Day 19 – The Verse Hidden Beneath the Water
When Zeynep bent her knees and descended into the cistern, a cold shiver ran through her. The water appeared still from above, but as she stepped into it, it felt as if every droplet wanted to get to know her. Yusuf stood at the edge, worried. “Zeynep, be careful!” he called out, but his voice did nothing more than echo back.
As Zeynep waded into the water up to her knees, a prayer slipped from her lips:
“Bismillāh alladhī lā yaḍurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fi al-arḍ wa lā fi as-samā’, wa huwa as-Samī‘ al-‘Alīm.”
She leaned toward the water and dipped her hand into it. Suddenly, a passage slowly appeared within the water. A part of the marble floor became transparent, revealing a hidden tunnel. Light glowed from within, and words reflected onto the surface of the water. Arabic letters danced upwards as if toward the heavens:
> “And We made from water every living thing…”
(Surah Al-Anbiya, 30)
Zeynep’s eyes filled with tears. It wasn’t just a verse from the Qur’an; it was one her mother had recited most often. Every morning after prayer and before drinking water, Melike Hanım would whisper this verse. “Remember,” she’d say, “water doesn’t just revive your body, my child—it revives your soul too.”
Zeynep took another step toward the invisible passage. The water had now risen to her chest, but she wasn’t drowning. It felt as though the water wasn’t consuming her—it was carrying her. For a moment, she closed her eyes, and despite the darkness, she felt a light within.
Then... she heard a voice. Velvety, deep, yet familiar:
“Zeynep... don’t be afraid. What you seek is not only me. You’re about to meet yourself.”
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a completely different place. It felt like the water had swallowed her and transported her to another realm. The space resembled an old madrasa. Stone walls, bookshelves, a prayer rug hung on the wall. Everything felt both familiar and strange. There was a table. A lamp burned on it. And next to it lay her mother’s ring—
the one Zeynep had broken while playing as a child, and her mother had quietly repaired and kept.
Beside the ring was a compass. But the needle wasn’t pointing east—it trembled toward the qibla.
When Zeynep touched the ring, one of the walls in the room shifted open on its own. A luminous passage appeared. Prayers rose from within; echoes of dhikr filled the air. But mixed in with them was another sound… a scream.
Was it her mother’s scream?
Or someone else’s?
Zeynep’s heart raced as she stepped toward the passage...
But just then, Yusuf’s voice echoed through the water:
“Zeynep! Come back quickly! Something is coming!”
Should Zeynep turn back?
Or enter the passage?
It was the moment of decision.
To be continued…
FOLLOW – COMMENT – SHARE – LIKE – TIP – SUBSCRIBE