"...One who submits to Allah as a Muslim, must cultivate the heart!

It involves subjugation and purification of the nafs(lower self) to the will - Divine!"

-Hilya's Diary

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"No matter how many things I can't help forgetting, I seem to always remember them among the other important words..."، he soliloquized." That time when I asked her name...she seemed to have forgotten her own name."
"Could it be...dissociative fugue!"، Arkaan contemplated.' Her diary must have been where she recorded her memories, and the things that were important to her. To be affected by such an amnesia - what sort of trauma could she have faced in life!!'

He quickly flipped through the pages again. He wanted clues - anything, to know more about this mysterious girl - who is she? Where would he be able to find her? Who are her parents? Who knows her? Anything!
After that one encounter, and seeing her state, he couldn't help but feel a sense of heartbreak for her. His heart felt like torrents of helplessness and empathy had been poured on it. " Yet, she was smiling... Yet, she was at peace...as long as she remembered her Lord...her most precious person. She remained grateful and contented with Him, as long as she knew He was close by, watching over her... "

Even as he went through, he noticed something in the most middle pages he hadn't seen before. A patch of a nightblue strip of cloth was gently sown unto one of the pages, it looked as tranquil and refreshing as the colours of dawn. He remembered she wore a dress of similar colours the day he met her.
Upon the strip of cloth was a simple embroidery of a tree and the number '١١٤', except - it was crossed over with ink, as if to cancel it.
When he saw the design, his mind went back to a distant memory of a kind scholar in the pale moon. He remembered the deep sorrow hidden behind the scholar's saintly countenance.' Sheikh Inaayat also had a similar design on his kaftan!!!'

"I see you've found Sheikh Al Iskandarī's study."، a calm voice sounded from behind Arkaan. Looking back almost in fright at the suddenness of the voice, Arkaan saw the old caretaker of the masjid, Old man Abdul Sattâr directly behind him, at the doorway.
He stood, leaning on the door, and an expression of fatigue could be seen in his eyes." I thought I knew you, when I saw you first." Arkaan was still relaxing from the previous fright, when he heard Abdul Sattâr say this.

He calmly replied, " I ever stayed in the south district of Tâ Hâ, where I met Sheikh Inaayat. He accepted me as one of his students, even though I rarely came here to learn with the others. He taught me elsewhere for sometime, before I left Tâ Hâ. "Arkaan held nothing back about his relation with Sheikh Inaayat, and the south district. " I know."، Old man Abdul Sattâr said, without any hint of surprise or suspicion, " I ever saw you, when you once came to meet with the scholar. Perhaps you never knew, but among those five closest of his students and then you, you were his second true apprentice after Zayn-al-Aabidîn, who was with him when they both first arrived on this island. The other four came after you two..."

Seeing Arkaan's surprise, he added," I know your standing with him, as he never allowed anyone into his study apart from those five and then you, even among all the pupils he has taught.
That's why I took no offence when I found you here. We've kept this place neat and clean, and left it how he left it, whilst allowing no one in, in expectation of when he'd soon return. It's been two years now..." Old man Abdul Sattâr sighed, deep sorrow written on his expression as he seemed to age in an instant.

"Sheikh, please - do you know who this diary belongs to..."، Arkaan asked suddenly. He was more interested in that, as he found the chance to ask.
Looking over the desk, Abdul Sattâr's eyes opened wide in shock as he walked briskly to the wooden table," You - you've opened it!" Noticing the key in the copper lock, he suddenly understood. He calmly put the book back down.
Looking into Arkaan's astute green eyes, he calmly answered, "Since the scholar first arrived here, once a month he'd leave the island to the city of Salâma with Zayn-al-Aabidîn. Nobody knows why they left every month but when they returned, the sorrow on their faces would have increased appreciably."

"The city of Salâma, near the Burning Forest?!!"، Arkaan blurted out in shock.
" Yeah..."، Old man Abdul Sattâr continued without thinking too much about it. "One such day when they returned, they came with this diary. There was some elation in their expression, yet also, uncertainty and hints of fear..."

"How long ago was that?..."، Arkaan asked, his mind completely immersed in deep thoughts of his own.
" That was almost six years ago..." Old man Abdul Sattâr said nonchalantly. He continued his narrative. Yet by this time, Arkaan's mind was far away.'The city of Salâma' he thought,' Grandfather brought me there about six years ago on a business trip from the West. Since being 'abducted' from mother, that was the closest I was to Tâ Hâ, and there, I met Hilya...'

Abdul Sattâr finished his narration, and when he saw Arkaan was lost in thought, he added" Perhaps, you know the owner of the book... The person seemed to be someone close to Sheikh Al Iskandarī, and our young Qaari, Zayn-al-Aabidîn. "
Arkaan nodded." I met her only once..."

After a moment, seeing Arkaan wouldn't say anything more, he left after saying,
"I once asked the Sheikh about this diary... He said that it was the dream of the owner of the book to form a halaqah, one where people would learn the Qur'an and Sunnah. Even though he was much pained on remembering the person, I could feel the determination in his voice inasmuch as the hurt present within."

Arkaan stood there alone, silently contemplating over everything Abdul Sattâr said.
"Perhaps they were close relatives... They had that same warmness to them. But what about the Qaari Zayn-al-Aabidîn? From everything Sheikh Abdul Sattâr said, he seems to have only been an apprentice, and not a relative. Yet, he was with Sheikh Inaayat even before he arrived in Tâ Hâ, so maybe he might also know Hilya, as Abdul Sattâr said... If I wish to unravel this, then two people certainly have all the answers about her - Sheikh Inaayat, and Zayn-al-Aabidîn... I wonder what kind of person Zayn was..."

