"Ah, I really regret taking Arabic literature. You know what? My knowledge of tashrif* so far can be said to be still at a basic level."
Hana smiled faintly when she heard one of her friends' complaints. They had just come out of the killer lecturer's class. It was pretty tense there for the whole two hours.
They were bombarded with questions and if they couldn't answer, they had to stand up. And this bad luck befell one of her friends named Salsa, who is often called Chaca.
"That was really embarrassing." Salsa squeezed her head in frustration, making the arrangement of her hijab a little messy.
"It doesn't matter, we're still learning. When it comes to tashrif, so far I'm still turning it upside down when reading tashrif. Moreover, it consists of four letters and the letter illat* is added." The one speaking this time was Miftah. Balaghah Lovers*. This is what made her decide to take up Arabic literature to deepen her love for the beauty of Balaghah.
"Hah—I feel like my brain is going to explode," Miftah took a deep breath. Her face was sluggish.
"Well, you'd better Mif, I'm still not fluent with three letters..." When it's like this, Chaca always considers her fate to be the saddest.
"Never mind, we're all still learning, right. The important thing is, we can't regret what we have chosen." Hana finally spoke, if it was like this. She always came to restore the motivation of her two friends, "After all, we have gone this far, but because you are still a bit lacking in tashrif knowledge, you have just given up. Where is your enthusiasm that said you wanted to go to Cairo for a master's degree?"
Chaca and Miftah continued to grin. Both of them immediately enthusiastically embraced Hana who was in their midst, "Ant 'ealaa haqin ya Hanaa*.." They both exclaimed, while pressing their heads to Hana's head, smiling cheerfully.
"Anyway, whatever it is, the three of us have to get a master's degree in Cairo," Chaca persisted, it was clear that the enthusiasm of the four of them had returned when they were reminded of the dream of those who were determined to study together in the country that was once the filming location for 'Ayat-ayat Cinta'.
"Yes, experiencing the life of students living together in an apartment like Fahri in Love Verses or the three of us can live in a dormitory - whatever it is, the main thing is that we have to be together," Said Miftah, imagining that the three of them had passed the scholarship to Egypt and experiencing the sweetness of living abroad.
"Ah, you're making me even more impatient," growled Hana, feeling like she really couldn't bear to immediately make that dream come true.
"But neither of us are like you, Hana. If there were no scholarships, we wouldn't be able to continue our studies there," Said Miftah. That's because Hana is the daughter of a conglomerate. Hana's world is too far from them. Everything looks easy for people like Hana.
"No one knows fate, Mif. Well, even though my father has a lot of money, if Allah hadn't destined me to go to school there, what could I do?" Hana smiled faintly, "The most important thing is that we as His servants must always have a good opinion of Him. Whatever happens in the future, whether we can graduate from Cairo or not. One thing we must know—life is never far from valuable surprises and meaningful lessons..."
—••—
"My daughter Hana, her thoughts are very different from businessmen like us. So I don't think she will be suitable for your son."
After the agreement from yesterday's negotiations, Shahbaz immediately made an appointment with Arya. Discussing his son who wants his youngest daughter as his future wife. But so far, the man who is about to reach his fifties continues to dodge and refuse.
"But my son only fell in love with your youngest daughter. I think businessmen like us must have the same concept that marriage relations are the most important thing for families like ours. So, think again..." Shahbaz still insisted on persuading him. Or else, maybe he would never see his only son get married.
"How about this, I will invite one of the experts in this matter. She will decide which of my three daughters will be suitable to be side by side with your son." Arya of course would not let go of this precious opportunity. It's just that when it comes to his youngest daughter, he can be very sensitive. That's probably because...
"You mean matchmaker?"
"Yes, but this matchmaker is not what you imagine. She does have a special ability to match a partner based on her quite logical theories. How about it?"
"Okay, just do that." Like it or not, Shahbaz was forced to agree to Arya's request. He hopes that the third candidate will be chosen by the matchmaker. That way, he wouldn't have to bother urging Pasha to immediately end his bachelorhood.
But if the first or second candidate was chosen, this time he already had his own discourse on how to urge Pasha so that he would have no choice but to accept it.
That same afternoon they went to the matchmaker that Arya meant. There Arya described the personalities of her three daughters one by one and finally it was Shahbaz's turn to describe the personality of his only son.
"Your son and Mr. Arya's first daughter, they are like mirrors of each other. The two of them will probably only compete until the end. Then your son and Mr. Arya's third daughter, it's like mixing oil with water. That is, the possibility of the two being put together is difficult," Explained the the matchmaker, who was dapper in a dark gray formal suit. The woman wore glasses which made her appearance look dedicated.
"And finally, your son and your third daughter, Mr. Arya, are like sunshine at the south pole. There is frost and a glimmer of warmth, this combination can make a perfect marriage."
"So in your opinion, my son will only be compatible with Mr. Arya's second daughter?" Shahbaz asked to confirm.
"Based on the personalities of your sons and daughters that you have described earlier, that is the result," answered the matchmaker straightforwardly. Clichely, she said that all this had nothing to do with predictions. It's just more logical after matching several existing personality variables.
"So here, I am matching Mr. Arya's second daughter with Mr. Pasha's only son," said the matchmaker firmly, "The two of them will definitely be very suitable for each other."
"So what do you think, Mr Pasha, do you agree if your son is matched with my second daughter?" Aryan asked. Now he can rest assured that his youngest daughter was not the one chosen.
"I agree," Shahbaz answered firmly
"If so, let's immediately arrange a meeting for them"
—••—
1]. Tashrif science: or what is also called Sharaf, simply put, this science is related to changing mufradat (vocabulary) in Arabic, into several word forms depending on the desired meaning. For example, the word (akala) which means; he had eaten, but after being translated as (akaltu) the word changed its meaning to; I've eaten already.
2]. Illat letter: in Sharaf this is the name for the disease letter, namely ا،و،ي
3]. Balaghah Science: a branch of knowledge in Arabic that studies the meanings contained in a sentence, not only the explicit but also the implied ones.
4]. Ant 'ealaa haqin ya Hanaa; You're right Hana!
Sorry, I'm still learning. If you feel that the explanation above is wrong, don't hesitate to leave a positive comment for improvement. Thank you ^_^