Story Part 4 - Moons Peak [FINISHED]- Settling In (chapter 4)

SETTLING IN TOOK SOME time to sink in.
I'd completely pulled my old blankets and sheets and replaced them
with silk and mink I'd conveniently packed. I refused to put my
clothesany were near the old dusty drawers. Besides, that'll only seem
like I wanted to be here. I didn't.
Aretha Heins called dinner, so I washed up and changed out of my long
blazer jacket. I didn't want to ruin it, so Ishrugged on a silk teal
blouse. It hung just above my thighs, so I left my tights on.
"Willow, we're waiting for you!" she called up the stairs again.
I scowled in the mirror. Still the same. No one eats unless everyone
is seated at the table. Seriously, these people practically lived in
the stone ages.
"Coming!" I yelled back and stole one last glance in the mirror and
rushed down the stairs.
I paused when I saw the table was full with guestsI couldn't recall
even being introduced to. I automatically felt out of place. Not just
the clothesand everything, but conversations were being thrown all
over thetable and I was afraid that I'll have no interests in it
whatsoever.
Empty plates, and full glasses of wine sat in front of them, but I
felt slightly uncomfortable to be here...until I spotted Grams. I
loosened up a bit. She smiled and nodded for me to take a seat.
"Come sit over here Willow," Aretha called, as her hand waved
frantically to the chair between her and Satchel.
Blinking, I noticed Satchel's cowboy hat hadbeen removed, astonished
to see what a man he'd really turned into. His face was out in full
view, displaying wisdom, and maturity.
I sagged my shoulders, feeling bad that for how I treated him in the
last couple of hours.
It wasn't his fault I was here, and it wasn't his fault that I was in
a bad mood because I had to be here. But seeing him, brought so many
memories back, it felt likeI was a little five year old girl all over
again.
He'd obviously found some soap in the last hour, because he cleanedup
nice as I noticed his hair was gelled back, anda clean shirt clung to
his skin.
His piercing gaze was something I remember: Light green eyes that
caught the light brilliantly. He'd always had that youthful face, but
his body was something else.
He'd grown up so much.
"You gonna stand there and stare, or sit down? I'm starving here,"
Satchel murmured, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Noticing I must've lookedlike a weirdo staring at him for so long. I
caught myself blushing and stumbled to find my seat. I watched as
Satchel's elbows dug onto the table and his hands clenched together in
a praying gesture, and frowned.
I was about to ask him what he was doing, and then Aretha started
chanting a verse. Right, she was saying grace, how could I forget?
I followed in suit, and voiced a quick, "Amen" and picked up my fork to eat.
I didn't want to be rude, but all I saw on the table was a fist load
of carbs, fat, and more carbs. I watched everyone dig in,chewing on my
lips thoughtfully.
"Potato and gravy?" Aretha offered.
I shook my head. "No thanks, I don't—" I stopped talking when Satchel
leaned in to whisper in my ear and my heart flipped a 180 as he did
so.
I eyed him warily as he invaded my personal space, giving me a whiff
of his natural scent.
"I don't remember you turning down food? You used to devour mash like
ice-cream." He had a half smile on his face, as cocked an eyebrow up
ininterest.
He was right, I'd been a food lover. There wasn't one thing I didn't
like eating. Except peas, I despised peas. But growing up in New
York?And a school reputation? Well, there was only so much you could
eat to stay thin, and good looking. Carbs was on theno-no list.
I noticed he had a faint smell of aftershave on too, I was fighting
off theurge to inhale it, when he went back to digging in. He took the
bowl fromhis mother and scooped three or four loads on hisplate.
"You're really gonna eat all that?" I asked, surprised hitting my
voice. He scoffed like I'd said something stupid.
He raised an eyebrow as he reached for another bowl, and
shrugged."Unless, you want some?"He asked, shoving the meat bowl
toward me.
I shook my head and wrinkled my nose. I wasn't a big fan of red meat,
though I'd eat it if Ihad to.
He shrugged and grabbed the bowl of meat, slapping piles of it on his
plate. He didn't stop until his plate had it's own summit.
I watched in awe as Satchel made use with a knife and fork, making a
clean tidy work with the food, as if savoring it. I marveled at his
table manners, and his polite conversation starters.
