Sometimes, the whole world wouldn't understand you..

But no matter how crazy you're,
your parents would.

Because.. they just love you, the way you're..

- A.A.I.M.

•••

Foolish boy.. The supervisor frowned as he made a 'closing' signal, the boy caught. However, as he made haste to close the opened pages of the Qur'an, the amir of Hâ Mîm had already appeared by his side so both their hands were touching the opened Qur'an pages at the same time.

The Hâ Mîm amir turned his eyes to squint at the boy who cowered, removing his hand timidly from the pages of the Qur'an.

When the amir checked the opened Qur'an, it was just as Ukashah had said..
The pages were not the actual pages of the verses the boy had last recited.

The boy had been cheating all along. He had been reading from hifz.

Because the Qaadi had never required one reciting the whole page, he had easily been getting away without being caught. Had that not been the case, perhaps, his lack of knowledge of where the verses began and ended on the page, would have exposed him.

He just wasn't lucky because, - his fellow contestant was Ukashah...

The Hâ Mîm governor turned to the veiled man at the high table, and gave a nod that everyone understood.

Once he had confirmed this to all those present, waves of shock and alarm appeared throughout the gathering.

"Why would he-"However, before Âyatullah could ask the King the question bugging everyone's mind present, the man had already erupted with a scene.

"Curse you Tâ Hâ scum! People from a backwater city of jinns like you, do not deserve to be treated as people should!"The man who was the supervisor before, shrieked as he made to escape from the convention through one of the many entrances.

Nobody was close to him and so everyone thought he would make away with it, since the way was clear for him. No one was present at the entrances to bar him.

"You too! Yâ Sīn idiots!"He couldn't believe just one foolish boy had exposed and disgraced him like that. Now he was going to be a fugitive.

The moment Shams had been caught, he knew he was going to be implicated.

If he were to enter prison before he lets loose his tongue, he would be killed by those who did not want him to speak.

And if he were to give their names out now, his family would not be safe either. The whole thing was more complicated than what lay at the surface, and it involved many entities at the top.

Even King Dhul Qarnayn wouldn't know how deep this ran.. On the surface, it was just a simple cheating committed during a Qur'an competition. However, it had far-reaching consequences.

These and many other confused thoughts ran through his mind as he made his way towards the gates.

Thus, it was to his shock and dismay, when he saw men in red, appear instantly before him as he approached the entrance, baring all exits.

Crimson Sentinels??? What're they doing over here?..

"Did you really think you could run from me?.."A cold composed voice reaching him from behind, sent a shock of alarm thrilling through his spine. It was like thunderclaps had just exploded by his very ears.

That voice..

It was coming from the high table.

When he turned back, what met his gaze sent his very soul quivering in terror, as his eyes bulged out.

"King. Dhul. Qarnayn?"The red veil had been lifted for all to see, - the handsome yet terrifying man who at first, was thought to be the exalted guest of honour, now had his lips down-turned in an expression of wrath.

Alarm and shock rose all over.

"I knew it! It really was the King!"

"The scholars and ministers must have known. Look how they're all calm and placid inside."

"Subhānallah! For the King himself to be here, I'm honoured!!"

"That man is in trouble now. The King never lets anyone go who raises his anger.

Foolish man, he should have pleaded guilty rather than trying to run. Perhaps the King might have spared him. He does have a good side after all. He only hates when people are obstinately striving against him."

"He's doomed."

"But for what reason would have made him cheat for that Yâ Sīn boy.. Does it have something to do with Yâ Sīn?

Or is it something against Tâ Hâ?"

•••

The King raised his hand for silence, which was effected at once.

Considering now everyone knew his identity, no one would dare to get on his wrong side.

Ukashah looked on as the events unfolded. To say he had expected it to turn out this way would be a lie, most especially, he hadn't expected the King to reveal himself. Apparently, what he thought was just one annoying guy cheating, went even deeper into conspiracy.

But he knew that his game of challenging the King was over now. Now, he had to be careful. Anything he said or did would be sanctioned if it showed any sign of the least noncompliance to the King.

Also, many officials were present, - and the Crimson Sentinels too!

...

Zak's heart couldn't stop palpitating. The one who didn't really like him was the King himself!

Abdul Bâqi though, had an unflustered expression on his face. From the moment he saw the Hâ Mîm governor answer to the veiled man, he undoubtedly knew who it was!

The Six Inland governors respond to none but the King himself!

...

"Tell me, young boy, what made you so sure your competitor was cheating?"King Dhul Qarnayn asked, turning to Ukashah. Apparently, he was going to deal with the man behind closed doors.

Everyone understood this the moment the man was dragged away by the Crimson Sentinels.

