Behind Aisha's Veil

Aisha

Aisha immediately closed her laptop when she heard the sound of the door being knocked, she immediately stood up then walked up to the door to open it.

"Sister is called Abah" said Maryam, his sister.

Aisha nodded slowly.

"Awhile, you take your niqab first" said Aisha as she walked up to her desk, followed by her behind her.

Aisha took the veil and put it on immediately.

"Sister" said Mary, standing behind Aisha.

"Hmm." replied Aisha who was tidying up the new veil she was wearing.

"Aren't you getting married?" maryam asked softly, there was a tone of sadness in her question.

Aisha immediately turned her body, looking at Maryam who was now bowed in lethargy.

Aisha smiled, she held her youngest sister's face gently.

"Like Siti's sister, Lela's sister, and Zainab's sister, you're also sure to get married dear."

Hearing Aisha's reply, Maryam immediately hugged her tightly.

"So Maryam will be alone in this house?"

Aisha smile.

"Kok himself? Are there Ummi and Abah?" aisha replied as she gently rubbed her sister's back.

Mary shook her head.

"There's Ummi, Abah is rarely home." Mary answered with a frown.

Aisha smile.

"Udah. He said Abah called Brother, Abah will be angry." Aisha let go of her sister's embrace and pulled her out of the room to meet her father at a boarding school not far from home.

****

"Your wedding date has been set, son," Abah said to Aisha's surprise.

But at any rate Aisha still lowered her face before her father, she only replied with a small nod.

"Next week you'll be married, baby." Ummi who was sitting next to Aisha gently rubbed her daughter's back.

Aisha glanced at the mother beside her, with a small smile behind her veil that either looked or not Aisha again nodded slowly.

"Prepare yourself, son, soon you will soon become a wife, hopefully the knowledge and teachings of the religion that Abah and Ummi instilled in you since childhood can make you a godly wife" said Abah.

"Yes Abah" replied Aisha slowly.

Zainab the elder brother approached Asha and hugged her tightly.

***

After finishing Aisha walked with Maryam to their house, along the way many female students greeted her with greetings.

Aisha seemed to answer their greetings kindly, as one of the daughters of the leader of the boarding school where they studied, Aisha was definitely known by all the female students there, she said, moreover, he is always active in following all activities and even occasionally Aisha becomes a guide for students there.

Arriving at home, Aisha immediately entered her room, she then opened her niqab while sitting slowly on her mattress.

Aisha recalls her father saying that next week she is getting married.

Aisha put her body on the bed.

"Finally that day comes too, next Sunday I will get married and will leave this place" Aisha muttered softly.

Aisha tried to recall the prospective husband who was only once she met, and that was a very long time ago about 3 years ago, from the meeting she was not so clear to see the face of her future husband, even arguably if she did not see him at all, other than because she always lowered her head at that time, seeing the face of a man is not his mahram never and dare not he do.

Of course, Aisha grew up and flourished in a pesantren environment, religious teachings had been taught to her at the earliest possible age, she grew up in an environment of strict rules and religious teachings, moreover, the father who became the Chairman of Pondok Pesantren taught all his own children with even stricter rules. No wonder if all his children grew up with the provision of religious knowledge attached to themselves strongly.

As a result of that upbringing, Aisha's three older brothers are now following in her father's footsteps, all of them became ustadz who helped the father guide the male santri there while his three sisters who are married but there are still active as mentors for the female santri, like Zainab who married her father to one of the ustadz who was also a guide in her pesantren, while Lela and Siti followed her husband, Lela was betrothed by one of the Hafidz Qur'an and now follows her husband to Egypt, where she is married, while Siti became the daughter-in-law of one of her father's good friends a cleric who was also the leader of Pondok Pesantren outside the area.

What about Aisha?

Aisha's fate, like all her sisters, married because they were betrothed, the father had sought and selected the best match for his sons, wanting all his future daughters-in-law to have a solid foundation of religious knowledge, therefore, almost all of his daughters-in-law were also sons or daughters of Kyai or ustadz, which he did not doubt the scientific level of religion.

But this time different from Aisha, apparently she will be married not to the child of a Kyai or ustadz like the others, but the child of her best friend from childhood.

"Married one of your daughters to my only son, I'd love to be different with you."

"I want to have a son-in-law who shalihah, son-in-law who will give birth to my grandchildren and educate him to be children who also pray shalihah."

"I'm sure that the criteria for my ideal son-in-law are with all your daughters, so I'd like to apply for one of them for my son."

The request of Abah's friend was expressed several years ago, at that time all his daughters had not been married, but Abah could not marry Siti, Siti, Lela or Zainab to her friend's son because they were all preached far away.

Finally in order to extend the friendship, as well as to glue their kinship, Abah chose Aisha to marry his best friend's son. Although actually the prospective daughter-in-law does not fit his criteria

"My son is a doctor, he's going to graduate his speciality program in 2 years, I was going to marry him to your daughter as soon as possible, but it turns out he wants to finish college first."

"It's okay, don't be in a hurry anyway, my daughter is too early to marry now, she's only 17."

"Then it's a good fit, three more years after my son finishes his special program and your daughter turns 20, let's marry them."

Abah agreed.

How happy Abah's friend at that time, he did not expect that if his proposal would be accepted, his friend was willing to marry one of his daughters to his only son.

Of course, who is not happy to get a besan like Haji Bakar At-Thayyib, a leader of Pondok Pesantren which is quite prominent, the boarding school is quite large even though it is in the suburbs. His sons are also known to be devoted children, shalih and shalihah.

Meanwhile, despite a little doubt that Aisha will marry a doctor who is not at all his criteria, but Abah gave everything to Allah SWT and believes that this is the path of His destiny, then he believes if the doctor is also a noble job, religious shia not only have to preach and teach, but can also help others and become a doctor one of them.

And the other thing that also makes him sure is that he already knows Haji Daud, his best friend was a very good person, they were friends since they were children, when they both studied at the same boarding school, their friendship is timeless, still well preserved until now, Haji Daud often visited his boarding school in order to tighten the friendship rope, and, not infrequently he also often provides assistance or contributions to the progress of pesantren. So Abah believes that his son must also be a good person and worthy to be Aisha's husband.