AsSalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Hope you're all doing well and good!:)))

Stay safely at home and dive into a world of Voices that evoke contemplation and enlightenment!

You might want to listen to that adhaan above, getting to the end of this Crescent. But if you wish to use your imagination too, better! :)))

Want to know why I'm blabbering all this?

Read to find out! Just dive now, into the world of Arkaan and the Five Quraa!:D

•••

Moments Before Entering The Western Prayer Hall...

Ukashah's POV

I shake my head in disbelief as I watch from behind, Zak and Abdullah holding Arkaan, one across the shoulders and one his arm.
Like intimate friends, they stepped into the threshold of the western prayer hall amidst ecstatic smiles, bickering in jolly.

For a moment, I stood there.

Alone.

There was that urge to rush up to them.. With a rowdy call and a fierce but playful pat on a shoulder, or a playful hit on another's head for saying something absurd..

The urge was there..

But I didn't act on it. I held myself back.

I always needed to maintain a calm and composed demeanour.

Ihtishâm would say.., I was not like the others. I had to show etiquette.

I am Prince Ukashah bin Sulaymân. - was..

I inspire deeply, and exhale.

Just as they were entering, Abdullah turned back discreetly to stick his tongue at me. What..?! Did he just do that at me..?

I reigned in the subconscious reflex to return the favour the same way..my childish inner self. I restrained it.

And frowned.

What would dad say? And Ihtishâm?

Manners.. Manners..

Ukashah, you're a Prince. Moreover you'll be an adult soon, in a year's time.

You need to show your seniority, your noble background. I played in my mind the hypothetical lecture elder brother would have given me, had he been here..

I gave a cold snort. Adjusting my white thobe, I stepped into the western prayer hall.

If that reprobate of a child grew in my place, Ihtishâm probably would have graced him with a knock of rectification, - or two.

How free a child Abd was. Who was the snort was for? I laughed at myself.

Abdullah, for being a rogue of a child?

Or Ihtishâm, for always being too restricted and restrained, and wanting me to be like him?

I wasn't always like this..

It wasn't until mother died, that I changed. And became more like him.

With mother, I was always myself.

Maybe that was why I couldn't save her..

If I had focused more on my lessons back then, I would have at least been able to stand against them, protect her, and maybe find a way for us both to escape.

All that time father was not there.. nor Ihtishâm, to protect us.

So mother did what she could, so I'd live..

I've promised myself since then, to become strong enough so no one would ever have to protect me again, ..with their lives.

I smiled faintly as the thoughts of mother came to mind. Sorrow filled my chest.
Since she died, sorrow has held my heart captive.

Never would I remain happy for long..

..

SO MANY people had gathered. I was surprised.

Then the question I had been willing to ask Zak, popped up in mind again.
I moved in leisurely strides to catch up with them. I wanted to be clear on what was going on, before we reached the front rows where we usually hankered after.

Only then, could I focus better on my recitation of Surah Al Kahf, ..before whoever was to lead the Jumu'ah Salah arrived.

I was unable to complete my recitation this morning due to the workload, in preparation for the Welcome party. And our sudden meeting with the Al Maghribi brothers made it impossible to continue my quiet recitation as we walked towards the masjid. Till then, Arkaan was quite comfortable to walk with, in the silence.

..

Zak usually gave the Khutbah on most Fridays, unless he wasn't around. When we had met with him and Abd on the way here, I was so distracted by their rowdiness I forgot to question the sudden change. He didn't look like one preparing for delivering a sermon.

He has been the Khâtib(Deliverer of the Friday sermon) of South district's Masjidur Rahmân ever since I could remember from our early teens in the Halaqah.

Ustadh trained and trusted him to that level. Not that he didn't teach us too.
It was just that, amongst us, Zak had the propensity to the scholarly path with his plus in Ilmul Hadith.

The rest of us focused more on Qur'an sciences.

Ustadh would put Zak as his replacement whenever he felt like it. Soon, everyone began calling Zak the Little Scholar...

