So Much For Love

Chapter Thirteen

By the time Malam Tijjani had walked in to the mosque, the last of the mats was spread across the mosque by the ladan. It was almost time for his young assistant to call the Zuhr prayer.

Yahuza came to Malam Tijjani as a very impressive and talented young man. He had memorized the Holy Qur’an and was very well learned in the Hadith and practiced the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

He also had a very melodious voice that capture the heart and resonated righteousness.

Being educated well, Yahuza was offered a stable job with the Shari’a court in town but had declined. He was an only son of his parents, Malam Zubair and Malama Jummai.

His father had attained the age of sixty before he was blessed with him.

Twenty-five years later, Malam Zubair had become partially blind and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Yahuza had dropped everything to be by his side, to take care of him.
Malam had taken to him not because of his meekness, but Yahuza had considered Malam to be a father figure, just as Malam had seen a son in him. He was eager to learn and took to corrections open mindedly, without feeling offended.

Malam prayed two units of prayer as was directed by the prophet of Islam and sat down to read the holy Qur’an.

He sought for Allah’s rahama through more inner peace and tranquility which he got after the recitation.

After the adhan, he said two more units of prayer and waited for the few people that attended the Zuhr prayer to converge.

It wasn’t the market day, so the mosque wasn’t filled to its capacity during the time of Zuhr and Asr prayers as it was during the evening prayers or the Jumma’at prayer.

After saying the prayer, he headed home to take his lunch. It was particularly sunny that day with thin cotton of lazy clouds drifting away above in the sky. It was too early to expect the rains, not in the next month to come.

But with the extreme heat from the blazing sun that kissed the surface of the earth, it would be a welcome development.

Malam Audu, a long-time acquaintance stopped him on his way. He was a burly man for his contrastingly slimmer legs that appeared not able to carry his weight. He looked like a two - story building with two small pillars that held it above the ground.

He flashed yellow stained set of teeth courtesy of the kola nut he traded and consumed daily. He was the major supplier of kola nut in and around the village, and business was in his favor.

“How is our daughter faring now?” He’d asked after Zainab.

“Alhamdulillah, Allah be praised.” Malam had answered in the affirmative.

He didn’t want to dwell on that aspect, so he asked a question of his own, “How is the little one doing?”

referring to the six-week-old baby that was born in to Malam Audu’s family of recent.

“Alhamdulillah. As usual, he’s been exercising his lungs far too often. But I am told that the problem is hernia and the mother has gone to see Iliya Wanzami (local barber and herbalist) for the necessary herbal treatment.”

“Alhamdulillah, Allah be praised. May He grand him quick recovery.”

“Amin. And our daughter too. I felt bad about everything.” He added ruefully. “That family is bad news. They’re vicious, aiding and abetting such cruelty. Can you imagine, after what their son had subjected our daughter to, they did not even….”

“Don’t worry Malam Audu.” Malam interrupted. He wasn’t a snob, but he would rather be taciturn and not probe more on the biting matter that gnawed at his heart. “Everything happens as Allah wills it to happen. I thank you for your concern.”