Alhamdulillah

Towards the end of 2004, when I was still in AE, FKhala and Khalo went for Umrah and stopped over for visiting me in Dubai on return. Next year they went for another Umrah, but this time with all four of their kids. Next PJ, CJ and CJee went on the pilgrimage with their four kids. And finally Nanajan, Nanijan and N & N khalas went for Umrah too. I was still gloriously and contentedly single at the time…my younger sister had gotten engaged in the summer of 2004. The pressure on me to get hooked was tremendous, but of course I could not be paired off with the first XY bearing homo sapiens that was to walk past our house at the crack of dawn… I know of at least six of the above-mentioned, who’d confirmedly prayed that Allah send me a prince. ;)
Till the summer of 2006, there was no Z in the picture, then Waj was hormone-driven, expecting her first baby and decided I could not be left alone anymore…Z was her husband’s friend and also single…a good match, she figured…or her hormones decreed. She called me up and always the ace salesperson, made a very impressive pitch for Z…she got so persistent with this paragon of perfection that I had to tell her to talk to my parents, just to get her off my back. And also because my family had to make the decision for me. All the rest was a blur, within two months I was engaged to be married in six months.
At my last job, when the word got around about the engagement, a colleague came by to congratulate me and on learning that Z was Sharjah based, reminded me how I always preferred Sharjah to Dubai. He was right. Then we learned that Z had applied for Canadian immigration and Ma again reminded me of my intentions to immigrate to Canada after Sis got married…then there was the matter that all my family…all eight plus one of them, were completely, absolutely, unequivocally in love with him. They each had their test and Z passed each with aplomb. My sole criterion for marrying was that the person should be liked and respected by everyone. Z was that person. In fact he came across as such a perfect person that I had my doubts…how could anyone be that good? I asked my friend and N told me that I was a nut-case.
Two years after marriage and a Tyke later, we’re now going for an Umrah ourselves. I think it is the most appropriate, all those prayers that I’d had are now true…So Allah decided that I had to visit his places and thank Him in person. With Z by my side and Saif in my arms, I will thank Him, the most Beneficient the most Merciful, and pray that He grants the best to everyone in this life and the Hereafter.
I’m not saying my life now is a fairy tale, far from it…but each day, there are times when I know I am truly blessed, and each step of this journey will be to thank Allah for his mercies and bounties.
Alhamdulillah