Seeing the jolly aura the three had as I approached; the laughter and the excitement in their eyes(about Allah knows what-Perhaps, the Welcome party..?), I couldn't help the smile that formed spontaneously..

I do rarely smile. The world around me always found the way to steal happiness once I found it. I was a captive of sorrow.

Why try to be happy when it'd be stolen as soon as you found it?

So when I do smile, I know it is one of those things about which the sorrow in my heart could not drown.

I was happy to be here - right now, with them..

Friends.

We met only for the sake of Allah, and we loved only for His sake..
Companions from the Circle..

I wouldn't deny the fact that I had no real experience as to what being 'Best friends' was, as Zak and Abdullah put it..
But, from my experience with Zak, Zayn, Urwah and ..Abdul, I at least knew that you - share your everything with them.

Good and bad times, your happiness and griefs, jokes and smiles, tears too..if they were willing to go that far.

Friends are there for each other.. They help whenever the need arises..

You build unforgettable memories with them.

These, I learnt in the Halaqah.

These, I learnt by being with the other four..

We were also Ustadh's favourite.

Us five, and ..the sixth apprentice.

I looked at Arkaan.

I wouldn't believe it at first, but it was true. Old man Abdul Sattâr confirmed it.

Ustadh had only ever mentioned his special student to me once.

One who couldn't join us in the Circles because he had to look after his unwell mother..

At that time, I envied that student. He had a mother to look after.. And also had Ustadh to guide him.

Even now he had friends who loved him.

Meanwhile he was only a stranger to us a week ago.

At that time with Ustadh, I envied that student.. Now.. I can only admire him and wish to be his friend.

Thinking back, only the Halaqah was able to revive me this way.

Where from the aura that makes him so radiant?

It seemed as though, he was bringing back that same positive energy from our Halaqah days.. even though, in the end, ..he's still just one without knowledge of the Qur'an and its sciences to our level..
Has he the ability, ..to bring back those times?

I smiled as they continued talking, listening to them, not wanting to break all that jolly.. Well, for now.

Although at first, he looked exasperated by the brothers(probably because of the work this early morning), Arkaan was now smiling quite cheerfully.

A stranger boy comes to this island,

His wish is to bring back the Circle..

Till now, I don't know what motivated Arkaan: If it was his objective long before he came, ..or something he just thought up along the way.

However, whatever it was, I was ready to support him.

"Hey Zak, I wanted to ask - Why aren't you in that bisht of yours today? Who would be giving the Khutbah today then?"I asked him seriously.

Also, the numbers.

"What's the occasion?"

•••

Fast forward..

Zak explained to us why the masjid was packed full. We had taken our seats in the front row, directly in front of the Minbar after saying a few raka'ats.(I also finished reading the few pages of Kahf left, to join them.)

On a normal day, the front row would have only seen a handful of people, standing directly behind the Imam.

Just this wednesday when we started the halaqah sessions, those who joined, added single digits to the almost always-constant few.

We were now a Low tier Halaqah after all(I explained the grading system to Arkaan during the week; Low, Middle, Upper, High, and Supreme.

If we wanted the chance to even stand in the Musabaqah preliminaries at the InterHigh School level, we needed to be at least, in the Middle tier category by the end of the month, when High schools reopened).

Fridays, Fridays was no surprise. The day of Jumu'ah saw the masjid filling up, particularly with those who never said their prayers five times daily, but at the very least, were constant with the weekly Friday prayer.

This was from popular stats~

You could also say that, those who preferred to say their prayers at home, now had no option but to come to the masjid.
Of course all this was in respect of the mensfolk, as women could say their salawât at home.

No one would dare to pray Jumu'ah at home.
It'd be invalid. Null and void.

But even then, the masjid would never be full to this capacity.

So, what then was the occasion? Our scholar Zakariyya, went on to explain.

An important personality was in the Masjid that day..

