Empires of Faith

Chapter 24: Departure and Discipline

17 Shawwal, 1663

The pebbles crunched beneath the heavy boots of the man as he dismounted his horse. The whinnying beast was tied to the trunk of a tree as Zubayr ibn Abdul-Hakim turned his face to the modest building before him. Built of mud bricks, tree trunks, and palm leaves, the simple structure was a large rectangular shape, dust brown in color, save for the withering green and yellow leaves sitting atop it to provide shade and protection from the outside elements. Zubayr walked up to the opening, closed off only by the hanging of a simple sheet of cloth. He could hear the chattering of two low voices, both male, one adult and one young.

"Why did you not speak up when you knew the answer?" the man questioned the young boy.

"I was afraid," the boy replied shamefully.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"I was afraid because all the other boys know more than me and I can never be as good as them. I wasn't sure if I was right or if I should say the answer if even they didn't know it."

"Talha, you needn't be afraid to answer something just because others don't know it."

"But they're older and better than me, it's not right for me to-"

"Talha, listen to me. I understand your feelings. Growing up with my brother Zubayr I-"

"As-Salaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu," Zubayr said as he entered into the Masjid. The dusty floor was plain and flat, the floor covered with the individual rugs of the community members. Zubayr took his boots from his feet and stepped onto the thin rugs. He looked upon his brother, Zayd, and the young student sitting before him. Zayd was dressed in a simple white thobe, with a white ghutrah over his curly, auburn hair. He looked up with a grin on his luminous face, his light brown eyes smiling all the same. He stroked the fistful of brown hair growing from his chin as his brother smiled back at him.

"Wa 'Alaikumus Salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu," Zayd replied. The young boy turned his neck to see the fierce looking man coming over. Zayd pointed towards him and informed the student, "Here is my brother now." He stood up and shook Zubayr's hand and embraced him in a hug, patting his back three times. "Alhamdulillah you have returned; I trust all went well in fighting the Kwaadi?"

"Alhamdulillah, we were able to drive them from the lands at last. What of you? I see you have established something of a village or city here. Ma Shaa Allah, I would never have expected this. How did this come about?"

"Teacher is our great leader," the young boy piped up with a cheerful voice. "He built up the whooooole city and let us live here so we can be safe from the enemy."

"Really?" Zubayr asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

"Uh huh, and he's so smart. He knows aaaaaaaall the whole Quran! And he's teaching me and the other students about the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And Fridays he teaches the whooooole city a lot of good stuff, and then we pray. My feet hurt sometimes when we pray, but it's okay because I like to hear his voice when he recites so much Quran. Do you like his voice? Can you sound like him? I can try but I need to learn more surahs first so-"

"Just keep coming to class In Shaa Allah and you'll learn it all," Zayd said, playfully ruffling the young boy's hair.

"You really think I can?"

"Yes, In Shaa Allah."

"WOW! I'm going to tell my Abu you said I can learn it all! I want to learn the whoooole thing like you!"

"In Shaa Allah."

"And someday, I'm going to have a masjid just like you and I'll teach all the other kids too!"