She looked him in the eye. And for the first time, her voice did not tremble.

“Assalamu Alaikum, Ustad ji.”

“Beti, when Jibraeel (Gabriel) first came to our Prophet ﷺ, he did not say ‘Good morning.’ He said ‘Assalamu Alaikum.’ Because peace is not a greeting. It is a state of being. In Urdu, when we say ‘Assalamu Alaikum,’ we are not asking, ‘Are you at peace?’ We are declaring: ‘The peace of Allah is already upon you. Whether you feel it or not. Whether you deserve it or not.’”

He had one ritual: every morning, before the first ray of sun touched his doorway, he would step outside, look at the sleepy street, and whisper, “Assalamu Alaikum.”

He simply said, “Assalamu Alaikum, beti.”

Zara tried to reply. Her lips moved. But nothing came.