I entered Malika Mariam's chamber with Zohra. I was surprised to see that it bore a striking resemblance to my own room. I had been given the best there was. There were squeals all around.

"Is she Saeed?", asked a young lady.

"Yes, she is", replied Malika Mariam. "Saeed, meet Malika Firdous. And this is Malika Humera". They gave me loving hugs.

"Shehenshah always chose the best for himself, even as a child. Its really of no surprise that he has selected you to be his wife. I can clearly see why", said Malika Humera. It was an indirect compliment, maybe because of the simple navy blue suit with white stones I had worn from the wardrobe.

"This is Aiza". I didn't need the introduction but I couldn't tell Malika Mariam I had already seen Aiza from behind the cupboard so I courteously shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Aiza"

"It's nice to meet you to. An honour to see the girl who won Shehenshah's heart". Her tone was sad and her smile did not reach her eyes. Unfortunately I could say nothing to pacify her broken heart except pray to Allah to grant her a better husband soon.

A small figure of a boy flung himself at me. "Saeed!" Shehzada Firoz held me tightly as I laughed and hugged him back.

"You are marrying Akhi! You will be my family. We can have lots of secrets together". His enthusiasm is infectious. He didn't let go off me and I had to untangle him. He immediately pulled another boy beside him. "This is Rehan, my only friend".

"Hello Rehan", I caressed the boy's cheek as he smiled shyly. He pulled a woman beside him. "Meet my new Maa, and this is my old Maa", he said indicating to the two women as all the female folk burst out laughing at his innocence.

"I am Madiha, wife of Mahmood Hassan"

"And I am Ayesha, personal kaneez of Malika Mariam"

The so called old and new mothers introduced themselves to me. A young maid did aadab as Malika Mariam introduced her. "This is Tasleem. You might as well get to know her for she is vying to serve you".

"At your service 24 hours. Just call me and I will do anything for you".

I felt extremely happy being showered with all the love. I looked at the people around me, they were my new family! It was difficult to believe. Maa's image rose before my eyes and immediately my throat constricted and my breathing became short. I tried to calm myself. Shehzada Firoz was still standing next to me holding my hand tightly. It was evident he loved me and was pleased with the attention I was getting.

Malika Mariam ushered us to the door. "The hearing will start anytime now".

For the first time in my life I sat with the royal ladies behind a curtain for the court session. To our right was the throne and to our left the courtiers. I looked at Shehenshah on the throne and couldn't turn away. What had I done to deserve such a striking husband? SubhanAllah! He had given up the extravagant silk garments and wore simple yet elegant tunics. He looked regal, composed and sophisticated. Everything a Shehenshah should portray and more. His youth is what left people dumbfounded. To see such a young man occupy the throne with such authority and maturity is what had won him so many admirers.

Mir Jafar and Mir Tabrez were presented and the court fell silent.

"State the crimes against the accused", said Shehenshah.

"Mir Jafar, son of Mir Khader is accused of fooling and hoodwinking Shehenshah Sharf-ud-din Muhammad Hyder and then poisoning his food which led to his death. He is accused of collecting unnecessary taxes and oppressing people. He is accused of the abduction and attempted murder of a few months old boy called Rehan Hassan. He is accused of amending and tweaking the laws of the kingdom for his own benefit. He is accused of the attempted murder of Shehenshah Sher Shah. He is accused of betrayal and disloyalty to his Shehenshah and Mumlikat-ush-Shahi. He is accused of sharing confidential military information with enemies and joining hands with them to bring harm to his own kingdom. And lastly he is accused of domestic abuse".

This should be longest list of accusations against a single person the court has ever heard. Mir Jafar knew his game was up.

"Present the witnesses".

I looked up in surprise as Hakeem Javed Ansari came up with a palm sized wooden box with a peacock engraved in top.

"I, Hakeem Javed Ansari, testify that Mir Jafar used to mix Sankhiya in the food of Shehenshah Sharf-ud-din Hyder. The Sankhiya in question was acquired from me and was stored in this box".

"The court has heard and recorded, present the next witness"

"I, Yusuf Basharath, one of the tax collectors testify that I was forced to collect double the amount of taxes that used to be shared between the chief tax collectors and Mir Jafar. All the proofs are here". He handed over a sheaf of parchments to the court scribe.

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

"I, Mahmood Hassan testify that my son Rehan Hassan was forcefully taken away from me by Mir Jafar"

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

"I, Atika Qureshi, second wife of Mir Jafar testify that he had brought Rehan to my home with the intention of killing him. The little boy was exchanged with an already dead child and hence Rehan was saved"

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

"I, Salman Siddiq, the court advisor testify that Mir Jafar has changed and tweaked no less than 94 rules during his term as Wazir-e-aala. All the details of which law was played with and when are mentioned here". He handed another sheaf of parchments to the court scribe.

