had brainstormed, and the opinions she had sought of people to finally arrive at an answer...

He turned to her like she said to do, to ask her,"Why do you want to study the Qur'an?"

He answered...