His attention divided, always complimenting something or someone. He
wiped his mouth with a napkin and froze. I'd just been caught staring.
He scowled, throwing his napkin back on the table."You know you gotta
cut that out." He said a little annoyed. I cleared my throat.
"Cut what out?"
He glared. "The staring, you know it's rude to stare."
I bit my lips, slightly embarrassed at my rudimentary manners."Sorry,
just...whatever."
I went back to my almost empty plate because I was sure he was going
tomake me say things I didn't want my grandmother overhearing how foul
mymouth could get, and decided to ignore him altogether.
I'd managed to find someveggies, and a spoon full of meat. So, I
picked at it trying to avoid his eyes.
I looked up when someone addressed me with a question. It was a little
girl about seven years old sitting on the other side of him. She had
reddish brown hair, and light green eyes. She smiled trying to see
past Satchel.
"Are you Satchel's girlfriend?" The way she said "girlfriend"
soundedlike she was singing it.
I almost choked on my veggies. I'm sure I hadn't blushed this much in
less than twenty four hours.
"Shut up Derryn!" Satchelmuttered, his eyes giving her a 'warning'
look. I shook my head.
"Ah...no, just a..." I was struggling for a word. She giggled.
"That's not what Satchel said. He-" By this time, Satchel had covered
her mouth and whispered in her ear. She had a whining look on her
face, and went back to eating.
"Who's she?" I asked finally.
"Derryn, my little sister," said Satchel, as he chewed on a mouthful.
I struggled to recall if Satchel had a sister. He didn't as far as I
remembered. As if reading my mind, he answered.
"You were gone by the time she found out she was pregnant," he added.
I nodded absent mindedly. I wanted to ask him how his mother ended up
in a wheel chair, but I couldn't find the words. He'd already finished
his meal and wiped a napkin over his mouth.
He muttered a quick 'excuse me' and left the table.
I looked around the tableand all the adults were deep in conversation.
So I decided to follow him.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Passages about Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Torah

Jewish sources say the Mahdi (pbuh) will appear from Istanbul. Judaic
sources dating back 3000 years. "Just as Moses, after revealing
himself to his brethren in Egypt and announcingthem to that
deliverancewas near" after making his presence felt and saying that
the reign of Islam was nigh, "was forced to go into hiding for a
time,…" The Mahdi (pbuh) will remain hidden. His time of seclusion is
being described. "so also will Messiah be forced to hide himself after
the first revelations." He will remain hidden. Our Prophet (pbuh) also
says,"The Mahdi (pbuh) will remain hidden." It is the same, do you
see? (Numbers Rabbah, Chap. II; Song of Songs Rabbah, (2:9); Pesikta
Rabbathi, Chap. 36)
Song of Songs 2/9. "Just as Moses was raised in the House of Pharaoh
in Egypt," It will happen in Istanbul. Where there are Darwinists and
materialists. It says it willbe in Istanbul. "Both hadto appear and
then hide." He will closely resemble the Prophet Moses (pbuh). In the
hadiths, our Prophet (pbuh) says he will resemble the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) in that respect. "He will remain concealed like the Prophet
Moses (pbuh)," he says in a hadith. Look,a book dating back 3000years
says the Prophet Moses (pbuh) will be concealed, insha'Allah. "To be
sure, the "light of the Messiah" which is to shine wondrously into the
world, is not always seen as breaking in withcomplete suddenness;"
Itsays he will not appear all at once, the Mahdi (pbuh). "it may
become visible by gradations and stages..." He will appear gradually,
it says. "It is told of Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Simeon that they walked
in the valleyof Arbela early in the morning and saw the dawn breaking
on the horizon. Thereupon Rabbi Hiyya said: So too is Israel's
redemption [through King Messiah]; at first it will be only very
slightly visible, thenit will shine forth more brightly and only
afterwards will it break forth in all of its glory." What does
Bediüzzaman say? "Even if there is a false dawn, the true dawn will
appear in 30-40 years' time." The Sun will appear, he says. What does
it say here? There will be a false dawn first. The first rays of the
Sun will be seen, then will com the true dawn, the Sun. The Torah says
what Bediüzzaman said 3000 years later. The same. "Just as Moses was
raisedin the House of Pharaoh in Egypt, so the Messiah will be in
Rome. Both had to appear and then hide.
