Episode 5 – Testing of Patience

The morning air was cool as Amira stepped off the bus, her books clutched tightly against her chest. The campus grounds buzzed with life—students hurrying to class, laughter echoing across the courtyard, the scent of fresh bread drifting from the café.

But inside her, silence reigned.

Ever since her parents had entertained a marriage proposal, Amira had felt the weight of every glance, every thought. Her heart whispered one name, but her lips remained sealed.

Today, she resolved: she would not let herself fall deeper. Distance. That is the safest path. That is what Allah would want.

She walked briskly across the courtyard, eyes lowered, careful not to look toward the library—the place where fate always seemed to throw Zayd into her path.

But destiny, as always, had other plans.

✦

Zayd sat beneath the old oak tree at the edge of campus, sketchbook balanced on his lap. He told himself he had chosen this spot for the quiet, for the shade, for the way the branches swayed against the morning sky.

But deep down, he knew. This was the path Amira always took to her lectures.

He glanced up, and there she was. Her steps were hurried, her gaze fixed on the ground. She looked smaller somehow, weighed down by thoughts.

For a moment, his hand stilled on the page. His heart tightened. He wanted to greet her, to offer a simple salaam. But Yusuf’s voice echoed in his mind: Don’t let your heart get ahead of your deen.

So he lowered his gaze, pressing the pencil harder against the paper. He would not speak. He would not follow.

Still, when her footsteps passed, his chest ached with the restraint of silence.

✦

That evening, Amira sat on her prayer mat, the world outside her window bathed in the orange hues of sunset. She lifted her hands in dua, her voice trembling.

“Ya Allah… I am weak. My heart leans, and I fear it will lead me astray. Protect me. Strengthen me. If this is not meant for me, remove it from my heart gently.”

Her tears slid silently down her cheeks.

But when she lowered her hands, her heart did not feel lighter. Instead, it felt heavier—like longing wrapped in chains.

✦

For Zayd, the struggle was no less.

He lingered in the mosque after Isha, sitting in the cool silence. His fingers moved over the prayer beads, lips whispering dhikr. Yet his thoughts wandered—to a girl with lowered eyes and a heart too pure for him to disturb.

He pressed his forehead to the mat once more.

“Ya Allah, forgive me if my heart is wandering. If she is not mine, take her from my thoughts. But if she is meant for me, make me worthy of her, and grant me patience until the right time.”

He stayed in sujood long after the mosque emptied, as though trying to bury his restlessness into the earth.

✦

Days passed with the same silent struggle.

Amira avoided the library during peak hours, choosing instead to study in the smaller reading room. She told herself it was coincidence that Zayd no longer appeared in her path. Yet her heart noticed his absence with painful clarity.

Aisha noticed too.

“You’ve been… different,” Aisha said one afternoon, squinting at her friend. “Quieter. Distant. Is this about that suitor your parents mentioned?”

Amira hesitated, then forced a smile. “It’s just exams. Nothing more.”

Aisha studied her for a moment, then let it go. But Amira knew her friend wasn’t convinced.

✦

Meanwhile, Zayd poured himself into his studies. His sketches grew sharper, his deadlines met with meticulous discipline. To anyone else, he looked perfectly focused.

But Yusuf saw through it.

“You’re burying yourself in work,” Yusuf remarked one evening, setting a cup of tea on Zayd’s desk.

Zayd didn’t look up. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is,” Yusuf said slowly, “but not when it’s just an excuse to silence your heart.”

Zayd’s hand stilled on the paper. “I’m trying to be patient. To do this the right way.”

“Patience,” Yusuf agreed, “but don’t confuse it with denial. If she’s the one, there will come a time to act. For now… guard your heart. That is your test.”

Zayd nodded quietly. Guard my heart. That is all I can do.

✦

But no matter how much they tried to distance themselves, fate refused to obey.

One late evening, Amira left campus after a group study session. The night was darker than usual, clouds covering the moon. As she hurried toward the bus stop, her phone buzzed—Aisha, texting that she wouldn’t be able to walk with her tonight.

Amira’s chest tightened. She hated walking alone in the dark.

The streetlights flickered as she quickened her pace. Her footsteps echoed, too loud in the emptiness.

Then, from behind, the sound of hurried steps.

Fear spiked in her chest—until a familiar voice reached her.

“Amira?”

She turned.

Zayd.

He stood a few steps back, holding his bag loosely, his expression calm but watchful.

“You’re leaving late again,” he said softly. “I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”

Amira opened her mouth to protest, but the words faltered. She only managed a quiet, “JazakAllahu khair.”

They walked side by side, distance maintained, silence wrapping around them. The night air was cool, carrying the scent of rain.

At the bus stop, Amira turned slightly. “May Allah reward you.”

Zayd’s gaze lowered respectfully. “And may He protect you always.”

Their eyes met for the briefest moment—just enough for Amira’s heart to tremble, just enough for Zayd’s chest to tighten.

Then the bus arrived, and the moment broke.

✦

That night, neither could sleep.

Amira lay awake, whispering into the darkness.

“Ya Allah… why does my heart soften when he speaks? Why do my thoughts wander? If this is love, make it pure. If it is a test, give me strength to overcome.”

Across town, Zayd stared at the ceiling, his chest heavy.

“Ya Allah… I have tried to stay away, but You keep placing us in each other’s path. If this is from You, show me the way forward. If not, protect me from myself.”

Their whispers rose together, two prayers from two restless hearts—meeting in the heavens where only Allah knew the answer.

And so their test of patience continued.

For love written in dua was never meant to be easy.

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