ALL IN ONE DAY
'''Aah! aah!"I yawned lazily remembering what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"When one of you yawns let him cover his mouth, because he devil enters "(Muslim),
I covered my mouth and said "Audhu billahi mina shaytanir rajeem" ('I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed').
If you think 1just woke up from sleep, you are wrong. Rather, I'm at school attending classes. Thinking of the Prophet (PBUH) reminds me that I need to tell Olu and Johnny about my findings as regards the Hijra calendar. That will be the story of another day; I don't just have the enthusiasm today!
My mind drifted back to the present. Today is Monday and as usual very boring, in teenage language: it is a drag. This is all thanks to the two weekend days off from school. But, this particular Monday is extra-boring.
First, the 5 - 1 walloping of the Eagles (for now I don't think they are so super, more like 'supper' for Yugoslavia, Germany and lately Holland) made the weekend dull and uneventful. (Still, I have this strong conviction that the Eagles will be super again inshaAllah by mid-month when the World cup starts in France.
Wishful thinking? We shall see!) Next, the English teacher wouldn't be able to make it, so she swapped periods with the Physics tutor!!! So here l am trying to understand something the teacher himself can t satisfactorily explain.
To add sand to garri, it is raining cats and dogs (check your Lexis and Structure for more idioms) outside, erasing all hopes of playing football at break time. The field of course, will be waterlogged by now, with a lovely lake in the middle, thanks to no drainage. The cold weather as a result of the rain, is just right for sleeping, but I'm m the wrong place at the right time.
Looking around the class, more than half of my mates are sleeping and the remaining are neither awake nor asleep! The poor Physics teacher is talking at the top of his voice, but to Allah who made me, I can't hear him. What a day! How I wished today can be fast; but it is so slow; worse than the speed of a snail.
What a way to start the week! If my grandfather hadn't taught me that it is not Islamic to ascribe things to omens, I would have said this was a sign that the week will be a bad one. Instead, I thanked Allah, Alhamdullilahi for everything, for there are some schools in this country where once it rains there is no school, suddenly from the direction of the Junior block, came a high-pitched feminine yell. In the short interval of 60 to 120 seconds, feet were running on the corridors in the direction of the yell.
Two of those feet were mine. Among the collection were those of my buddies; Qassim, John and Olu. Arriving at the scene, it was difficult at first to determine what actually happened. At last Johnny found a reliable source in his relative, Uche, JSS1. One of Uche’s classmates by name Fola, who was known for repeated faintings, fainted once again.
Fola, in short is an abiku (ogbanje), this made her a very lonely person since she had no friends. This faint spell unlike all others, was different because she didn’t wake up inspite several measures to resuscitate her.
There was a lot of shattering, screaming, talking going on. The scene was more like a market place than a school. The Vice-Principal (Admin.), dispersed us to our various classes where the commotion continued. Eventually Fola got up and continued school work as if nothing happened; but the discussion did not stop.
In my class, we were trying to explain what abikus were. There were different views on what they are but still I had to find out what Islam’s explanation for the Ogbanje is. I took as an extra homework' which means of course, I'm going to Grandpa’s after school.
I wasn't the only one who wanted more explanation. Qassim to start with and of course, there is always something to munch at my grandfather's. Johnny couldn't come, he had an errand to run for his mother. Olu, well, finally made up his mind and he joined us as we made our way through the poddles; avoiding splashes from motorists and okadas (motorcyclists).
After the exchange of salaam, and settling our empty tummies with food, Qassim was the first to ask Grandpa about abiku. Grandpa was interested in why we asked, so we narrated what happened. Seeking refuge in Allah from Shaytan and starting in Allah's name, my grandfather explained: "When people find themselves in situations that they don't fully understand, one way or other they find explanation for it with no real proof.
Such is the case of abiku. In Islam, a person is born once, dies once and is raised again on the Day of Resurrection only once; it is that simple.' This is the law of Allah. A Muslim should not believe that human beings come back to this world after death, for it damages one's belief in the Hereafter.."
"It is the trick of man's greatest enemy – Shaytan – and the evil jinns (shayatins) that deceive man into believing that abikus exist. There are medical reasons why people faint or become unconscious, but there are spiritual reasons too. Someday you will be wise enough to understand them; for now just be assured that no one comes back to this world after his life has been taken away.
It is only when the trumpet is sounded (Q36:51) that Allah will raise all the dead to face His judgement. May He grant us the Mercy to be among the successful ones on that day". Grandpa concluded. We all shouted Amin with satisfaction.