I was surprised that I knew nothing about it. Even for me who acted like a recluse, surely, if someone so important was to come to town, everyone would have heard of it by now!

"Ukashah, you're the only one who hasn't heard of it amongst us, ..and Arkaan too."Zak deadpanned.

Oh..

"Oh! oh! Now I'm excited! Who could it be?"Arkaan asked eagerly the question on my mind. What was there to be excited about? I thought. It wasn't like an angel had come to town.

Even as he completed his sentence and before Zak had the chance to answer, Old man Abdul Sattâr who was seated close by, announced the appearance of the Imam to the gathering.

Abdullah decided to make use of the opportunity to introduce the man(Yaa Allah~ Abd, The man has not yet even appeared!).

In a murmur-like announcement, Abd stated,

"Yaa Ikhwân, Our personality for today is Âyatu_"

Âyah..

Thunderclaps assailed my mind. Even as I tried to calm down, and avoid attention to me, I began shaking in my seat. Gentle tremors and cold sweat, ran down my back.

The shock on our faces must have been something to die for.(Even though I realized it later - that I was not the only one to be left gobsmacked when my uncle showed himself).

With the exception of Zakariyya, we three(including Abdullah who was just introducing the man he probably knew only by name and not by face) were stunned when Âyah appeared in front of us.

I could not imagine why they were shocked. But for me, the thunderclaps and a feeling of imminent danger was strong.

I stared up at my uncle in dismay.

Âyah!... Why's he here?

The words used by people to eulogize him, sounded in my head as though to complete the half introduction Abdullah had started.

Great Orator, Qaadi, Hâfidh and Qaari, Member of the Court of Baladus Sulaymân, World-traveller, Defender of the poor, Seeker after justice.

A compassionate Mujâhid loved by the people... - Âyatullah Al Hamdy.

I didn't need that.

He was my uncle.
Particularly, ..my late mother's elder twin.

I wasn't quite a fan of fame. So it did me good, that only a few people in this country knew that identity of his, and that, even fewer ..knew of mine.

As I sat down, trying to look calm as possible, the events of the past few days continued playing within my mind like an erratic recount, unnerving me as the minutes went by.

To be sincere with you, just his presence on this island city, made me develop a sense of unsafety and quite possibly, paranoia.

Sometimes, I'd look behind me and around(quite almost imperceptibly to my friends of course), to check if I was being followed.

It wasn't my uncle that I feared.

It was what potential dangers his presence here in this city, meant for me.

It was last Friday..
After we rescued Arkaan at the southeastern shores, I returned home the evening under a constant edgy feeling of being followed.

In order to bait my stalker from the shadows, I intentionally went out late at night the following Monday, to the isolated bridge of the Honey Fields landmass.

Over there, I sneered at the audacity of the villain to attack. Did he think me unarmed, and incapable of protecting myself?

I've had to run from assassins and mages to survive, when I was yet a child below ten!
Only by training frequently and being ready, could I survive in this world.

My life was not my own anymore. It had the hopes of my people attached to it.
Not hearing from my brother and not knowing his circumstances, meant I was the only one left to avenge my homeland.

The Powers knew that, and so would not rest until there were no threat to their absolute power.

As a prince of the kingdom known to have escaped the slaughter of the Royal family, I had the obligation of freeing my people from the Powers...

That night, I had only but blocked first, when my eyes recognized the insignia of the royal family. My family. It was my own Uncle. Âyah.

He had a message.

Abii was alive.

Without question, I knew my uncle had earlier attacked only to assess my abilities in ready for perilous situations.

At least, that I knew.
But this??!

It was my notion when we met, that, after he had delivered the good news of father's being alive, he would leave immediately after, under the cover of the night. So no one would ever know he visited the island.

How naive of me.

Never in a thousand years of living would I have predicted Âyah would do this. I'd never forget the shock of meeting him at Hâ Mîm, two years ago. But this was worse. Because I stayed here.

Congratulations uncle, you never seem to unsurprise me.

