Tying the Knot

Javed

It feels just like yesterday when I was holding Ameena's hand while we both proudly looked at our daughter being wrapped in a blanket by the nurse. I had a son, mashallah, but I had never thought being a father to a daughter would bring me this much joy. Needless to say, I had adored my daughter from the moment she was born and she was no doubt daddy's little girl.

Daddy's little girl...

The irony of this sentence. My girl wasn't little anymore.

There wouldn't be any more poetry rehearsals to hear or costumes to make for her fancy dress competitions. There won't be anymore teaching her to read and to speak. She won't be coming to me now at night for a bedtime story. She won't be needing me now to act as her protector and keep her safe from the dangerous world out there.

If only it weren't necessary for daughters to get married and leave the homes they grew up in.

If only...

Mothers, being women get to cry freely at the time of ruksati. Fathers start crying from the time their daughter is fixed to be married, they are just better at hiding it.

Today, I was the poor chap who was trying to hide his tears as he went to fetch the Qazi. My daughter, who ran around the house in her pigtails, who played with me, who thought I was her best friend and her hero; was getting married today... married to a person named Shadab Salim. Financially he was good I wouldn't doubt that and they didn't live that far from us which was a plus. Just a few blocks away from our place so that I wouldn't have the feeling of being at a long distance from my daughter. However, there was something that was missing.

I had doubts about his nature, his heart, his behavior. When they fixed the marriage I wasn't available at home which was my fault, or maybe it was what Allah wanted and also my wife for that matter. Still, I thought I would get to see what my daughter was going to face in the future with him when he turned up for salah in the mosque. Since we didn't live that far away, it wasn't a question of which mosque he went to.

My ideas though, went down the drain because be it Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, or Isha I never saw this guy. I started to have a bad feeling about this guy. I told Ameena about this and she brushed it off saying he was a busy guy and might be praying in his office itself, who was I to judge. And so I let it go because I had no right to judge him when I hardly knew him.

My precious daughter, however, was going to spend the rest of her life with him and this made it my duty to find out about him.

But first I needed to have a talk with my daughter. I didn't want her to be forced into this. When I talked to her about it she said it was her decision. I was disappointed to hear that but I was not going to leave her side just because. I blessed her naive heart and soul and prayed that she get all the happiness in the world and hereafter. I went to talk to my son and he confirmed my doubts about Shadab. He may be a nice guy, Allah knows better, but his behavior was full of arrogance and he was full of himself. I just prayed to Allah that if there was any good for my daughter in this marriage then let it happen otherwise let her marry a better person.

What can I say now? If it weren't for Allah's decision she wouldn't be marrying this guy right now.

I took the Qazi to Suhad's room where all the ladies were gathered. I saw my beautiful daughter sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked so beautiful Mashallah. The qazi went to her and gave her the mahr and then asked the question which would take my daughter away from me.

"Alhamdulillah, I accept." She said and then signed on the marriage contract. Everyone uttered congratulations and I went and looked at my daughter. Tears formed in my eyes when I was reminded she belonged to someone else now. She was no longer Suhad Javed, she now was Suhad Shadab. Looking at me her eyes started to get wet. I swiftly kissed her cheek and got up. Brushing my hand on her head in the form of blessing, I walked out with the qazi.

The apple of my eye won't be in front of my eyes anymore.

It was breaking my heart to part from my daughter and to give her away to someone who was not even in deen.

O, Allah! Please be with my daughter in every step of her life. Ameen.

I lead the way to where Shadab was seated with my son and other gentlemen of the family. It was time for the second and most important part of this nikah. Will he or won't he? That was the question.