The Pledge of Love Embroidered Heaven

CHAPTER 63. Sincerest

After finishing the prayer, Azzam turned around. Stretched out his hand to be shaken. I greeted and kissed the back of his hand with a happy feeling that was soaring in my heart. I lifted my head back up, looking at him with a calm heart.

'Thank you God. You have sent the male sholeh at once you have made him my priest, the companion of the servant's life. He's the best man who will lead me to your jannah. How bad I used to be for a man who always accepted me well, his patience was amazing. Take me away from Your wrath, the painful torment of the grave and the lick of Your fire, O God, my inner God.

Without feeling a single tear fell on his hand that was still in my hand. I can't express my feelings and happiness right now.

Azzam's hand, which had been piled up on top of my hand, was pointed at my cheek.

“Why, darling?” Azzam stroked my cheek gently. Swiping the former clear circle that has just fallen.

I held back Azzam's hand that wiped my face. “So many sacrifices and your patience dear, may all your tiredness be a gift of love from Him.”

Azzam landed a kiss and rubbed my head. “Darling, it is because you are my best woman whom God destined to accompany me in the world and may so be in the hereafter.”

I smiled back thinly.

Subhanallah, indeed, the all-powerful God created everything so wonderfully, and the man in front of me was one of them. I really did not think that the man I never expected in my life even gave me a justification that not always what we expect is not entirely the best. Sometimes something bad is good for us.

Azzam grabbed the Quran in front of him and put it in front of me. He opened the first page.

“Nisa, once told my brother that Nisa is weak. But it's okay we both learn, how?”

I nodded in shame.

I think back, my father and mother once drove me to teach every evening at Ustad Hashim's house. However, after khatam taught me I never repeated my Qur’an reading again.

“Now try Nisa read Surah Al-Fatihah, brother want to hear,” Azzam's word.

“Al-Fatihah?” many ensure.

Azzam answered my question.

I began to read from the first verse until I finished the seventh verse of Surah Al-Fatihah. He just nodded at my reading. I was in my heart feeling satisfied and smiling.

“OK. Pretty good,” it's a compliment that comes out of Azzam's lips.

My smile expands. “Thank you," I said gladly.

Azzam poked my chin. “Hm, the new base should be praised a little smile has expanded so wide,” led Azzam.

I was grinning wide. “He-he”

“But, you need to remind me after this that Nisa prayer reading Nisa should be as good as this, huh? Do not just in front of the brother the reading is evicted but when in front of Allah Nisa read the verse of the Qur’an at will,” Azzam soft advice.

If Al-Fatihah and other short surahs I can still read well. But I think that if I were asked to read the other suras in the Qur’an it might be a little different.

After I finished reading Surah Al-Fatihah, Azzam opened the next leaf. He told me to read Surah al-Baqarah.

I began to read it until finally there were ten verses from Surah Al-Baqarah that I read. But the next day, my focus began to disappear.

Many mistakes I made until Azzam corrected many times when the letters that I read were not in accordance with the tajwid he had taught.

“Nisa, near there in long read, right mad mandatory situ!” reprimand Azzam when my reading is wrong again.

I repeated it again until he said it was appropriate. Until I finally reached the sixteenth verse. Stay the same, I'm still wrong.

“Don't read fast, there's a drone!” correction again.

Even though he rebuked me softly, and not as much as when the teacher taught me to beat me with a rattan when I was wrong in reading the Quran, still sometimes I felt a little upset.

I looked at Azzam with the tip of my eye. ‘Huft! Be patient! I am the one who cannot be patient. Good thing Azzam is a patient man, unlike me.’

After a moment of silence, I continued my reading. If the beginning is still good my reading, but this time my reading began to concern. I let out a breath. My forehead began to wrinkle in dissatisfaction as she continued to reprimand me, until Azzam finally asked me, “Nisa, why? Stomach pain?” ask her because I saw my forehead wrinkled.

I closed my eyes and shook slowly. “Nggak”

Azzam smiled at me, it seemed like he knew what I was thinking right now.

“Nisa initially was a lot wrong. But Nisa's been trying to learn,” gently she voiced.

I lowered my head while listening to her words.

“That Nisa needs to know that people learning to teach are lucky people.”

I carefully heard his words.

“People who teach alone can be one reward, namely the reward of reading the Qur’an. That's also if he reads it with tartil.”

My forehead.

“If people who learn to teach, there can be two rewards, namely the reward of reading and the reward of learning. Is it lucky? it's great that we learn to teach.” Azzam smiled again.

Ah, Bang Azzam is always good at making my feelings cool again.

“Ya already, then we have learned until this verse first, we continue again tomorrow,” exclaimed Azzam.

I ended my reading, then folded the prayer mats and mukena.

The Qur'an that Azzam took I put it back on the table. Accidentally, my hand nudged the stack of word puzzles in a small bottle-like container to make the contents splatter on the floor.

"Ouch!" I grimaced holding my head that clashed with the head of Azzam who also wanted to pick up the puzzle.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby, it hurts?" Azzam rubbed my temple.

"It's okay, it hurts a little bit" I said, despite the fact that it hurts.

Finally Azzam and I worked together to pick up the puzzle spread scattered on the floor and put it in its original place.

After that, I followed Azzam who walked out of the room. He invited me to dinner. At the dinner table there was also a father and mother sitting there.

