Zuhr

Zuhr is the time of the noon prayer, made personally significant when Tariq identifies it after Lin finds him praying in a mosque. The moment turns Lin’s anxiety over the boy’s disappearance into relief, then into a sharp insistence that Tariq not run away again.

The Noon Prayer

As Lin hesitates outside the mosque, worried that Tariq may have gone inside or slipped away through another exit, he sees the boy crossing its tiled vestibule. Tariq’s hands, feet, and head are wet, as if he has hurriedly washed before prayer. Lin watches from the entrance as Tariq takes his place at the back of a group of men and begins to pray.

Tariq soon emerges, collects his sandals, and joins Lin. He explains the occasion by saying, “Zuhr! Zuhr!” and identifying it as the time of the noon prayer. His next words connect the observance to gratitude to God: “I am thank you for God. Are you thank you for God, Linbaba?”

Lin’s Fear and Relief

Before Tariq appears, Lin is uncertain whether to enter the mosque and search for him. He knows the boy could leave by another exit and be difficult to find; he also dreads having to tell Khaderbhai that he has lost his nephew. His hesitation is sharpened by the possibility of religious clashes outside this same mosque, which Prabaker had previously warned him about.

When Tariq returns, Lin’s relief is visible in the pause that follows: he sits on an empty push-cart and smokes while waiting. Tariq stands close, looking up at him with an expression Lin reads as both afraid and happy. The contrast gives the prayer scene its emotional turn: the boy has not vanished, but his independent decision to pray has frightened the person responsible for him.

Significance in the Scene

Zuhr briefly draws Tariq into a religious practice distinct from Lin’s immediate worries about keeping track of him. The scene does not present the prayer as a dispute between them; instead, Tariq explains it with confidence, while Lin’s response concerns the danger of running off. Lin kneels to seize Tariq by the arms and tells him not to do it again. The noon prayer is thus the point at which Tariq’s devotion becomes visible to Lin, even as the reunion ends in a warning about care and responsibility.