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

"I, Tasleem Khanum, testify that I had mixed Sankhiya in the food of Shehenshah Sher Shah under the orders of Mir Jafar with the intention of killing him"

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

"I, Yahya Zaki, minister from Waraqi Sultanath testify that Mir Jafar had written a letter to Shehenshah Fuzail divulging military information and asked him to attack Mumlikat-ush-Shahi. In return he had asked for 50% of the kingdom. All the letters and proofs are here"

"The court has heard and recorded. Present the next witness"

When Meher came up Mir Jafar's face turned purple and his eyes bulged out. He couldn't believe that she had summed up so much courage. Meher stood calmly.

"I, Meher Ansari, the third wife of Mir Jafar testify that he forcibly married me through threats and abused me day and night".

Shehenshah's face contorted with rage. He could hear a thousand accusations but oppression against women was something he couldn't tolerate.

"The witnesses come to an end. How does the accused plead?"

Mir Jafar stepped up. "The witnesses against the murder of Shehenshah Sharf-ud-din Muhammad Hyder are insufficient. Hence I cannot be held for that. For the rest of the charges I plead guiltily".

Unfortunately, it was the truth. None except Hakeem Javed was a witness to the murder of Shehenshah Sharf-ud-din and that was one of the biggest charges against Mir Jafar. He was already being let off for the murder of Abbuji and other vaffas. The truth about their deaths had died with Khan Baba. Now there was no one who could tell us what exactly happened that day in the forest. Hence, he just couldn't be let off for the death of Shehenshah as well. My heart burned as the court went into discussion. If nothing was done soon, Mir Jafar would not be punished for half the crimes he had committed. I got up in anxiety. Everyone turned to look at me.

"I need to go. I'll be back soon", I whispered to Malika Mariam and she nodded. I pulled Shehzada Firoz with me.

"Saeed, where are we going?"

"You have to help me get to Mir Jafar's office"

"That's easy". I ran behind him as he pulled me ahead holding my hand. The guards let us through. I looked around the already familiar room I had explored in the depth of the night. It had been cleared. There was nothing on the shelves or the cupboard. I sat down on the chair and held my head in my hands. What was I thinking? If there really was something that could be used as evidence why would Mir Jafar leave it behind? And even if he had chanced to leave it wouldn't the guards have found it while going through his stuff?

"Saeed, what happened?" Shehzada Firoz lifted my head. "We need proof, something against Vahash so that he is rightly held accountable for all his crimes". Shehzada looked at me helplessly. I went and lifted the trapdoor that led to the forest we had explored a week ago and through which Mir Jafar and his sons had escaped. I desperately looked around for something. Anything!

"Saeed, are you looking for secrets like those?" asked Shehzada hopefully, pointing to the trapdoor. I nodded hoping he could tell me something. After all he had a habit of collecting secrets. He happily skipped to the mirror that adorned the wall. He pressed the leaf of a delicately carved flower that bordered the mirror and it flung open.

"SubhanAllah!" I ran to the open compartment. It was filled with jewels and gold that Mir Jafar had left behind. My excitement came down as fast as it had gone up. Shehzada looked at my stricken face and even his face fell. "Don't worry Saeed. I know one more secret". He went to the far end of the room and pulled a loose brick to reveal another secret compartment. I stood stock still, on one side I was afraid to check out the compartment should my hopes be thrashed again and on the other side I was surprised to see Shehzada open all these hidden things so easily.

"Shehzada, how do you know all this?"

"I have hidden behind that curtain many times". He pointed at a huge red curtain by the window. I easily understood how. A boy of Shehzada's built could crawl behind the vases to reach it from the door. "It was the safest place as no one dared to enter vahash's chamber to search for me. I used to observe vahash all the time I was hidden and learnt all these secrets", he said with pride. "I love secrets!" He punched the air with his fist and I smiled despite the tension I was in. I adored him. I slowly went towards the compartment, this time with no excitement. I put my hand inside and felt around. My hand came across a hard slab covered in cloth. I pulled it out. It was a diary covered in silk. I opened it as Shehzada peered from beside me.

It was a journal Mir Jafar had maintained! It had entries with dates! The entry in front of me read:

.....and the foolish Shehenshah continues to think I am his only loyal courtier. He easily believed my story of Abu Fazal and Maqsood Ahmed planning against him.....

My heart thudded at my discovery and tears stung my eyes seeing my father's name mentioned. So this entry had to be before the vaffas were killed. I turned a few more pages

.....just two more doses and Shehenshah will be on his way to meet his lord. I am very close to my dream...

I had found it! "Alhamdulillah!" I screamed and hugged Shehzada Firoz. He looked even more happy than I was. I kissed him soundly on the cheek and gave him the diary.

"Take it to your Akhi on the throne and make him proud. Run!"

He ran as I walked in the opposite direction to the ladies entrance behind the curtain. I took my place next to Malika Mariam. "Where have you been? The court has declared a punishment of 80 lashes and 20 years imprisonment to Mir Tabrez for betrayal and assisting his father in his schemes. They are about to announce their decision about Mir Jafar". Shehenshah looked ready to speak. The court was tensed as they waited to hear the final decision. Mir Jafar was giving a malicious smile knowing no matter what punishment he got it wouldn't be a death sentence as the murder against Shehenshah was not proven. Malika Mariam looked behind me. "Where is Firoz?", she asked panicked. I pointed to the other side of the curtain where Shehzada Firoz was walking in proudly from the main entrance.

