Uncharacteristically for him, Salar woke up late. When he saw the time,
he decided not to go to college. His parents were away in Karachi and he
was alone at home. He was watching TV when the servant brought in hisbreakfast.
He remembered something and asked for the maidservant, Nasira, who
came in shortly. ‗I need you to do something for me,' he told the middle-
aged woman. ‗Your daughter works in Waseem's house, right? What time
does she go there?' Salar put down the remote control and turned his
attention to her.
‗Yes, she does….she is there now.' She looked at him, a little taken
aback. ‗Why? What happened, Salar sahib?'
‗Nothing. I just want you to go there and give this mobile to her. Tell her
to give the phone to Imama.' Salar casually held out the cell phone.
Nasira was confused. ‗I did not understand you, sir.'
‗Give this phone to your daughter and tell her to give it to Imama without
letting anyone know,' he repeated firmly.
‗But why? And what if someone gets to know?'
‗You don't need to know why,' he said sharply, ‗and people will find out
only if you or your daughter opens your big mouths. And will be in big
trouble if you do so…But if you don't then it will remain a secret and you will
benefit too.'
Without a word, Nasira picked up the phone. Salar warned her again. As
she was about to leave, he stopped her. Taking some money from his
wallet he gave it to her and she took it with a slight smile. This was a
familiar situation in the homes of the rich people she worked for—she knew
of the secrets their children had and keeping them hidden was a nice way
of making extra money. She concluded that Salar and Imama had
something going and the cell phone was a gift. She was surprised at
herself—how come she hadn't discovered this, and then Imama…wasn't
she getting married? Then why was she up to this mischief? ‗And to think
that I always thought she was such a good girl!' Nasira was appalled at her
ignorance of this development.
about 6 months ago
Umera Ahmed Official
‗Abbu, I want to talk to you about something.' That night Jalal went to his
father's room.
‗Yes, come in. What is it?' He looked up from the files he was studying.
Jalal pulled up a chair and sat down, but he did not speak up. Ansar
Javaid, looking at his son's worried expression, realized that something
was amiss.
‗I want to get married.' Jalal came to the point without any fuss.
‗You want to what?' This was hardly what he expected to hear from his
son. Jalal repeated his statement. ‗How come you took this sudden decision? Till yesterday you wanted to
go abroad for specialization,' he smiled.
‗Well… the situation is such that I had no choice but to talk it over with
you.'
His father became serious; Jalal continued with some hesitation after a
pause. ‗Have you seen Zainab's friend Imama?'
‗Yes. Are you interested in her?' His father asked and Jalal nodded in
agreement. ‗But they are very wealthy people. Besides, they are not
Muslims.' Ansar Javaid's tone had changed.
‗Abbu, they are Qadianis, but she has converted to Islam,' Jalal
explained.
‗Do her parents know?' his father asked, and when Jalal's answer was
negative, he sharply rebuked him. ‗Do you think they will accept this
proposal?'
‗Her parents' permission is not needed—we want to go ahead without it,'
Ansar Javaid was livid. ‗Have you lost your mind? I cannot allow this
under any circumstances.'
Jalal was crushed, but he persisted. ‗I have a commitment…'
‗Did you do so with my permission? At this age people have many
commitments, many interests, but that does not mean that you should ruin
your life. I know how well-connected that family is—they'll ruin us if they get
to know.'
Jalal pleaded with his father but Ansar Javaid was adamant that he
would not entertain any wedding plans for his son until he had completed
his specialization. When Jalal made it clear that Imama was his sole
choice, he advised that she should speak to her parents in this regard: if
they agreed, then Ansar Javaid would give his blessings too.
‗Abbu, please try to understand her problem—she's a very nice girl and
she wants to marry a Muslim, but her parents will not accept her decision.
She needs our help.' Jalal deliberately did not mention her engagement to
Asjad.
