28. AL-RAHMAN

“Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder. For indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water comes out, and there are some of them that fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (QURAN 2:74)

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With a groan, I brought a hand to my temple that was throbbing in pain. Slowly, I tried to pry my eyes open. It took me a moment to adjust to the blinding lights. For a while, I laid on my back, trying to make sense of everything but everything felt numb and dazed. After gaining some strength, I turned my neck to a side with great difficulty only to realise that my neck was immobilised. I could tell that I was hooked up to all sorts of tubes, going up my hands, all the way looped around my face.

I tried to focus my attention on the figure sitting to the far end on the couch; only to realise it was Mom, dozing off. There was no one else in the room a