Tsch.. If the Powers were to just check his movements at the moment..

No.

They were already unto him.

Probably, ..they were here already.

...

The tetragrammaton Circle of Sihr in our country - Baladus-Sulaymân knew for a long time that Âyah would be looking for me, - the younger son, whom his sister gave her life to protect..

Although he had found me two years ago at the GQRC, the fact that they had not made any move yet, meant only one thing.

The Circle had not found me.

Âyah had either covered any signs of it being me that day at the GQRC, or had used King Dhul Qarnayn's help to keep me under the radar. I was a grown version of that child they chased years ago. It'd require someone who knew me at a personal level to recognize me on sight. And Âyah was that.

As for King Dhul Qarnayn, he used reasoning and observation to decipher my identity. The Powers weren't smart in that regard.
And only a few knew me, but not even to a personal level. Those few would probably be in the 1001 Golden Gates Palace by now, leaving their lackeys to do the dirty jobs.

Only that, - their lackeys were all powerful mages, and they used the jinn too. Or vice-versa..

Thus, you can only stay hidden, but not forever.

Âyah didn't need to hide from them. Because of his special status in the Court of our Country, he was indispensable. However, for me, the Circle would do anything to have my head hanging in their court!! It made me wonder how father even survived..

Âyah's presence here, put my concealment in jeopardy. He was like a bright lamp at night, revealing to the people what lay in the shadows.

No matter how I look at it, his coming out to the open like this here in Tâ Hâ, was like sending a signal flare to 'The Powers'.

They would be bound to check this island for signs of my presence.

I could only hope everything he was doing at this moment, was a plan in my favour..

Knowing my uncle, it probably was..

He couldn't be betraying me, could he?

Yaa Allah, Âyah.. What could you be up to now?

I looked up at him, hoping to read some revelations on his face.

His expression was unreadable.

Give it to my family to hide their emotions and thoughts behind expressionless faces. I sighed.

However, his gaze wasn't on me. I followed it.

Arkaan..?

A look of perpetual bewilderment was written all over his face.

There was something of - laughter.. in Âyah's eyes as they locked unto Arkaan's. That look you'd make when you wanted to tell somebody 'I told you so.'

Within a tick of a second, that expression was replaced by a new one, one with a calmness and composure like the sky or the moon.

He took his steps to the minbar, with the reverence all scholars hold in their gait.
Perhaps in this whole masjid, only I knew Âyah had diverse natures. The most dominant being, - his more free and boisterous self. One that he claimed made him a surviving world-traveller.

In my mind I thought that, - it was sad how people had to live their lives to others expectations.
But that was not Âyah. It was me.

Âyah always was himself, even when he quietly concealed his plans. Like now.

But this was also him. The scholar Âyah. Quite the doyen in almost every field of spiritual scholarly studies, government and reconnaissance, that even the rebels had to rely on him in their dealings with the West. He was a Jack of all trades but also was extraordinarily adept in them all.

A genius par excellence. Father's righthand man.

The bisht did fit him fine. Although in all reality, Âyah would rather appear as a travelling bedouin than an Imam and Qaadi.

He disliked the attention it brought him. People would marvel at the Imam and Qaadi with the red hair trait which was quite rare here in the East.

Contrary to what most people thought, Âyah's origin was not the Country of the King Sulaymân. His title Al Hamdy was honorary.

He came from the West, as a youth in his blooming years..

With Mother.

"One of you should call the adhaan."He said calmly, after sitting down.

•••

Eastern Prayer Hall of Masjidur Rahmân

"One of you should call the adhaan.."They heard a calm and majestic voice call into the speaker.

Âyatullah.. Lady Frieda eyes lit up slightly. It's him.. I wonder whether he's changed from the last time..

Mahaa noticed the slight smiley expression on Lady Frieda's face, and how her eyes lit up on hearing the scholar's voice.

What's so amusing? This woman wouldn't know the world-traveller on an intimate level, would she?