"By the way, where did Zayn leave to?!"، Arkaan questioned quizzically in his mind. He'd heard of Sheikh Inaayat leaving, but no one mentioned he leaving together with Zayn.

He took the diary and flipped it over again. He had previously asked Abdul Sattâr for sometime with the book, before he left, and he consented; even saying that Sheikh Inaayat had told him to dispose of it once, out of profound sorrow. But he kept it, knowing that the Sheikh wasn't himself at the moment.
Later on, when the Sheikh was sober and saw the book, looking at it with sorrow, he told Abdul Sattâr that, if ever anyone came and opened the book with it's key, then he should give the book to the person for it belongs to that person; after that, he left.

Arkaan knew that Inaayat must have thought, if anyone was to unlock the diary with its key, then it'll probably be Hilya - thus belonging to her. But fate had been written in this way, and he opened it. Even if he was not the true owner, but by Sheikh Inaayat's very own words, this book practically belonged to him!

Arkaan took the book giddily, with an elated smile on his face, like an excited child who had been given his favorite meal. He strolled out of the study with it, shutting the door behind him. The diary most certainly contained many of Hilya's thoughts and advice... Even more so, it had such profound answers to the many questions in life that Arkaan would constantly ask; so why would he not be excited! He had even forgotten about the black-hooded boy.

He went through the minaret's door and ascended, seeking the serenity of the minaret's very top, to ravish the sagacious quotes and truths written by a little child!!

"Her background must have been exceptional! I'm even doubting she could have come from the City of the Ulamā and exceptional scholarly minds, Yâ Sin, or even Sâd, which is famed for producing the youngest huffaaz and Quraa."،Arkaan thought," To be this scholarly and exposed to comprehensive truths at such a young age, she must have grown up in a gathering of scholars and saints at the very least - my best guess is, The mysterious mountain range - The wreath of tears..." Arkaan shivered at its name. There were many tales woven about it. People were believed to live there, and yet, the Rulership of the country denied the existence of any city there after thorough search had been carried out, and yet still, some people who ventured there once in a while, came back with strange tales. Their number was appreciable, for people to suspect some truth behind what they said.
He'd only come to know of it when he studied maps of the Eastern world back at his grandfather's - particularly, that of his birthplace, Al Qalb-ul-Ard. Whenever he used to feel homesick, he'd just take the map, and stare at it. It made him more prepared when the time came to run away, using routes not easily transversed, so even those skilled guards of his couldn't track him down. As for they finding him here, he'll worry about it later...

He thought back to what he had read of the book,"...I only chose the path to Allah...What was the path to Allah? and how does one transverse it?...
"...I once told Sheikh Inaayat, I wanted to become one of the Muqarrabûn; they are the forerunners in faith, those brought near to Allah. Obviously that's the highest level of people, both in this world and the hereafter..."

Then he remembered his own soliloquy "What I want in life is something that, when I possess it, everything else in the world would all lose their value in my eyes...
When I possess that thing, it doesn't matter what I do not have in the world, because in all the worlds, none can compare!..."
Suddenly, as if in answer to his words, he had a flashback of a girl clad in the simplest of clothes, yet exuding nûr( divine radiance) on her amiable countenance. The entire time, though he felt empathy for her, she exuded peace and contentment.

"At that time, essentially her heart and mind were tranquil, reflecting the state of her soul - one at peace and contentment... And still, though I do not know her past, I could see it... unfathomable sorrow. If my assumptions are right about the amnesia she has, then this only goes to confirm it. Anyone undergoing such troubles to the extent of losing their own identity - could not achieve that level of peace...and yet...

"Peace and contentment of the heart...everything else in the world would lose their value... it doesn't matter what I do not have in the world because,... in all the worlds, none can compare!...
" Everybody in this world is actually searching for that, in one way or the other, directly or indirectly...
"Abdul Sattâr said, the dream of the owner of the book, according to Sheikh Inaayat was to form a halaqah, a study circle where people would learn the Qur'an and Sunnah...
"The Qur'an... I only chose the path to Allah...how does one tread it?..."، Arkaan asked in his mind. Even before the thought was completed, he suddenly jerked, as if hit by a bolt of lightning, he maddenly shouted,
" The QUR'AN! - The Qur'an is the crux of Islam. It's from the Qur'an that we learn - who, Allah is!! The Sunnah goes to enlighten us on the Qur'an. Without knowing what you're seeking, how can you even begin your search?! It's like searching for Sirius, without knowing Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky! "، Arkaan's comprehension rate was truly amazing even as Hilya once appraised.

Suddenly realizing he had acted inappropriately, he turned to look around. After assuring himself no one was around, he sighed in relief.
" Hilya found peace and contentment of heart, something everyone in this world is looking for, one way or the other, even I myself. That day, I was feeling empathy for her, meanwhile really, I should have been sorry for my ownself not having understood the purpose of life, and attained true contentment of heart, and peace of the soul. I wonder if her tears are now for those who've not yet realized... " Arkaan thought remembering her eyes which seemed to have a mark of weeping, and her demeanour of humility and consideration for all - a disposition of loving-kindness.
"So, what if she went through trials in the past and had amnesia, in the end she truly believed 'once her Lord, the Most Benevolent Guardian was with her, then she was okay..."

"If I wish to tread this path too, and understand who Allah is, and gain the peace and contentment she had - I do not have the privilege of haven grown up among saints and scholars, so then I must begin through the studying of the Qur'an first... I must join the study circle of the Qur'an!"

Even as he thought of this, he reached the very top of the minaret, overlooking the entire Mt. Shirah and its surrounding South district. He saw the 'Honey Fields' to the north, just behind the masjid spreading over the mountain range.
Just as he turned to watch the town spread in an orderly pattern to the south, he suddenly realized a small group clustered at the mountain paths below the plateau. It actually looked like two groups in a face off.