***

Azzam's car stopped in front of the school gate today, he did not go to school because he had to fill a grand tabligh event at the As-Salam boarding school. Before I got out of the car, Azzam gave me a sweet kiss.

“Excite ya dear exam, good luck,” said Azzam encouraged me.

“Iya, brother is also the spirit of ngisi tabligh akbarnya. Take care of your health and do not be naughty with female students yes!” I remember Azzam.

“Okay, if they are the ones who tease how? Trus what if brother is not in power?” nosy Azzam, want to make me jealous early in the morning.

“Nisa, tell brother to sleep on the porch of the house, if it's really caught!”

“Ha-ha, tega ya!” taste Azzam.

“Already. Now Nisa quickly went down before the gate was closed,” her words later when she saw the 12th grader had already entered the school gate. It just so happened that today he also had no teaching schedule because the 12th graders were exams, while the 10th and 11th grades were closed.

“Ya. Nisa down, Assalamu’alaikum” I kissed her hand before getting off the car.

“Wa’alaikumsalam.”

“Nisa, don't forget to pray,” the message from behind the wheel of the car before he saw me go in.

I'm nodding. “Iya.”

Drtts..Drrt...

Azzam had not stepped on the gas pedal of the car. A phone call ringing.

📞“Assalamu'alaikum. Sarah, what's up?”

📞“Mas, where are you?”

📞“I'm still in Madrasah. Why?”

📞“Can you pick me up, Mas? My car suddenly broke down.”

📞“So huh? Yes you have been waiting at home, later I will pick up.”

📞“Iya, Mas. I'm waiting for ya. Assalamu’alaikum”

“📞Wa’alaikumsalam”

Azzam ended his phone conversation.

***

My mind drifted far through the clouds. It doesn't feel like time keeps turning over time. Five years ago I knew him intensely. A time when I could easily see him at such a close distance. I remember the beginning of meeting you, Mom. As we are currently met at an event in a pesantren. Precisely the lightning pesantren. With you as the filler at that time. From then on you are present as an encouragement that simultaneously poisons my heart with your piety. As a level sister I could only admire in silence back then. Just saying her name makes my heart shake.

The situation that was originally quiet in the car, began to sound when Azzam questioned the woman sitting next to him.

“You, why Sarah?” azzam asked when he realized Sarah was looking at him.

Sarah stammered, then threw away her gaze. “Ngak, Mom. I just remember, that time we first met.” Sarah's lips spoke that phrase.

Azzam looked over for a moment. “Means?”

“Yes, at that time you will fill out the miniting material in the lightning pesantren activity on campus.”

Azzam frowned, confused by Sarah's words. What does this have to do with first meeting the lightning pesantren?

Sarah's face turned red. Since then the motivation and advice that Mas conveyed to make me excited again. You were there as an encouragement for my days until I secretly found out about you, the organization you were following so that I could get to know you better as well as your character. If only I had said it all. I feel stupid right now, why don't I say everything! Sarah's mind, but she did not pronounce it all with her words.

“Mas, how? Healthy?”

“Alhamdulillah,” Brief Azzam.

“Sgratitude.”

Sarah licked her lips. “Mas didn't ask how I was doing? or about my feelings.”

Azzam slightly jerked. “You mean, Sarah?”

“About what I told you time in that hospital, Mas. So how?” ask Sarah for an answer.

Azzam's phone blinked, there was a notification of a short message coming in from Fikri. Azzam smiled after reading it.

“Sarah?” call Azzam, without looking.

“Yes, Mas,” says Sarah, staring at the man driving next to her.

“Sar, you do not be too soybean and take care of health,” Azzam message.

Degs...

Sarah gasped at Azzam's words for her.

Azzam cares about me?

Sarah smiled at her sweet smile. “Thank you, Mas. Attention to me. I'm happy when there's a guy who cares like that.” Happy Sarah.

Azzam moved his head to the side, slightly tailing his eyes to Sarah. “Iya. As a man who loves his woman it is fitting that he keeps trying to take care of the woman he loves.”

Sarah was shocked. “Mas, I didn't hear wrong? Mas said it?”

Azzam looked confusedly at Sarah.

“Did Mas want to open my heart to make me a wife, Mas?” ask Sarah directly.

“Sar, what sentence did I just hear?” shocked Azzam. “I didn't say about what you said just now,” Azzam denied.

“But your sentence just now that as a man should be attentive and keep looking after women, and you─”

Azzam. “Sar, don't misunderstand it was a message from Fikri?”

“Fikri?” ask Sarah.

“Iya. He said you were sick and he asked me to ask you to take care of your health not to be too exhausted. As he said.”

Sarah is weak.

“Where, so good is Fikri to you Sarah? He cares a lot and loves you.” said Azzam with still driving the car calmly.

“But I don't have any feelings for Fikri, I just keep those feelings for you, Mas!” reply Sarah.

“Sarah, Fikri is a good man. Better than me, which you're expecting right now. Trust me.” Azzam tried to convince Sarah.

Sarah's eyes began to glaze over.

“Not that I want to be the man who also hurt your heart, Sar. Wasn't it! I just can't hurt my wife. Even if I want to marry you. But I'm sure my wife won't be willing to be pitted. I'm just trying to keep my wife's feelings, Sar.”

Sarah's chest felt tight, this feeling increasingly tortures her. He is faced with a reality that disturbs all his feelings and throws his dreams to the bottom of the abyss.

The conversation stopped when the car had entered the Pesantren As-Salam cottage area.