First, the elder heir of a tribe. Now a world-renowned scholar. How far was Lady Frieda willing to go with men!

Was it just because she was beautiful?!

Zaaniyah(Harlot). She scoffed and turned away.

"I'm guessing he's talking to one of those boys."Fatima said with a smile whilst shaking her head. She had noticed Lady Frieda's face had lit up, and believed everyone would feel the same about such an illustrious personality. A scholar of Al Islam.

"What could they be doing at this time when they need to have called the adhaan already?"

"Those boys?"

"Oh Lady Frieda! How could you not have heard?!

The South district Halaqah would be starting soon.. No--has already began! They're Low tier now!"

"Maasha Allah! That's amazing! Alhamdulillah for this good news!

..If they are to reach Middle tier by the time school reopens, Iqra Complex would surely support them on the path to rise!

Ah~ I hope it becomes just as the former times.. No, even better!"

She said happily in reminiscence. Then a thought came to mind, making her eyes fill with something of hope. If anyone knew her son's whereabouts, it'd be him.

He couldn't be back, right?

"But who's taking them?"

"Oh, this time there will be no scholar taking them."Fatima's lips curled up in a mysterious smile.

"Ukashah and Zakariyyah plan to head everything. They would share the knowledge they've obtained years under Al Iskandarî, with the others.

They've already started gathering members to join them."

Fatima was keen to notice and a bit taken aback, by the faint look of disappointment on the Verdant Lady's face, before it simultaneously was replaced by a look of gladness.

"Are you not happy the two are heading it? I'm sure they aren't so bad..

They were taught by Sheikh Al Iskandarî after all."Fatima said.

"It's great, Teema. It doesn't matter who's taking them. I'm glad 'Inabah is back."Lady Frieda said sincerely so Fatima could see she was truly glad.

Perhaps that look of faint disappointment was just her imagination then.
Fatima thought, returning Lady Frieda's soft smile with a more excited one.

"Well then, We thank Allah!"

Lady Frieda was truly happy the Halaqah was back. Ukashah and Zakariyya could well handle it. She trusted those two. They were students of her Iqra Complex after all. One was even the Head Boys' Prefect.

Lady Frieda was glad the Halaqah was back..
But she was sad it wasn't by the same man who held the answer to finding her son. Arkaan..

She was about to say something else when the call of the Adhaan began, drowning all her thoughts, all voices..

That adhaan..

Ba-dum! Ba-dum!!

All sounds seemed to fade except for the sudden excited thumping of her heart, growing louder by the second, pounding against the cage of her chest.

Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba-dum!!

It was light and clear. The voice. Ringing through the heated windy afternoon like the first breath of the monsoon, mitigating all hearts.

It was a strange blend. A mixture of accents, - not completely of the East, nor completely of the West. As though the person was both from her homeland and yet a native of Qalb-ul-Ard.

But that was just the beauty of the voice - It held a staggering resonance that reverberated all hearts that heard it.

The part that held her frozen, was the layered sorrow..

A child on the highest minaret. Making the Call to prayer, facing the Heavens.

A dark night. No stars, but a red moon, like a congealed drop of scarlet blood. Maybe it was an illusion, casted by the jinns. Maybe their sight only saw crimson from the unjustified violence..

Either way, there were no stars nor light, ..or a ray of hope.

Within such a night, haunted by confusion and tears, of despair, the sad tradegy brought about by those entities from the smokeless flame, - a light shone through.

A Voice, cutting through the layered darkness like Light.

Like brilliant stars of an illumined night sky, they cleared up the confusion from the hearts and minds, the illusions..

Layered with sorrow, thick with contemplation.. clearing the darknesses in the hearts.. Undoubtedly, it was the same Adhaan that freed her, all those years ago, and the many others, from the Labyrinth Tradegy.

It was the same voice. A deeper and more resonant version, but still the same.

"He is back.."A lone tear fell off her fair cheek.

•••

A/N

May a Light shine through in this time of despair..