The Yâ Sīn boy who was called Shams, was spared though. It was obvious he was just a pawn being used in trying to effect something.

At the present, Ukashah had the King's undivided attention, and also that of all the people at the convention,

"..No, For you to have known the verses and where they lay in page..

The best question to ask, is what I've asked before, - what does the Qur'an mean to you?.."The King added, as an afterthought.

Ukashah looked at the King squarely, and replied,

"For your first question, Yā Amirul Mu'minīn, I'd know the consequences that would come, had I not been so sure myself.

However, from the first time he opened the book and rang the bell, I knew he was lying..

The left and right hand pages of the Qur'an we were given, were based on the standard Qur'an organization generally possessed by all.

They all have particular âyât associated with specific pages, whether right or lefthand side.
So there are particular âyāt you'll always come across, and on the same side of the book, once you've read it again and again, many times over.

The first verse recited by the Qaadi had to be on the right hand side of the page. However, when I looked over, Sham's eyes were intently gazing over at the lefthand page.

I expected the superviser to note this and expose him, but nothing happened. So it began to seem strange to me.

I decided to thus study him for the next few turns after that, and that was when I stopped opening my Qur'an."

"To be sincere with you, it was not every single time he failed to open the correct pages first though.

..At least, not while I had mine closed.

Shams opened wrongly a total of eight times out of the ten."Ukashah declared to the gathering.

He then went on to specifically mention the verses the Qaadi had recited before, the pages Shams had opened, whether it was on the right or left, and then their actual pages.

Even though he didn't state the page numbers, his knowledge on the orientation of the pages on which the recited verses lay, whether left or right hand side, earned him the awe of all the people present.

Just by reading the book several times, this boy knew the sides on which each verse fell? This and many other thoughts were going through the minds of all those present.

Ukashah maintained an indifferent expression as he continued,

"Perhaps Amirul Mu'minīn might want to know how?.."He addressed the King,

"The how comes from the understanding that,

One who reads a book for the first time, grasps the general theme of the book..

One who reads it a second time, realizes some details he might have missed.

When a person reads the same book a tenth time, he or she might recite quotes from it that interested them, by heart.. However, the essence of a book becomes clear to him who reads it o'er a hundred times!

The Qur'an is special though.. One need not follow that rule to grasp the theme, or recite it by heart.
Even its essence does not require such labour..

Wa laqad yassarnal Qur'ana lidh-Dhikr, Fahal min muddakir!

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

[Al Qamar, 54:17]

The one special thing I realized about the Quran was that, ..no matter how much I read it(the Holy Qur'an), every new time opened to my heart a new secret. And each new secret, opened for me, a world of mystery yet to be explored.

No matter how many times I read the same verse, whenever I returned to read it once again, it always had something different to present to me.

I saw that I could only keep their pages and positions in mind, as that was only what remained constant whenever I returned."

Ukashah smiled slightly."You asked, what the Qur'an meant to me?.. Well..

Some things can only be shown.

However, in simple terms, the Qur'an is to me, - my world of 'escape'. It's where I can find adventure in a world of boredom and or chaos,

..where I find the meaning to this void which gave no meaning to sorrow.

The verses have secrets I earnestly seek each day.

The secrets open contemplation that help me reach new worlds.

I'm a spirit traveller, and the Qur'an is my tesseract."

•••

"Ibn Islam, You've earned my respect. I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself.. once again.

The Qaadi would recite an ayah for you to complete.

Consider this a favour from me."The King smiled in Ukashah's direction.

But Ukashah knew more, than to believe in its alluring promise of goodwill. The verse wasn't going to be just something simple..

Even after his submission, the King had sought to give that day's contest a befitting conclusion.

Though Ukashah proved his knowledge to be advanced in the previous test, King Dhul Qarnayn decided upon a final test that would enable appraisal.

So the Qaadi read the beginning phrase of a verse..

All three companions from Tâ Hâ were shaken to the bone by this. Those who knew the Qur'an well, couldn't believe - why such a verse??

Even though Ukashah knew the sly King had a hand in it, he couldn't do anything.. He stood for a moment in thought.

The particular verse was ubiquitous in the Holy Qur'an.

It was part of the Mutashâbihāt(Oft-recurring similar verses of the Qur'an)...

All have the word 'Saiyr' in them. Ukashah observed.

Of the twenty-seven times the word 'Saiyr'(Travel) appeared in the holy Qur'an in all its variations, only four of them began with the word;

'Qul'(Say).

Al An'ām 6, verse 11

An Naml 27, verse 69

Al Ankabût 29, verse 20

and Ar Rûm 30, verse 42!

Of these four, Ukashah knew their different variations in tonation.

This was because, their preceding and succeeding verses were dissimilar, and so created the opening for the four verses to be read distinctly.

