Isabella's Prayer

Evening came after anxious waiting and Isabella started for the garden of
Cordova well in time. On the way she met Michael's daughter, Mirano, who also
accompanied her and her other two friends, who had listened to the talk at
Michael's house, also joined them in the garden.

Mirano: Isabella, there
is great sorrow on your face. Why? You have to part some day from your relatives.

Isabella: I was in great
plight after I parted from you. But luckily my mother, being engaged in other
things, could not come to me, otherwise Heaven knows what trouble she would
have caused. But now by Allah's Grace I am not worried but prepared to bear
all troubles for the sake of truth.

Mirano: But, sister, you
were wonderful today, you gave such crushing replies to priests that they
were flabbergasted and could not reply, and moreover whatever you argued
was from the Bible.

Mertha (the other friend)
: But what is strange is that despite being silenced they do not confess.

Mirano : They may not confess
by mouth but their hearts do believe. After you left my father Michael said
to Peter: It is true that the divinity of Christ is not proved by the Bible,
but anyway we have to abide by the judgment of the Church. Father Peter was
convinced of the weight of your arguments and said that your arguments were
not weak.

Mertha : But today's discussion proved that Islam
is a true and firm religion while in Christianity there is nothing but misguidance.

Mirano (to Isabella): Would
you like to leave your parents, brothers, sisters and relatives, and the
life of ease and comfort? And what will you do if your father is strict on
you and gives you up to the Inquisition?

Isabella: I have now freed
my mind from all these worries. Allah Who has conferred on me the boon of
Islam will also help me in future and will not discard my good cause. I find
great solace in the verse of the Quran which says: "Whosoever
has fear of Allah in him, then Allah will provide for him the means to find
the path of salvation and give him sustenance from quite unexpected quarters."

Mirano: Well, when shall
we go to meet Ziad b. Umar and his company?
Isabella : We have to go there a little early so as to benefit by the company
of respected Ziad as much as possible and return home in time.

Mirano: Will you report to respected Ziad the events of today?

Isabella : Why not? But
let us go now so that we may reach there at the time of isha (early night
prayer) and return after staying there for an hour.

Coming out of the garden
of Cordova Isabella, accompanied by her friends, took her way to the' great
Mosque of Cordova and on the way Isabella informed her friends that, although
in her heart she has become a Muslim, she has not been formally converted.
She would now take the pledge at the blessed hands of Ziad b. Umar, so that
Allah may grant her more courage and firmness and take in her heart the full
measure of Allah's help. All her friends congratulated her on her good intention
and expressed their pleasure also. Half an hour after this, the girls entered
the inner part of Umar Lahmi's house, which adjoined the house of Ziad b.
Umar, who had already been informed of their visit by Umar Lahmi. So after
isha prayer divines, devotees, traditionists, poets, men of letters, academicians
and eminent scholars assembled there. After formal talk Umar Lahmi asked
Ziad b. Umar's permission to bring the girls to his presence, and on getting
permission the girls were called from Umar Lahmi's house.

As soon as the girls arrived
Ziad asked about their welfare. Isabella narrated to him the happenings of
the last two days with her father, the head priest, and other priests and
also the talk she had had with Michael and Peter on different subjects and
also the arguments which she had put before them. The learned men present
there applauded her achievement and greatly encouraged her. All were impressed
by the profound knowledge of Isabella.

Isabella (to Ziad b. Umar):
Respected sir, this has all passed and whatever comes after will be seen, but now my request is that you formally convert me
to Islam and include me in the universal brotherhood of the believers of one
God. So Ziad b. Umar formally converted her and all those present prayed sincerely
for her firmness.

Ziad b. Umar: Daughter
Isabella, now that you have formally embraced Islam, you should put a veil
on your face as Islam enjoins concealment of the woman's face. In future
you should always be veiled. At the same time five times of prayer are incumbent
on you and see that it is never missed as this is the only door to felicity.
Well, are these girls with you the same whom you had mentioned ?

Isabella: Yes, one of them
is the daughter of Michael, whose name is Mirano, and the other two are my
friends and confidantes. Their names are Mertha and Hanana.

Ziad: Have they any doubt
about Islam?

Isabella: They have no
doubt about the truth of Islam and, like me, they believe in it and when
Allah wishes they will formally declare their Islam, yet Mirano has some
doubts which my spiritual father, Umar Lahmi, will resolve. She will come
here some time and present her doubts and have satisfaction.

Umar Lahmi: It appears
from your father's attitude that he will be strict with you and it will not
be surprising if he secretly hands you over to the Inquisition. By the morning
Michael and Peter will report to him the details of your debate after which
he is sure to antagonise you. Now, what remedy have you thought of it ?

Isabella : Allah knows
better what is going to happen in future. I have submitted my case to Allah.
Yet I have resolved that if he is more oppressive I will come over to your
house.

Umar Lahmi: You may do
this whenever you like; anyway you have to do this sometime, for Christians
are not so broadminded as not to oppress you and leave you free when they
find that you have accepted Islam.

Isabella (to Zia'd b. Umar):
Respected sir, you pray for me that Allah may grant me endurance and firmness.
Now permit us to leave.

Ziad b. Umar and others
present said goodbye to the girls and, after
leaving the place, Isabella and her three friends got to their respective
homes.

Isabella slept in a corner
of her house and, long before dawn, when she woke up, she could not leave
her bed. While still in bed the voice of Allah-o-Akbar reached her ears and
made her quite restless, while the idea of Glory and Grandeur of Allah and
His Awe and Might filled her eyes and tears began to fall from them. Getting
some solace after weeping she fell in prostration and with all humbleness
prayed to the Creator of the earths and heavens: "O Allah!
grant me Thy love and Thy most loved one. O
Allah ! fill my heart with the light of Islam and Tauhid (Unity) and make
the obedience of Thy Apostle my fate in life. O Allah! I am so grateful to
Thee for conferring on me the honour of following the Mercy of the Worlds.O
Allah! grant my parents, my relatives and all Christians and the misguided
ones the blessings of Islam and let us all live and die on Islam. O my Lord!
just grant this humble prayer of the oppressed one, for Thou art the hearer
and the seer."

After concluding this prayer
Isabella felt that her soul had got solace .and a great load had been lifted
from her mind. She found that a treasure-house of endurance, firmness and
elation had been installed into her heart. She was very happy as she had
secured a great wealth like Islam. She was now fearless and bold, for the
Tauhid had cast off from her all fears except the fear of Allah.

Isabella's mother was in
an unusual great rage. It appeared that Peter and others had conveyed all
their talk to her parents and convinced them that she had become an apostate
and all the doors of persuasion had closed on her.