It needed to be told!

The two women did not notice the tears beings washed away from their faces by the torrential rain as they circumambulated the Kaaba. The older woman was the mother of the younger woman. The mother could not believe that she had finally lost the six months battle with cancer only days ago and death had snatched away her soul mate, her life partner from her. She was not thinking of the long, painful trying moments of past six months. No. All she could think of was the day her world came crashing down when her companion of past thirty two years closed his eyes for good and took his last breath. She could not believe that only two days ago his body was placed right next to the sacred building of Kaaba with two more bodies on his other side while the Imam led the funeral prayer in a cloudy evening. All those endless prayers for his recovery, uncountable moments of hope after hope came to a halt as men took his body on their shoulders to bury him in the ground where Zamzam flew and Adhan of Haram echoed.

She looked at her empty hands and the world looked bleak to her...and tears flowed down her cheeks without a break. She had come out of her house where she was suppose to spend her mourning period of more than three months only to come to Kaaba and do Umrah for her beloved husband. Today she was not paying attention to her daughter who was clutching on to her clothes just like she used to do in her childhood while circumambulating in order not to lose her. Today, she was not thinking of her two sons who were also circumambulating the Kaaba for their father at the same time. Today, she was not a mother or a wife. Today, she was simply a widow! Today, she was a woman who had lost her love to death! She knew that back home guests would be arriving to pray Quran for her deceased husband but today she had to come out and pray for him near Kaaba in Haram.

The rain was pouring down with wind and washing the constant stream of tears off the faces of mother and daughter. To the daughter, each gust of wind felt like a breeze sent down from Heaven. It felt like God was sending His blessings in the form of wind and water as an answer, every time she prayed for her father. She knew God had absolute knowledge of their situation and would take care of them.She knew that her father was at a much better place.  She knew God would send down angels to watch over her mother who had a rough lonely road ahead to travel.

Mother and daughter finished their circumambulation called Tawaf and prayed two units of prayer near the Station of Abraham where the footprints of the great Prophet were enclosed in a glass showcase. How many times the father had protected the daughter by standing against the crushing crowds holding hands with his wife, like a wall, on these grounds. Both mother and father would keep the children in front of them while they would make a semi circle by joining hands and barring any jolting pushes from reaching their children. They had taken all the pressure, pokes and pushes on to themselves and protected their children. Today, the mother was alone! She could not make that semi circle anymore to protect her children. Her children were exposed to the blows of the world.

They drank the holy Zamzam water that erupted as a miracle at the kicking of baby Ishmael and also as an answer to his mother Hagar's prayers. How many times the father had poured Zamzam water for his family? From now on, he would no longer be there with them as a caring figure. Today and in future, they would have to fetch everything for themselves.

With hearts wreathing in pain, both women came to the stairs under the Imam's room. That was the place that had been decided as a meeting spot between the women and the sons. Together, they were going to do Saee, the seven walks between the two hills where Hagar walked millenniums ago in search of water for baby Ishmael. The women waited. The rain was pouring down with no sign of the boys. The mother was getting worried. She knew that despite her situation, she could not be irresponsible. People would be gathering back at her house and the family needed to reach back in time to be with the mourning crowd gathering at her house. 

Moments ticked by with no signs of the boys. The women were soaking wet in the down pour. The mother said to her daughter that the boys must have started the Saee without them as they, too, knew the constraint on time. The daughter thought that her brothers were still not done with Tawaf (circumambulation), although they had waited some good fifteen or so minutes. She wanted to wait some more but the mother's word had always been her command. And today she would have laid down her own life for the mother. She was like a toddler clinging to the mother. She wanted to tell her mother something but she could not. Her mother would not have believed her.

The women started the Saee without the boys because the mother was quite sure that they must have already started it. The daughter kept on looking at every face hoping to see the familiar faces of her brothers in the crowd. The gusts of wind was bringing in showers of rain water that still felt like messengers from Heaven to the daughter. 

They walked one walk between the hills, then second, then third, and still no sign of the boys! The daughter's patience was wearing off. On the fourth walk she asked her mother to go back to the stairs under the Imam's room. The mother said that it was more than forty minutes since they left the spot and that by no means the boys could be there waiting in that cold rain. The daughter insisted and the two women started towards the stairs in the middle of the fourth walk between the hills.

They reached the stairs and right there, in that cold, torrential rain were standing the boys, drenching wet to the bones. The mother asked the boys why had they not started the Saee. The daughter knew the answer before they replied. The daughter said to the mother that they were her sons! They would not leave the spot, come rain or storm. They were told by the mother to be there. They were going to stand there till she met them as she had said. The mother did not know but the daughter had no doubt that her brothers would never start the Saee, breaking the arrangement set by the mother. She knew it because she also knew those boys were raised by parents who set the example by their own conduct.

I know the sentiments of the daughter because it was me. The mother was my mother and the boys were my own brothers.