Actually, it could be that simple.. He smiled to himself. Though it was meant to be a problem for him, after careful consideration, he had dissected the challenge and comprehended it, and he hadn't yet even recited!!

What made things even more simple for him was that, for the verse the Qaadi had read for him to complete, among the four, it was the only one which didn't discuss travelling to see the destruction of the past peoples, but to witness the wonder of Allah's creation;

Say:"Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah has power over all things. (Qur'an 29:20)

Although, it still would have been much difficult for a person not to his calibre, to be able to decipher the subtle discrimination between the verses!

But their Ustadh Inaayat had taken them through the Mutashâbihāt, and had expounded to them the subtleties within the verses, and how the tonation in which they were read, could be used to distinguish one from another!!!

For this Qaadi to be able to use it in this way whilst applying the distinct tonation for that verse, it must show that he's at least in that level, - somewhere near the mastery of their Ustadh.

What was his name again?.. Imam Assad??

If he happened to complete the verse using any of the places where it appeared in the Holy Qur'an, there was a likelihood that the Qaadi would have said it was wrong, and then mention one of the other possible variations..

However, his use of the appropriate tonation for that verse meant he understood the subtleties. Thus, if Ukashah answered correctly from what he had deciphered, he was sure the Qaadi wouldn't play foul with him.

Come to think of it, their Ustadh once mentioned some 'Assad' among his group with Zeeshan..

That means he must be able to recite into the domains and appraise them as well!!

Even as all the audience watched on, waiting for Ukashah to surprise them, with his recital, the placid boy turned to watch the sky and remember a garden, and a warm face filled with laughter..

His mother was the depiction of a peom he once read;

In my heart, there's laughter, and ..tears.

In that garden, he learnt Alif and Lām. In that garden, he recited to his mother. In that garden, she taught him Qur'an, and taught him salah, and when once she awoke to pray, he had happened to also wake up.

Seeing her draped in a deep-sea blue cloak all over in silent prayer, he wondered what had happened to his always jovial mother.

He saw tears in her eyes for the first time, as she raised her hands up towards the deep night sky in moving implorations.

That day, he asked himself, which of the two versions was his mother truly, in her heart.

That day, she made him perform wudhu, and pray two raka'at. She taught him what to say.

All in all, his Islam, his introduction to Allah, to the path began, not when he had first met Al Iskandârī, - although he played a major role in guiding him.

Actually his path had already began many years before then, in that garden..

The Qur'an has been that garden to me ever since mother first started teaching me herself there..

In there, the gates to relive the past, present, and future of the world and life hereafter, has always been there..

In there, I can recite all day.

I can have adventures by becoming the guest traveller of the holy Book.

It can take me anywhere, everywhere..

from beginningless time to a time without an end..

Mother, this recitation, I hope your soul is with Him.. How I wish you could listen..

Well, it doesn't matter.

You once said even if you're not around, I should recite, for my Rabb to listen.

...

My eyes perceive that I see the 'Arsh before me,

And the angels bearing the throne.

Would that the people could see this place, where I stand in His presence.

For they see my body, ..but You have my soul and heart before You.

I pray that You honour with this recital, the one who first brought my heart to Your altar as a sacrifice of love..

Mother, did you hear.. A tear fell down Ukashah's cheek, as he prepared to recite.

"Is he crying?.."King Dhul Qarnayn looked at Âyatullah in wonder.

"Âyatullah, I didn't expect such a test to move your nephew to tears. Is he that a crybaby?"Dhul Qarnayn said softly, but underneath it was laced with mock, and Âyatullah knew, so he kept silent.

"With all his earlier confidence and composure, and the taciturn demeanour that made me feel like knocking him to his feet in exhaustion, finally, he shows an emotion.

..But I didn't expect it to be ..tears."

Mother.. Ukashah looked up. I've spoken to my Rabb to - honour you..

So this recital is ..to you, who taught me Alif and Lām.

__________________________________

AsSalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh! This is the first of the last three chapters of the Ha Mim arc in this Book, Part One. I'll be releasing the next one later in shaa Allah. The remaining parts of the arc would come later in shaa Allah in the next two parts or so of Book One..

Hope you enjoyed this:)))

...

Ukashah's last statement; he's praying for the ajr of his recitation be used to bless his mother.

•As the deeds are halted after death except;

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "When the human being dies, his deeds end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him."

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1631

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim

•Also, there's reward in the Aakhirah for the parents of a reciter;

Mu'adh al-Juhani reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,"Whoever recites the Quran and acts according to what is in it, his parents will be crowned on the Day of Resurrection with a light brighter than the light of the sun in your worldly houses, were it among you. What do you think of one who acts upon this?"

Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1453

Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Ibn Hajar