‗I am not interested in others' problems and nor should you be. You
should be thinking about your future. Many people have problems and
need help—can you help them all? Besides, there's a huge difference in
their status and ours. I'm not going to earn their enmity nor am I going to
lose face among my own people by bringing a non-Muslim into our family.'
‗I told you she has converted.' There was annoyance in Jalal's tone.
‗This was even before we met.'
‗Were you a witness?' his father was not convinced. ‗Even if this is true,
then she should sort out her problems; why does she want to involve you?
Only if she takes her parents into confidence and they agree, will your
mother and I consider your marrying Imama. We're not going to have a
runaway daughter-in-law.'
No amount of persuasion or argument in favor of religious sentiment
could move Jalal's father.
‗Don't drag religion into this! You're not the only Muslim who must find a
solution. Be realistic. It's all very well to be aware of your moral
responsibility but you also owe it to your parents to respect their wishes. It
is incumbent on you to obey us.'
‗Supposing you do marry her, what next? You'll go off abroad in six
months or so and she'll have to stay home. I cannot afford to educate your
siblings, pay for your studies abroad and for her education as well,' he
continued. ‗How long will she sit home? Besides, what if her family sues
us? We can be convicted and even be jailed. What becomes of your sister
then?'
Jalal had no answers to his father.
‗Think coolly, rationally, instead of being so emotional,' his father
reiterated. ‗If her parents do not approve of you, then tell her to marry
someone else. You'll come to know how damaging your decision in her
favor could be.'
--------------------
‗Baji, shall I do your room?' the maid, knocking at the door, asked
Imama.
‗No! Go away,' Imama waived her off. The maid, instead of leaving, shut
the door behind her and stood before Imama.
‗Did I not tell you to... ?' Imama started, but choked on her words. The
maid produced a cell phone from her chader. Imama was taken by
surprise.
‗Baji, my mother has given me this. She said that your neighbor, Salar
Saab, has sent this for you.' She quickly held out the phone to Imama, who
snatched it. Her heart raced.
‗Listen, you're not to tell anyone that that you've brought me a phone or
anything,' Imama cautioned her.
‗No, Baji, don't worry—I won't tell anyone. In fact, if you want to send
something for Salar Saab, you can give it to me.'
‗No, I have nothing to send. You can leave,' she said, regaining her
composure.
Imama hastily locked the room as the maid left. With great trepidation,
she took out the phone from the drawer and began dialing Jalal's number, as she wanted to talk to him in detail. Jalal's mother picked up the phone.
‗Beta, I'm afraid Jalal's not home and he'll be back at night. You could
speak to Zainab. Shall I call her?'
‗No, thank you, Auntie! I'm in a bit of a rush, actually. I'll speak to Zainab
later. I'd asked Jalal for some books and I wanted to find out about them. I'll
call again,' Imama said as she hung up.
Imama did not eat that afternoon either. She was waiting for the night
when Jalal would be back home and she could speak to him. In the
evening, the maid informed her that there was a call from Asjad.
When she went down to the lounge, only Waseem was sitting there. She
totally ignored him and moved to the phone. As she picked up the phone,
she heard Asjad's voice at the other end. It made her blood boil, even
though she knew that her father, rather than Asjad, was instrumental in
arranging this match. Asjad was enquiring after her welfare.
She was furious. ‗Asjad, why have you deceived me?'
‗What deceit, Imama?'
‗Fixing the wedding date....why didn't you speak to me?' she asked,
fuming.
‗Didn't Uncle talk to you about it?'
‗He did and I'd told him that I did not want to marry just now.'
‗Whatever, now it is too late...and what difference does it make if you
get married now or some years later?' Asjad responded with some
indifference.
‗Asjad! Whether it affects you or not, it certainly makes a difference to
me. I don't want to get married till I've completed my studies...And you
know this very well too.'
‗Yes, I know, but in this whole affair I'm nowhere involved. Let me tell
you that this whole marriage is being arranged at Uncle's insistence.'
‗You have it stopped.'
