Another Islamic Love story part 2

ANOTHER ISLAMIC LOVE STORY PART 2

Author        :  Habiburahman El Shirazy

Book Title    :  Ketika Cinta Bertasbih (When Love is blessed by God)

     This is the second sequel of the best selling novel by Habiburahman.  The difference with the first one is the setting.  Now the setting is in Indonesia, not Egypt anymore.  After graduating from Al Azhar University Abdullah Khairaul Azzam, the main character, went home to his hometown in Solo or Surakarta.  He went home with Eliana, the daughter of Indonesian ambassador to Egypt who loves him.  For nine years Azzam never came home because he did not have money.  His father had passed away and his mother got older.  He met again his beloved sisters Husna, Lia and Sarah.

     At first he did not know what to do. He was unemployed. But then he had an idea to do business.  With just very little money he decided to start operating a small restaurant selling bakso or Indonesian meatball soup. To win the hard competition in business he created a different bakso.  Normally the bakso look like a small ball made of meat.  But Azzam make it look like the symbol of love and call it bakso cinta (love meatball). He chose a good location nearby a university campus.  Shortly after that his business grew rapidly.

     Meanwhile Furqan, his friend in Al Azhar, married to Anna Althafunnisa, the daughter of Kyai Lutfi.  But Furqan was not very happy with his wedding because he had a great problem.  When he was in Egypt he had an affair with a woman and the laboratory test proved that he had HIV virus.  Colonel Fuad from Egyptian police had asked him not to spread his virus but Anna received his proposal.  So he had to marry Anna.  He was very confused because he had to lie.  He could not cancel his wedding plan but if he marries Anna he will destroy Anna with his virus.  That’s why on the first night Furqan did not do his duty as a husband.

Before doing his bakso business Azzam had another business – distributing books from Egypt to Islamic schools in Central Java and east Java.  This activity made him met Kyai Lutfi, Anna’s father.  Kyai Lutfi was the principal of an Islamic school in Solo.  He was an influential informal leader in his village.  They liked each other and Kyai Lutfi asked him to come there often.  Then Azzam joined Kyai Lutfi’s study group to learn the Holy Koran and other Islamic books.  He came there each week.  On his first visit to the study group he got a surprise.  That day Kyai Lutfi had to go to a funeral of his senior who passed away. He asked Azzam to replace him as speaker.  He had to teach Kyai Lutfi’s student.  It was a success.  Since that day Azzam was known as a good Islamic teacher.

As his business grows and he was mature enough, his mother asked him to marry soon.  So Azzam tried to find a wife.  Among devout Muslims who live in Islamic school there is no dating.  He would directly propose the girl to her father.  He tried several times but he always failed. One day through his neighbor he proposed a girl who worked as a doctor in Demak, central Java.  Her name is Vivi.  He was a beautiful girl.  She accepted Azzam’s proposal.  She was ready to be Azzam’s wife.

Furqan was very busy teaching at an Islamic school and a University in Yogyakarta, a neighboring city. He also runs a camera shop in Solo.  One night he asked his wife to spend the night in Solo.  There he honestly told Anna about his problem and the reason why he never do his duty to her.  Anna was very surprised and upset.  She lost her respect to Furqan. She asked Furqan to divorce her right away.  That night she left Furqan.  He agreed to divorce her on a condition that Anna keeps the secret.  The next morning Anna told her parents that she had divorced.  Kyai Lutfi and her wife were upset, surprised and disappointed.  Several days later Furqan and his family came to see Anna and her family.  A heated debate was almost happened but then Furqan confessed that he could not do his duty as a good husband and that Anna was remain virgin.  Everybody was surprised. 

Meanwhile four days to his wedding party Azzam was busy preparing for it.  On a rainy afternoon her mother asked him to accompany her to see Kyai Lutfi.  She asked him to give sermon on Azzam’s wedding.  But Kyai Lutfi refused her.  He said that he did not dare to do that because her daughter’s marriage was not successful.  He felt he was not the right person.  Then he recommended another clergyman who lives in a neighboring city.  Azzam and his mother went there right away on a motor cycle.  But as they went there an accident happened.  A bus hit them.  Azzam fell unconscious and broke his bones while his mother’s head hit the road.  Shortly after that she passed away in a hospital.  Azzam’s happy day was like a smoke in the air – slowly disappeared.  He needed about one year to recover.  Azzam’s sorrow was complete when he received a letter from Vivi telling him that she will marry another man.  With the letter Vivi returned a golden ring that he gave.

After he recovered from all his wounds he went to see Kyai Lutfi.  This time he gave the golden ring to Kyai Lutfi. He said he trusts Kyai Lutfi to find a wife for him.  Kyai Lutfi then said that he wanted Azzam to marry her daughter Anna.  Azzam was very happy because he loves Anna. And Anna did too.  That same day the wedding ceremony took place in Kyai Lutfi’s mosque.  After a long hard struggle finally Azzam and Anna found happiness.