Nida had always been close to her grandmother. They would spend time together every evening and whenever her grandmother needed anything, Nida was the one who would happily take care of all her needs and comfort.

On the other hand, her grandmother was the one who had brought up Nida just like a mother, since Nida’s mother had passed away when Nida was still a baby. Her grandma would always pray for her success. Nida was a good and hardworking student. It was her dream to pass the civil service exam and become a CSP officer. After a few years, when Nida had done her graduation, she went to Quetta to take the CSS exam. She prepared well as the test was very tough and tricky.

However, during one of the papers, there were some mischievous boys who kept looking at her, which made her very uncomfortable. She tried to ignore them and focus on the exam, but she became disturbed.

While she was busy answering the questions, suddenly one of the mischievous boys said, “Sir, this girl here is cheating.”

Nida didn’t pay attention when she heard it as she did not realise that the boy was speaking about her, until the invigilator came and stood beside Nida.

When she looked up, he asked her, “Are you cheating?”

“No sir, I am not cheating,” replied Nida respectfully, but nervously.

“You should know that this is an important exam on which your future depends,” said the teacher angrily. He asked her to get up, then he checked all the papers on her table to see if she was using any cheating material. Then he went through her answer sheet and saw how well she had written the answers.

Then he turned to the boy who had complained and asked, “What makes you say she was cheating? What is she cheating from?”

The boy was not expecting this question and couldn’t answer at first. “Well ... I ... I mean, she was, kind of looking here and there, so I thought she was cheating ...” he tried to answer but was cut short by the examiner.

“It seems you were the one who was looking here and there while I had observed her focusing on the papers in front of her. Do not disturb the students again and I will be watching you now,” the invigilator warned.

When the result came, Nida qualified the written test, and also did very well in the interview. When Nida returned home, she shared everything with her grandmother and asked her to keep praying for her success.

After a few months, the results of the competitive exams were announced. By the grace of Almighty Allah, Nida had done very well in all the stages and was selected for commission. Nida shared the good news with her grandmother and said that it was all because of the grandmother’s prayers that she had been successful.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 10th, 2023