Muftiah Causes Great Turmoil... When She Is Commanded... By Almighty Allah... To Bring Out Into The Open... That Which Was Secret... Between Farlan... And Her Dear Itoko/SUBUD Sister... Isnaini...!

It had been extremely difficult for Muftiah... to obey Allah's Command... as she awoke... early one morning... soon after... their joint Receiving... about her dying of stroke... to let Isnaini know... that she was to become Farlan's next wife...!

First of all... because she happened to be already married... at the time... although unhappily... to a medically diagnosed... mentally unbalanced American...!

As a matter of fact... her husband was the very SUBUD Brother... from whom Muftiah... years ago... had rented studio space... to teach her pupils singing in...!

And during their conversations... with each other... while she waited... for her next pupil to arrive... he would confide to her... how he would never marry... an American girl... finding them far too independent... for his liking...

But that it was his deliberate intention... to find himself a meek... mild-mannered... virginal... Japanese girl... who had been well trained... to become a subservient wife... to her husband... be obedient... and at his beck and call... a slave... to his every wish... and command...!

And Muftiah had found herself... warning him... prophetically... as it turned out... saying to him... that he might just meet a Japanese virginal girl... who might appear humbly subservient... on the exterior... but who actually... might have a strong... independent spirit... in her interior...! ... and a stubborn streak... as well... which turned out to be true...!

Muftiah already knew... how unhappy Isnaini was... in her marriage... that her husband... had tricked her into...!

When he appeared on her doorstep... one day... in Japan... after seeing her recently... in Cilandak... Indonesia... during Ramadan... he showed her a snapshot of herself... telling her... that after he had shown it to Bapak... he had told him... to go to her... to claim her as his true wife...!

Being totally inexperienced with men... and still a virgin... at the age of thirty-four... nevertheless... when she saw him... standing on her doorstep... all spruced up... in his Sunday best... her instant reaction... had been to slam the door... in his face... and run away... as fast as she could...!

But then her mother had appeared... from behind her... and graciously welcomed the well dressed... rich looking American man... into her home... for tea...!

Isnaini... named Izumi... by her father... at birth... commemorating some Japanese victory... was Spiritually "Opened..." and "Awakened..." ... into SUBUD... when she was only seventeen... through her favorite uncle... so that being in SUBUD... for already seventeen years... at the time... she was very much Inwardly aware...

She also knew... from early childhood... that an American man... would come into her life... "sweeping her off her feet... and carrying her off on his horse... like a brave Samurai..." ... and she knew... that this odd-looking American... was not that dashing hero...!

Sitting in their living room... drinking cha... and little tea cakes... he told them some truths... and lies... to bolster himself up...!

That he was the son... of a famous artist... (true) ... and that he was a Hollywood movie producer (lie) ... living in a big mansion... with his mother... (true)...

After he left... and Isnaini let her mother know... how Inwardly repulsed... she had felt... by his very presence... her mother had scolded her...

Reminding her... that she was already thirty-four... and still unmarried... and that she should take advantage... of this obviously very rich... American man's honorable offer of marriage... which could be her very last chance...!

Finally worn down... by both her mother... and the persistent... well-mannered... courteous American... she gave in... and married him... but secretly feeling... great reluctance...

And she confided to Muftiah... how... after having arrived... at his mansion... in San Francisco... and meeting his cold... most unwelcoming mother... able to speak very little English... at the time... if she had known... how to call a taxi... she would have... and run away from him... back to Japan...!

Both he and his mother... treated her abominably... like a lowly servant... and she quickly found out... that he had lied... about being a Hollywood movie producer...!

And that he was living... off his father's trust fund... and a government grant... for years... because he had been diagnosed... as mentally unbalanced... ever since he was a young boy... undergoing electrical shock treatments... after his famous artist father... committed suicide...!

And in no time... Isnaini was pregnant... But being already very Spiritually aware... she experienced no maternal feelings... towards the baby... growing inside her... knowing... that she would never be a mother to it...!

And the baby boy... duly emerged... out of her body... stillborn...! ... just like she knew it would...!

And her husband... had been greatly angered... accusing her of having put a Japanese curse... on his son... and his mother... who suddenly... also died... soon after...!

By the time... Isnaini and Muftiah... were reunited... in this lifetime... about four years... into Isnaini's marriage... she had learned to speak English...

And her husband.. to his dismay... found that he had married... a very intelligent... strong-willed... stubborn woman... after all... just like Muftiah had prophetically warned him about... those many years ago...!

