In the Name of a Mate
Chapter 21: Always Open

With a sigh long enough, the maron girl tidied up a little hijab then finally said hello in front of the gate that had opened as if welcoming herself

"Assalamu'alaikum"

"Wa'alaikumussalam" sure enough, it seems he was indeed awaited because the answer greeting was immediately heard even though he said quite slowly

"Ila" once a happy look on the face of the woman who should now be the same age as the mother, he brought himself into the warm embrace of a mother that he could not feel anymore

"How's aunt?"

"Kok still call aunty? Call Mother only" Layla just smiled knot. For him the call is for one man only, the great woman who gave birth to him.

"Good aunt, are you here yourself? Where's ilal?" The question is natural because those who usually go there are always together

"She said there was a aunt's business, did not know where to go" suddenly Bilal said suddenly there was business this morning, whereas as Layla remembered on Sunday her brother would only stay at home

"Just teach a boy he must go see his friend. Ammar is also like that, but especially today the mother should not come out" Renata explained in a typical upset tone of mothers who are annoyed with the behavior of their children

"Let's go inside first. We haven't seen you in a long time, just as your mother squirms Aqila. Our memories are still preserved until now"

On the other hand, Bilal grumbled annoyed that it had been almost thirty minutes waiting but there was no sign of the arrival of the girl he was waiting for

"He really wants to? Five more minutes if he doesn't come I'll go home" he grumbled

Just five minutes before he could put on his helmet and restart the bike, the girl he was waiting for came. But now with a different appearance to make Bilal say Istighfar because staring too long

"Sorry late, I don't think you're going to come this fast" the girl regretted, she tidied up a little bit of her headscarf a little forward. Maybe because I was wearing that head covering for the first time

"No papa, I was also wrong for not giving a clear time" said Bilal nodded in understanding, but he was ready to put out his words to the girl because it was not on time

"Come"

"We're riding a bike?" Ask Bela, as he remembered yesterday the man in front of him said the location is not far from here

"It's about five hundred meters from here, do you want to walk?" Ask Bilal again. He had turned on his motorbike so inevitably Bela came up

In less than eight minutes, they arrived at the cafe with the letter FC written large at the top. Bela pensively for a while then took a deep breath

"Come, why shut up"

"Wait a minute" Bela raised her hand, instructing the man to stop

"Why?" Bilal scrunched his brows in confusion

"My name is Fatih Bilal Alzam, commonly called Ilal"

"My name is Isabela, just call Bela" the girl was about to stretch out her hand, but she retracted it because she realized it was not normal in religion.

Rasullullah once said, "Any one of you if he is stabbed with an iron needle, it is better for him than to touch a woman who is not his mahram"

So great is the degree of a woman in Islam. But we can see how far the difference is now. Touching the hands of even zina was a common sounding thing now.

"Sister, this is my friend who applied yesterday for a job" Bilal spoke to a woman about twenty-five years old. The woman nodded and looked at Bela with a smile. He threw his smile at the woman. He is grateful in his heart at least they are not as fierce as what he imagined

"You can start work tomorrow. I told you I'm also an employee here"

"We don't need an interview?" Ask Bela confused. He should bring files and interviews when applying for a job

"You get into work through an insider's line. No interviews, I'm clear that you can work and be reliable. What is sought after is just, willing to work, and reliable including to be responsible for your work" Bela nodded, grateful to be able to meet reliable insiders. But even so he promises not to disappoint Bilal who has trusted him to work here

"Thank you, I'll buy you the first payday" Bilal laughed

"You haven't started your job thinking about your salary. Kumpulin used to make money for all your needs, treat it next time"

Bela slightly rubbed the nape of the back of her head then nodded awkwardly. Bilal was right, when he had not yet entered work he had thought about salary

"Hijab does not hinder the beauty of a woman, it actually makes you protected" Bela looked up and then looked down. Bilal must have said that because he saw a different appearance

"I know. This hijab includes my new move to get closer to the creator. I'm just a dirty servant hoping to repent from Him"

"God is the beneficiary of his servant's repentance. As big as a mountain or as much as a froth in the sea of our sins, the door of repentance is more wide open to wait for us to return to Him"

Bela nodded her head, she decided this right yesterday. At that time after seeing the graduation score, it just so happened that there was a study near the mosque not far from his home. Who came seemed to be a fairly famous ustadz to the many pilgrims present

"The word of repentance is mentioned 87 times in the Qur'an. He reminds us to always return to him, the man is never free from sin. Therefore, Allah has opened the door of repentance to his servant"

"What does God say to his servant who has sinned? He does not say, O sinner, or adulterer, or evil man. Allah does not say that, but he says "Tell My Servants who are transgressing against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Verily Allah forgives all sins, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Go back to your Lord and surrender to Him before the coming of the torment and you can no longer find help.” (QS. Zumar Az: 53-54)"

"The door of repentance in front of you is wide open, he awaits your coming, the way of the repentant has been laid, he longs for your footing. As long as the soul remains in the body, as long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so long as Allah awaits his servants who repent"

"Don't blame this world for being too cruel, because people who are close to God know that God is with him. Together with the difficulty there is the ease with which God has brought him"

It was there that Bela finally established the intention to start his hijra, he who rarely prayed because he did not care too much about it began to take ablution and pray when the dhuhur adhan was heard roaring from his home. In his prostration he cried because of the feeling in his heart that channeled calmness. The house he used to weep for his destiny is now changing to weep for himself who has gone too far from the grace of his Lord