In the same way that Moses (pbuh) was raised in the house of
Pharaoh,among the enemies of his own people, the Messiah (pbuh) will
grow up in the city of Rome, in Istanbul." In other words, somewhere
in which people live by Darwinism and materialism. He will strive
against Darwinismand materialist belief.
Istanbul is the place of saintly figures, but also one of antichrists.
The Torah notes this fact. Look, a blessed individual such as the
Mahdi (pbuh) is there, but there are also people like satan there, the
supporters of the antichrist. "Ben Levi meets the Prophet Elias and
asks, 'Where can I find Moshe, the Mahdi (pbuh)?' Elias replies, 'goto
the gate of Rome, of Istanbul'." Masha'Allah, Topkapı. Istanbul has a
number of gates. "You will find him there." You will find him in
Istanbul, he says. How many yearsago? Three thousand years.

Creation in the Quran

Religion has taught the truth of creation, which all people can grasp
through reason and personal observation, since the creation of
firsthuman being. All divine religions have taught that God created
the universe by commanding "Be!" and that its flawless functioning is
proof of His great power of creation. Many verses in the Qur'an also
reveal this truth. For example, God reveals how He miraculously
created theuniverse from nothing: " The Originator of the heavens and
Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it
is " (Surat al-Baqara, 117).
We are also told in the Qur'an:
He created the heavens and Earth with truth. Theday He says "Be!" it
is. Hisspeech is Truth. The Kingdom will be His on the Day the Trumpet
is blown, the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible. He is the
All-Wise,the All-Aware. (Surat al-An'am, 73)
We all know that presentday science demonstrates the invalidity of the
materialist-evolutionist claim and confirms the fact of creation.
Contraryto the claims of the theory of evolution, all the proofs of
creation that surround us show that chance had no role in the
universe's coming into existence. Every detail that emerges as we
observe the sky, Earth, and all living things is intended as evidence
of God's great power and wisdom.
God Created the Universefrom Nothing
God creates everything, in the form and at the time that He chooses,
without the use of any model and out of nothing. Since He is exalted
above any defectand is rich beyond any need. He has no need of any
cause, vehicle, or stages for His creation. Nobody should be deceived
by the fact thateverything is linked to given causes and naturallaws.
God is beyond all these causes and laws, since He created them.
God, the Lord of the Earth and the Heavens, can also do away with
these causes if He so wills. For instance, He can create people who do
not need oxygen to survive, and therefore do not need any lungs. Given
this, why would He "need" to perfect the lung by making it evolveover
time or through any other mechanism? It is therefore completely wrong
for people to think of God's greatness and might as being limited to
their own feelings and reason. We can have knowledge only to the
extent that He permits.
God can use particular stages in His creation if He so wills. For
example, He produces a plant from a seed or a human being from the
coming together of a sperm and an egg cell. Yet these stages have
nothing to do with evolution and have no room for chanceor
coincidence. Every stage in the emergence of a plant, or the turningof
a single cell into a human being "in the best of forms," happens
thanks to the perfect systems created by God'sinfinite might.
God willed and created the Earth and the Heavens, all that lies
between, and all living and non-living things. This is very easy for
Him, as indicated in the Qur'an:
He created the heavens and Earth with truth. Theday He says "Be!" it
is. Hisspeech is Truth... (Surat al-An'am, 73)
Our Word to a thing when We will it is just to say to it "Be!" and it
is. (Surat an-Nahl, 40)
He gives life and causes to die. When He decides on something, He just
says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Surah Ghafir, 68)
Creation is very easy for God. As revealed in theseverses, God says to
a thing "Be!," thereby willing it to be so. God reveals in many verses
that He created the universe and living things in perfect form. It is
a grave mistake for believers to adhere to forced explanations in the
face of this evident truth and to make such specious claims that God
employed evolution to create and used mutation, natural selection, and
transitional stages between apes and humans. It is quite wrong to put
forward such accounts, for whichthere is no evidence in either the
Qur'an or science, in the hope of being accepted by evolutionists.