‗What are you saying, Imama. How can I have it stopped?' Asjad
exclaimed.
‗Asjad, please!'
‗Imama, I can't do it. Try to understand my position. Moreover, the
wedding cards have been printed, both the families are preparing for the
wedding and....'
Imama abruptly banged down the receiver. Waseem had not interfered
in the whole conversation. He had quietly listened but when Imama broke
off, Waseem said, ‗You are quite unnecessarily making a terrible issue of
the whole thing. Eventually, you'll have to marry Asjad, then why are you
creating problems for yourself. As it is, Baba is very upset with you.' I did not ask for your opinion so mind your own business. You've hurt
me enough!' Imama stormed back to her room.
----------------------
That evening too she did not leave her room, but ate the food the servant
had brought her. Towards eleven o'clock, she phoned Jalal who himself
picked up the phone. Perhaps he was expecting her call. After some brief
preliminaries, he came to the point.
‗Imama, a short while ago I spoke to Abbu.'
‗Then?'
After a few moments, Jalal said, ‗Abbu is not in favor of our marriage.'
Imama's heart sank. ‗But you were saying that he would have no
objection.'
‗Yes, I'd also thought so, but he has a lot of reservations. He feels that
there's a lot of difference in the social status of our families ... and he
knows about your family, and his biggest objection is the fact that you want
to marry me against your parents' wishes. As such, he is afraid that your
people will create problems for us.'
She sat motionless with the mobile to her ear, listening to Jalal. ‗Did you
not try to make him agree?'
After a long pause, Jalal said ‗I tried my best. He said that if your people
were willing then he would also consent, regardless of your family's faith,
but without their consent our marriage is just not acceptable to him.'
‗And what....what do you say?'
‗Imama, I'm unable to think,' Jalal said plaintively.
‗Jalal, my parents will never agree to my marrying you. If I were to marry
you, our entire community would boycott my parents and they would not be
able to bear this. And then there is my engagement to Asjad.'
When Jalal insisted she try again, Imama said, ‗I've already been
slapped by my father just for disclosing that I am interested in someone
else. If he should discover that you're not from the same faith as ours, he'll
kill me.' She begged Jalal to try again to persuade his father.
Jalal relented but he was very upset. Imama was in despair after her
conversation with Jalal: she had never thought that his parents would
object to their getting married. Cell phone in her hand, she sat lost in
thought.
-------------------------
‗Your father has already spoken to me about this and he's absolutely right: you have no business putting yourself into peril.' Jalal's mother spoke
with finality when he approached her.
‗I can't see what's so perilous—you're needlessly anxious,' he protested.
‗Jalal, you're naïve to the point of stupidity! Your father knows Imama's
family and their background. What do you think—that they'll leave you
alone once you get married or that they'll not hound us?'
Jalal persisted. ‗We'll keep the marriage secret—no one will get to know.
I'll leave for my specialization and then call Imama over after some time.'
‗I see no reason why we should take such a risk for Imama's sake. And
you should know that we do not marry outside the family—there are plenty
of eligible girls. Had I known your inclination, I'd have fixed you up
elsewhere,' she said angrily. ‗It makes no difference that you like her: what
matters is what we think, and your father and I do not like Imama or her
family.'
He tried his best to convince his mother—that she had seen Imama up
close as she was Zainab's friend, that Imama had taken a major step in
changing her faith and needed support and sympathy...
‗Well then, her taking a major decision doesn't mean that she should put
others in a risky situation. I respect her decision, she did the right thing, but
we have our own concerns,' she continued in a gentler tone. ‗Think
rationally: you have to go abroad to establish yourself professionally, set up
your own hospital one day. Getting married into a good family will help you
achieve your aims—you have no idea how many offers there have been for
you.'
‗What can you hope to get by marrying Imama? Her family will boycott
her and it'll be a social stigma for all. Have you thought of the future—what
will you say when your own children question you?'