Secondly... having grown up in Japan... herself... Muftiah knew all about the very strict... Japanese code of honor... where a divorced woman... will always carry the stigma... of shame and failure... as a wife... often forced... to blacken her teeth... so that no man... would find her attractive...!

And thirdly... because Isnaini's parents... had gone through an ugly divorce... which had made her hate her father so much... that upon his death bed... when he begged... her forgiveness... she had refused... her heart turned to stone... and swore to him... that should she ever get married... she would never.. ever... get divorced...!

Knowing all these intimate things... about her beloved little itoko/SUBUD Sister... Isnaini... when Muftiah was Commanded... one morning... soon after Isnaini's Euphoric Flights to Heaven... to let her know... that she was the perfect wife for Farlan... and he the perfect husband for her... she was most reluctant...!

And she found herself... begging Almighty Allah... to be spared his Demand... of her... knowing full well... that the Revelation... of bringing out... into the open... Farlan and Isnaini's secret love... for each other... of which she was aware... and thoroughly approved of... would cause a great deal of turmoil... and all kinds of upheavals...!

But Allah Was Adamant...! And as she stared at the phone... delaying calling up Isnaini... the longer she waited... the more she experienced... that all too familiar... most unpleasant feeling... of Being Empty... Off-Balance... and Foolish...!

The usual Reaction... she Was Made to Experience... whenever she kept delaying... God's Command of her...!

So... resigned to the unpleasant repercussions... to come... taking a deep breath... and asking for Guidance... on how to pass on... the Divine Message... to her beloved little itoko... with a heavy heart... Muftiah picked up the phone... and called her up... at the Bank of Japan...

But before she could say anything... Isnaini started to softly sing "Sayonara" ... to her... telling her that... as soon as she woke up... that morning... the tender song of Good-bye... was on her lips... and that she was now willing... to let Muftiah go...!

And there was so much love... in her soft voice... that she made it very easy for Muftiah... to gently tell her... of her Receiving... about Farlan being the perfect husband for her... and she the perfect wife for him... and how Almighty Allah... Had Commanded her... that morning... to Let Isnaini Know...

And when she finished... there was a deathly silence... over the phone... And then Isnaini said... in that charming... quaint accent of hers... her voice full of awe... and melting wonder...:

"Oh Muftiah... there are no secrets... in SUBUD...!"

And then pulling herself together... and coming back down to earth... she sharply chided Muftiah... telling her that it was incorrect... for them to be talking of such things... for she was a married woman... after all...!

Muftiah wanted to say more to her... explain more... but she Experienced... the all too familiar... Closing of her Throat... which always Meant... that first her Heavenly Father... Almighty God... and then Almighty Allah... Was Telling her... to keep her mouth shut...! Forbidding her to enlighten a beloved soul... any further...!

And a wonderful door... that had been happily wide open... between them... started to inexorably close... ominously...!

And Muftiah knew... that the four of them... would never again... go out to eat... together... at fine restaurants... and that there would be no more staying overnight... at their house... ever again... or Isnaini... staying with them... in their apartment... for the weekend... while her husband... Saufan... went off somewhere... for some business meeting...

And when Farlan... came home that night... with both of them having been Told... at the outset... of their marriage... that there were never to be any secrets... between them...

And she Was Made to tell him... about what she had been Forced to do... by Almighty Allah... that morning... he had flown into a towering rage... ranting and raving at her... that she should have kept her Receiving... to herself...!

And all her telling him... about her feeling unpleasantly Off Balance... and Empty... and Foolish... the longer she delayed... calling Isnaini... fell on deaf... unsympathetic ears...!

And then... quietening down a bit... Farlan revealed... to his now in name only wife... what he already knew... to be a private secret... between himself and Isnaini... as his future wife... having already Received the Perfect Guidance of...:

"Lovers... Honeymoon... Hawaii...!"

Upon hearing... of Farlan's wonderful Receiving... about himself and Isnaini... Muftiah marvelled... enviously... at how perfect it was...!

For she knew... that both Farlan and Isnaini... were born under the sign of Libra... the most compatible... of astrological signs... with her birthday... being just a few days... before his...!

And he also told her... about a recent dream he had... where an elderly Japanese gentleman... came towards him... carrying a slightly imperfect... uncompleted Isnaini... in his arms... and offering her to him... to take care of...!

And how he knew... that all he had to do... was put her... in his pocket... where she would be safe... and straighten out...!

And Muftiah explained to him... that the gentleman... in his dream... must have been Isnaini's favorite uncle... who had brought her into SUBUD... when she was only seventeen...!

...read more in Chapter 44

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