God makes all the laws in the universe and givesthem the form He
chooses, brings about what He wills and when He wills it, permeates
everything in the Earth and the Heavens, and rules everything with
Hispower. Yet some people do not fully comprehendHis might and thus
judgeHim based upon their own limited powers.
God reveals their existence in the Qur'an:
They do not measure God with His true measure when they say:"God would
not send down anything to a mere human being."... (Surat al-An'am, 91)
They do not measure God with His true measure. God is All-Strong,
Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj, 74)
They do not measure God with His true measure. The whole Earth will be
a mere handful for Him on the Day of Resurrection the heavens folded
up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! He is exalted above the
partners they ascribe! (Surataz-Zumar, 67)
Contrary to what those who believe in evolutionary creation suggest,
God did not firstcreate apes and then cause them to evolve into humans
through flawed transitional forms with missing organs. Rather, as the
Qur'an reveals, God created man in the most perfect manner:
We created man in the finest mold. (Surat at-Tin, 4)
He created the heavens and Earth with truth andformed you, giving you
the best of forms. And Heis your final destination. (Surat
at-Taghabun, 3)
These verses are some ofthe proofs that God created man in perfect
form, in other words, the form that he has now.
Of course, man also has several incapacities and weaknesses, all of
whichremind him of his poverty before our Lord. Deformities and
disabilities are the results of a purposeful creation, for they serve
as reminders for those who see them and as a test for those who carry
them. They are not imperfections caused by evolutionary process as
falsely claimed by the evolutionists.
In the Qur'an, God describes how easy creation is for Him:
Does He Who created theheavens and Earth not have the power to create
the same again? Yes indeed! He is the Creator, the All-Knowing.(Surah
Ya Sin, 81)
Your creation and resurrection is only like that of a single self. God
is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.(Surah Luqman, 28)

God's different forms of creation

Another important pointignored by the believers who are deceived by
theerror of evolutionary creation is God's different forms of
creation. God has produced living things that differ significantly
from humans and animals, such as angels and the jinn. Now let's
discuss this.
Two-, Three-, and Four-Winged Angels
Angels are mentioned both in Qur'an and Bible.Angels are beings that
always obey God's commands. God describes their creation in the Qur'an
as follows:
Praise be to God, the Bringer into Being of theheavens and Earth, He
Who made the angels messengers, with wings – two, three, or four. He
adds to creation in any way He wills. God has power over all things.
(Surah Fatir, 1)
As we can see from this description, the forms ofangels differ
considerably from those of human beings. God draws attention to the
different forms of creation in this verse.
God also informs how angels are at His command and obey Him:
Everything in the heavens and every creature on Earth prostrates to
God, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear
their Lord above them and do everything that they are ordered to do.
(Surat an-Nahl, 49-50)
The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of God, nor would the
angels near toHim. If any do disdain to worship Him and grow arrogant,
He will in any case gather them all to Him. (Surat an-Nisa', 172)
You who believe! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire
whose fuel is peopleand stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge
of it, who do not disobey God in respect of any order He gives them
and carry out whatthey are ordered to do. (Surat at-Tahrim, 6)
In addition, angels were created before man. In fact, God told the
angels when He was going to create the Prophet Adam(pbuh), the first
human being, and commanded them to prostrate beforehim.
At the same time, God gave the Prophet Adam (pbuh) knowledge that was
different from that of the angels, and taught him the names ofthings.
Angels do not possess that knowledge. As it is revealed in the Qur'an:
When your Lord said to the angels, "I am puttinga vicegerent on
Earth," they said, "Why put on itone who will cause corruption on it
and shed blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your
purity?" He said, "I knowwhat you do not know." He taught Adam the
names of all things. ThenHe arrayed them before the angels and said,
"Tellme the names of these, ifyou are telling the truth." They said,
"Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." He said,"Adam, tell them their
names." When he had told them their names, He said, "Did I not tell
you that I know the Unseen of the heavens and Earth, and I know what
you make known and what you hide?" Wesaid to the angels,"Prostrate to
Adam!" andthey prostrated, with theexception of Iblis (satan). He
refused and was arrogant and was one of the disbelievers. (Surat
al-Baqara, 30-34)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