Jalal's mother spoke somberly and he listened without interruption or
protest, impassive. It was hard to gauge from his expression if her words
had had any impact.
---------------------
Imama called Jalal again the next night: he received the call. His words
plunged her into despair when he disclosed that he'd spoken to his mother
and she was more opposed to this match than his father was.
‗When I told her about your decision, she said it was your problem, not
ours.' Jalal's bluntness pierced Imama.
‗I've tried my best, Imama, but there's no way my mother will agree,'
Jalal conceded quietly.
‗Can't you marry me without their approval?' she asked plaintively. ‗No, I cannot—I love them too much to hurt them, to take this step
without their good wishes.'
She begged and pleaded with him to rescue her from this situation, to
save her life, but he was firm in his reply. ‗I cannot disobey my parents.
Don't pressurize me so.'
Imama's nerves were shattered. She had never abased herself so. She
entreated him to have the nikah read secretly and said he could also then
marry anyone else of his parents' choice—that she'd have no objection.
‗Imama, stop being so childish! You should know what it'll mean if my
parents get to know: they'll throw me out of the house. What are we
supposed to do then?'
‗We'll work hard, we'll do something, we'll survive.'
‗Will this ―something‖ finance my studies abroad?' His tone was sharp,
sarcastic. She had no answer.
‗No, Imama, I can't sacrifice my dreams, my ambitions for you or for
anyone else. I love you, yes, but I cannot display such sentimentality like
you. Do not call me again because I am putting this whole affair behind me.
I feel sorry for you but you have to solve your problems yourself—I can't
help you. Khuda hafiz.'
Jalal hung up. It was 10.50 p.m. Imama felt as if her world had gone up
in smoke around her. Who knew better than her, at this moment, the agony
of losing everything that was once within her grasp? He mind was numb,
her very being torn: she sat on her bed like a lifeless statue.
‗I should tell Baba everything…what other option do I have? Perhaps,
he'll throw me out—at least, I'll be free of this place.'
---------------------
‗I do not want to marry Asjad so the question of shopping for the wedding
does not arise,' Imama told her mother in a determined tone.
‗First you were opposed to the idea of getting married; now you are
opposed to marrying Asjad—what on earth do you want to do?' her mother
was exasperated.
‗I don't want to marry Asjad.'
‗Then who do you want to marry?' Hashim Mubeen was standing in the
door. He must have certainly heard the conversation between Imama and
her mother when he was in the corridor. He could not control his temper.
Imama was silent.
‗Tell me, who is it that you want to marry? Have you lost your tongue?
Why don't you want to marry Asjad? What's your problem? Answer me!' He
was screaming furiously. Imama composed herself and spoke courageously. ‗Baba, marriage is a
lifetime commitment. I want to marry of my own choice.'
‗Till yesterday, Asjad was your choice,' he reminded her bitterly.
‗That was yesterday, not today,' she replied.
‗Why not now? Tell me, why not now?' he asked in a raised voice.
For a few moments, Imama looked at him without a word. Then she said,
‗Baba, I want to marry a Muslim.'
The heavens seemed to fall on Hashim Mubeen. ‗What did you say?' he
asked uncertainly.
‗I do not want to marry a non-Muslim because I have changed my faith to
Islam.'
There was absolute silence in the room for the next few minutes. Salma
was in a state of shock and Hashim Mubeen…he seemed to have turned
into stone. He stared speechlessly at Imama, as though he had forgotten
how to breathe. He had never imagined, in his wildest dreams, that he
would have to face such a situation in his own home, and that too at the
hands of his most loved child. His life was being sucked onto a vortex.
‗What the hell do you mean?' Rage rose up in him like a wave.
‗You know what I mean, Baba. You know very well.'
‗You're out of your mind!' he hollered. Imama shook her head silently;
she knew the state of his mind. ‗Was this why we brought you into the
world…that you should… you…' He searched for words. ‗You're doing all
this just so that your marriage to Asjad should be called off, that you can
marry the man of your choice!'
