Fatal Convictions

94

Hassan awoke with a start well before dawn. He was clammy with sweat, and it took him a moment to get his bearings. The dream… He focused immediately on the vivid details of the dream before it left the recesses of his memory. Dreams were a gift from Allah, clarity of purpose in a world filled with confusion. He struggled to recall every facet.

He tried to reconcile the dream with the theological realities he knew. Khalid Mobassar would be in hell unless he was redeemed by a member of his family. Nara, always rebellious, would surely follow him, but in Hassan’s dream she had become a warrior like him. Could this be her lot in life?

The Sunnis in his dream reminded Hassan of his cowardice as a child. But this morning, they also brought back memories of why the bullies had ceased their relentless attacks.

After the day Mukhtar was beaten and Hassan ran away scared, the two boys had started taking an alternate route home. But the next week, even on this new route, Mukhtar and Hassan found themselves walking down the sidewalk heading straight for the same gang of boys one block away on the other side of the street.

Hassan quickly reached into his pocket and found the money that he hoped would satisfy the bullies. This time, he and Mukhtar would run together. If they caught Mukhtar, Hassan would stop and offer them his money. If it wasn’t enough, Hassan would take a beating along with his friend. He had learned that the emotional wounds of cowardice hurt more than any physical wounds the Sunnis could inflict.

But for some reason, the Sunnis only glared at Hassan and Mukhtar and never crossed the street to confront them. They talked among themselves and narrowed their eyes, putting the fear of Allah into Hassan’s heart, and yet they allowed the Shia boys to walk by unmolested.

Two months later, when Hassan got into an argument with another kid at school, he found out why the Sunnis had backed off. The kid taunted Hassan, asking, “What are you going to do-get your sister to fight your battles again?”

When Hassan confronted Nara, he learned that his sister had indeed walked up to the Sunni gang and called out the leader in front of all his friends. She had challenged him to a fight, and when he tried to laugh her off, she attacked. Perhaps because of Nara’s rage, or perhaps because the boy felt awkward fighting a girl, she more than held her own. The boy eventually retreated, claiming that he did not want to hurt Nara. Nara shouted curses at him as he left.

When Hassan initially learned about his sister’s actions, he was humiliated and furious. But now, as he looked at Nara lying motionless on the floor, he felt only gratitude and sympathy.

Allah had never revealed his will to Hassan in a dream before-at least not the way he had last night. Hassan had heard of other great warriors who had received a direct word from Allah. In some ways, it made Hassan jealous. Wasn’t he every bit as passionate for Allah as the others?

But last night, on the tile floor of this deserted vacation home in the Outer Banks, Hassan had experienced his own encounter with the ruler of the universe. The orders from his superiors no longer mattered. Allah had spoken.

The dream called for a new plan. One of Hassan’s own making. One that fulfilled the prophecies in the dream.

Nara was destined to be a great warrior and a passionate follower of Allah. His first order of business would be to convince her that her father’s ways were wrong. Someday, according to the dream, she would follow him to paradise. Like her brother, Nara would arrive on a river of blood.

But what thrilled Hassan even more was the certain knowledge that today was his day to bring great glory to Allah. This was the day he had been dreaming about his entire life. Events had transpired that now demanded he pay the ultimate price. For the sake of stopping the heresy of his traitorous stepfather. For the sake of preserving the legacy of his real father.

But most of all, for the sake of Allah.

Today, he would fight. Tonight, he would enjoy the fruits of paradise.