Malik, a tall, slim, virile man stood at the mosque entrance, he was only 12 when his mum had brought him here. A lot had changed, he thought as he glanced through the large prayer hall except for the inscription on the wall which still read the same "allah kubar" meaning God is great. Memories of his past life started to flood his heart, he wished he had continued to be devoted, he wish he had not met Farooq, a guy who led him into crime and ended up spending half of his life in prison, he wish he had not caused his mom pain that led to her death. Tears poured down his eyes, with a heavy heart he kneeled beside the altar, all he had come to do was reconcile with his former life.
He kneeled sobbing softly when he felt a warm touch on his shoulder
"You've been here for a day, what's bothering you?" An elderly man with beards standing beside him with a caftan dress asked. Malik lifted up his teary eyes and stared at him for a while without saying anything. The aged man asked again, more softly this time
"You may never understand" he mumbled loud enough for the man to hear.
"I may not, but you'll feel more relieved to have shared it, you can trust me with your words"
After Malik had narrated his life story to the elderly man who introduced himself as Mustapha, he added,
"If only I had remained in his path, I may have been someone great but I'm starting my life from the scratch"
"40 years ago was the first right time, today is the second right time, whatever you do from today will also count" Mustapha told him.
Malik was inspired by Mustapha's words, he walked out the temple and stood beside the entrance once again, not the way he came but now refreshed to let the past be in the past as he resolved to make his new life count.