‗No, it's not that.'
‗It is…do you take me to be stupid?' Hashim Mubeen was frothing at the
mouth.
‗You can arrange my wedding with anyone you like. I have no complaint
as long as he is not from your community. At least, then you cannot say
that I did all this for a particular person.'
Her father's anger knew no bounds: just a chit of a girl and telling him
what to do. What did she know?
‗I know a lot, Baba. I'm twenty years old; I don't have to be led by you. I
know that your faith has brought a great deal of prosperity to our family.'
She spoke with composure in a steady voice.
‗You will not be forgiven for your sins!' He admonished her. Imama felt
sorry for him—he was standing in Hell and warning her of its horrors. She
felt sorry for the man whose eyes were blindfolded, whose heart was
sealed. She felt sorry for him whose soul had been crushed, who stood at
the topmost level of waywardness and error. ‗You have been led astray…just reading a few books has…' he began to
say, but Imama interrupted him.
‗You will not be able to debate with me on this issue. I know everything—
I have researched and confirmed it. What can you tell me or explain? You
have chosen your path and I have chosen mine. You are doing what you
think is right and I do what I believe to be right. Your faith is your personal
matter and mine is my personal matter. Isn't it better that you accept my
decision as a conscious deliberate act rather than as an emotional step?'
Imama spoke with dignity and clarity, but her attitude further provoked her
father.
‗Allowing you to change your faith… do you know the repercussions?
The community will boycott me and I'll be reduced to nothing. We'll be
brought to the streets. No, Imama, this cannot be! You may have lost your
mind but I haven't lost mine. You can follow whatever faith you wish, but
you will marry Asjad and be part of their family. Leave this house and go
live with them—perhaps, you will then know what to do with your life.'
Hashim Mubeen stormed out of the room. As soon as he left, Salma
turned on Imama, seething. ‗If I'd known what shame you were going to
bring on us, I'd have strangled you at birth. You seem determined to
humiliate us in public.'
Imama looked at her without a word. Salma went on ranting and raving,
and then walked out. About an hour after Salma left, there was a knock on
the door—it was Asjad. Imama did not expect to see him here. Worry was
written all across his face. Apparently, Hashim Mubeen had called him over
and disclosed everything to him.
‗What's going on, Imama? Why are you doing this?' he asked as he
entered.
‗Asjad, if you've been told what I have done, then you must also know
why I've done it.'
‗You do not realize what you've done,' he said, pulling up a chair. ‗One
makes such decisions in a fit of sentimentality…'
‗I'm aware of my actions.' Imama cut across his words. ‗What do you
mean by sentimentality? Does one change one's faith out of sentiment? I
have been studying Islam for the last four years, and that's not a short
period.'
‗You must have been swayed by others' views. You…'
‗No, I was not swayed by anyone. I discarded what I thought was wrong
and took up what is right, that's all.'
Asjad had no grounds for argument. He shook his head and said, ‗Very
well—your faith is your concern, but why are you against our getting married? Let the wedding take place.'
‗You and I cannot get married. It will not be valid.'
Asjad was shocked. ‗Why? Am I not a Muslim?'
When she replied in the affirmative, he blurted out, ‗Uncle was right—
you've been brainwashed!'
‗Then why should you want to marry such a girl? It's better that you find
someone else for yourself,' she retorted.
‗I don't want you to ruin your life.'
‗Ruin my life?' she laughed. ‗What life? The life I am living with people
who have sold their souls for worldly wealth?'
‗Behave yourself! You seem to have forgotten your manners the way you
speak so carelessly—saying what you like about anyone,' Asjad rebuked
her.
‗I cannot respect a person who's leading others astray,' she said curtly.
‗At your age, people do become confused about their identity. When
you're older, you'll understand whether we're on the right path or the wrong
one.' Asjad calmed down and tried to pacify her.