"Allahu Akbar! What is he doing there?". Malika Firdous clutched her chest. "Saeed, why did you let him leave you?" asked Malika Mariam. "Just watch", I said.

The whole court turned to watch as he walked right up to the throne. Shehenshah looked perplexed. "What do you want Shehzada Firoz Shah?", asked Shehenshah formally.

"I have come to present the latest evidence". He walked to his brother with the grace of a Shehzada and placed the diary in his hand. Mir Jafar's face paled. Shehenshah opened the book and went over the entries. His face glowed as he resisted the urge to smile.

"Thank you Shehzada Firoz. Mir Jafar, do you recognize this journal?"

He didn't reply, his ashen face spoke of his misery.

"I would like to bring to the notice of the court that this is the journal Mir Jafar has maintained. The entries speak of his misdeeds. Here is an entry which reads ....today I got rid off four staunch pillars that surrounded Shehenshah. With them gone, his power has reduced considerably.... This proves it was Mir Jafar who was responsible for the death of four vaffas. It has added to his crime list. Another entry nearly at the end reads ....just two more doses and Shehenshah will be on his way to meet his lord. I am very close to my dream... This entry coupled with Hakeem Javed's witnessing proves beyond doubt that Mir Jafar was involved in Shehenshah's death. This changes the initial decision the court had come up with".

Shehenshah stood straight and Shehzada Firoz moved to the side. "In light of the new evidence and according to Shariah Mir Jafar is held accountable for the deaths of five people. Hence he is sentenced to death".

The silence in the court was deafening. A death sentence even when issued justly inspired distress.

"Any last wish?"

"Yes. I would like to know who is Saeed?"

Shehenshah looked thoughtful before he answered, "She is the daughter of Abu Fazal"

Mir Jafar spluttered. "It was a female all along?"

"Yes Mir Jafar, it was a female all along"

The court adjourned as Mir Jafar was taken away to carry out his death sentence and Mir Tabrez was imprisoned.

"Alhamdulillah, justice is back in our kingdom", said Hammad Khan hugging Mahmood Hassan. Shehzada Firoz ran to his brother who lifted him up. He whispered something in Shehenshah's ear and he smiled and looked towards where I was seated. Malika Mariam stood up and I stood up with her.

"Dinner will be served soon Saeed. You had better take a good nights rest before the wedding ceremony tomorrow"

"Is Shehenshah coming?"

"No. He said if he meets you he will not want the meeting to end so it had better wait till after the ceremony tomorrow so he can spend as much time as he wants with you"

"Oh, I see", I try not to let the disappointment show. "Please inform him I will be spending the night at Dayima's home. After tomorrow I do not know if my responsibilities will allow me to spend time with them".

"I will let him know. Servants will drop you to her home in a palanquin"

"No please. I would like to walk. Palanquins will inevitably become a part of my life from tomorrow".

She nods understandingly.

29 December 2016

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A/N

Hadd crimes in Islam

The major crimes are termed as Hadd in Islam. Its plural is Hudood. These crimes cannot be forgiven by a king or the government as the evil of these crimes harms the society at large and not just one person.

These crimes include fornication, drinking alcohol, theft etc. And the punishments for these crimes is very severe like stoning to death, lashing, amputation etc

The punishments might appear difficult but convicting someone for these crimes is even more difficult. The accusor should bring no less than 4 eye witnesses who are sane, adult, known to be truthful and have seen the accused commit the crime, which is not possible in most of the cases. In case the accusor fails to bring 4 witnesses then he will be lashed for having put a false blame on an innocent being. Hence the implementation of Hadd punishments is very rare. These punishments were not prescribed to oppress people but to inspire fear in their hearts that should they slip, the consequences could be dire.

Even during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Caliphs, it is only a few countable times that the Hadd punishments have been implemented and in the present era they are completely non existent.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) being a mercy to the worlds advised to refrain from convicting people for the hudood.

There is a very famous narration in which it is said about a sahabi (companion of  the prophet), who confessed to have fornicated and implored for punishment. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ignored him hoping he would go away. But he confessed for a second time. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ignored him again hoping he would return and will not have to be punished. But the sahabi confessed for a third time. It was only after he had incessantly confessed in a gathering did the Prophet order for a Hadd. The sahaba knew that once they were punished for a crime according to Shariah in this world they wouldn't be accounted for it in the hereafter. They preferred to bear the pain here over the trails there. That is why he incessantly asked to be punished.

Jannah (paradise) is pure place and only pure people will be granted entry. Either you purify yourself through taubah (seeking forgiveness) and patience in this world or through punishments for your deeds in the hereafter. Either way you will only be allowed into Jannah after you have paid your dues.

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For the benefit of my long term readers I would like to remind that I have mentioned about Mir Jafar maintaining a journal and hiding it behind a loose brick previously in the chapter 'the dark forces'. People who read the story recently in one go will remember it better. I have also mentioned about the poison stored in a peacock engraved box in the chapter 'greed'.

Lots of love
Dr Mystic