Heart Lamp: Selected Stories

Shaziya is a spiritually lukewarm woman. She has high blood pressure, for which she is medicated. One morning, she wakes up to the sound of crying and finds her son Farman consoling Altaf, the son of their neighbor Yaseen Bua. Altaf informs Shaziya that Bua has died, and he has come to ask for a funeral shroud for her. 

In an extended flashback, Shaziya and her husband Subhan are in the midst of preparing for Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Bua comes uninvited to a feast Shaziya and Subhan organize to settle old grievances with friends and family. Bua’s reputation was ruined after the death of her husband because she chose to work instead of observing the traditional grieving period expected of widows. She dedicated herself to the welfare of her children and retired when she found work physically challenging. Instead of preparing for her death, Bua funneled all of her savings to prepare for Altaf’s eventual wedding. Bua admires Shaziya and sees her as a fortunate woman.

Shaziya entertains many of her guests’ requests to pray for them in Mecca. Bua only comes to see her at the end of the feast, when Shaziya is exhausted. Since Shaziya saw Bua helping with the housework, Shaziya offers her a gift of money.