‗If you people think I'm in the wrong, then why don't you leave me alone,
let me go free? Why am I a prisoner here? If you believe that your faith is
true, let me find out for myself…'
‗If someone so close is bent on self-destruction, and that too a girl, we
can't just leave her to destroy herself. Imama try to understand the
sensitivity of this situation—your family and all they have is at stake
because of you.'
‗Nothing is at stake because of me…even so, why should I care? Why
should I go to hell for their beliefs or cast aside my faith for their sake?
Asjad, I cannot tread this misguided path with you all—let me go where I
choose.' Imama's voice was firm.
‗And even if you forced me to marry you, it will be of no use to you: I will
not be your wife in the real sense. I will not be faithful to you. I'll escape
whenever I get the chance…how long will you imprison me or guard me?
And I'll take your children away too—you'll never see them again.' She tried
to paint a horrifying picture of their future. ‗If I were you, I'd never marry a
girl like Imama Hashim: it would be a total loss, the limit of foolishness. You
still have the opportunity to refuse—your future is at stake. Why don't you
marry a nice girl of your community and live a happy life? Not me—I'll
prove to be the worst nightmare. Asjad, just say no to this match; tell Uncle
Azam you don't want to marry me. Or go away somewhere and come back
when this matter blows over.'
‗Stop giving me this silly advice: I'm not going to give you up—never. Nor am I going to pull out of this relationship or run away from home. You're the
only one I will marry. Now it's a question of our family's honor and name. If
you had any idea of the losses we'll have to face should this wedding be
called off, you would not come up with such crazy notions. As far as being
a bad wife or running away is concerned, that is a later issue. I know your
temperament well—you're not inclined to harass people unnecessarily—
least of all me who you love,' Asjad concluded complacently.
‗You're mistaken, Asjad, I've never been in love with you and, especially
since I accepted Islam, I have severed my relationship with you. You're
nowhere in my life now. If I can be a problem for my family, you should
know what problems will follow for you and your family—so don't fool
yourself. We cannot be together: I cannot be a part of your family.' She
paused, and then went on. ‗There's a vast gulf between us, Asjad—we're
so far apart that I cannot even see you. And I will not bridge this gulf. I'm
just not prepared to marry you.'
Asjad's color changed as he watched and heard Imama.
about 6 months ago
Umera Ahmed Official
‗Can you do me a favor?'
‗What do you think I've been doing all along?' asked Salar.
There was silence at the other end; then she said, ‗Can you go to Lahore
and meet Jalal?'
Salar closed his eyes momentarily. ‗Why?' Imama's voice was low,
heavy with tears.
‗To request him on my behalf—to marry me. If not forever, then
temporarily—I want to leave this house and cannot do so without his help.
Tell him to just have the nikah finalized.'
‗You're in touch with him on the phone, why don't you tell him yourself?'
Salar said while munching on potato crisps.
‗I did' she replied more tearfully. ‗He refused.'
‗Very sad,' said Salar. ‗So it's a one-sided love affair.'
‗No.'
‗Then why did he refuse?'
‗What's it to you?' She was peeved.
‗What is the point of my going all the way to talk to him—you can call him
again.'
‗But he does not speak to me; he doesn't receive the phone nor will he
take any calls at the hospital. He's pointedly avoiding me.'
‗Then why are you chasing him? Obviously, he doesn't love you.'
‗You can't understand this—just help me out. Go there and tell him about my situation—he can't do this to me.'
‗And if he should refuse to entertain me—then?'
‗You can still try—at least once. Perhaps, a way can be found out of this
mess.'
A smile arose on Salar's lips. He found Imama's predicament amusing.
He switched off the phone and thought about her problem as he popped
crisps into his mouth. He was getting more deeply involved in Imama's
situation—it was the biggest adventure of his life, it seemed: first smuggling
the cell phone to Imama, now contacting her boyfriend, Jalal. Imama had
told Salar in detail about Jalal's home and the hospital. He was now
thinking of what he'd say to Jalal.
----------------------------------------------------