WHEN WE SACKED THEM FROM GOD, WHAT DID WE EXPECT?

 

Naa Ninche, the writer

 

Ayuba, at age eight years old had developed so much adoration for the religion of Islam. He didn’t really understand some of the religious practices but he enjoyed doing them. Amazingly, his parents weren’t very religious people even though they professed Islam as their doctrine. They were like the many average Muslims who knew nothing about Islam and were not bothered about understanding the religion they had been practicing for decades. They practiced Islam because their parents were Muslims and more importantly, they live in Ijara-Zongo, a community dominated by Muslims.

 

 

 

 

So it came to Ayuba’s parents as a surprise when they realized their son, through no efforts of theirs, was so much in love with the religion. He forced his parents to send him to the makaranta (a weekend Islamic school session) and within some few months he was constantly reciting Quran and Hadith (prophetic sayings) at home. This came as a surprise to his parents but they felt an inner bliss that even though they had not taken learning their religion serious, their only son seem to be on course to understanding it.

 

 

 

On the other hand, Ayuba was a very brilliant student in school as well. He seemed to always be ahead of his colleagues in class and on two occasions he had to skip a particular year group. At his age, it was really surprising that he was in primary five. He passed his examination and also shone in extra curricula activities. At the end of every academic year, he would carry home almost all the accolades up for grabs. Ayuba had now become a common name on the lips of his teachers, peers and even community folks.

 

 

 

One day, Ayuba decided to visit the mosque and pray in it for the first time. He always yearned to visit the mosque because his teacher at makaranta used to quote the hadith which was narrated from Abu Harayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the messenger Muhammad (Peace Be Upon) said: “Shall I not tell you something by means which Allah erases sins and raises people in status?” they said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “Doing wudoo’ (ablution) properly at times when it is difficult to do so, taking many steps to the mosque, and waiting for prayer after prayer. That is constant readiness.” (Narrated by Muslim, 251). He loved this hadith so much that he sought for permission from his father, who didn’t frequently go to mosque, to go to the mosque and he smiled and granted him permission.

 

 

 

Ayuba with so much joy run to the bathroom for a kettle, filled it with water and with caution, tried to perform ablution just as he had been taught by his teacher. When he got to his feet, he got confused on which of the feet to start with so he paused and run into his room, picked his note and confirmed he was supposed to start with his right foot. All this while his father was watching him through the window and smiling.

 

 

 

Ayuba decided to pray in the closest mosque to his house which was that of Sheikh Junaid. He walked slowly in to the mosque as he recited the supplication for entering the mosque, “O Lord, forgive my sins and open the doors of mercy for me”. When he entered the mosque, he was shocked by its beauty. He never thought there was a beautiful mosque in his community like the one he saw on television. He kept admiring the mosque before he remembered he had to perform two rakats as salutation to the mosque.

 

 

 

After the two rakats, the Imam walked in and the congregation started lining up in the first row. Ayuba quickly run so he could be part of the first row. At this point, he met the first of what would later be known as series of shock he witnessed in the mosque. The Imam shouted at him and said, “Herh, small boy, go and stand at the last row. This place is for older people.” Ayuba didn’t really understand why the Imam would ask him to leave the first row when it wasn’t even full. As he used a millisecond to digest what the Imam had just said, a heavy hand drag him by his shirt which caused him to nearly fall. The whole congregants started to murmuring and Ayuba heard one even say, “Children of today do not respect at all”.

 

 

 

 

Ayuba was still in a state of shock as he had never seen such a thing. He envisaged a nice reception from the mosque, which was supposed to be a house of Allah. He wondered if Allah was God for only elderly people and not children. In this moment of the many questions he remembered his teacher once told him that the messenger Muhammad (Peace Be Upon) said: “Complete the first row, then the next one and if there is to be any incomplete row, let it be the last row” (Ahmad, Abu-Dawood-Saheeh by al-Albaani). He wondered if the Imam was ignorant of this saying or he just didn’t want children in the first row. If the latter was true, was there any hadith backing it?

 

 

 

 

Ayuba went home sad but refused to tell his parents about it. His zeal and love for the religion was not in any way affected at all. He continued learning and reading more about this religion that brought him so much joy. He could not make time to go to the mosque again because he leaves for school very early and comes back home very late. Moreover, his parents would not allow him go out in the evening. This meant he had to wait for the weekend before he would go to the mosque again.

 

 

 

That hot Saturday afternoon when Ayuba walked into the mosque again, this time cautiously, and took the last row where children of his age were. He was uncomfortable but he dreaded having a repeat of his past experience. When the Imam walked in the “grownups” took the first and second rows while the “children” were rooted to the last row.

 

 

 

During the prayer, the children at the last row kept making noise. They made so much noise that everyone in the mosque wore an uncomfortable look. As children as they were, they did not really see any wrong in playing even in the mosque. The numerous claps to alert them fell on deaf ears. Can you blame children for doing what they know how to do best, playing?

 

 

 

Immediately the Imam said “Salaam alaikum warahmatuLlah” (May the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you) twice to mark the end of the prayer, the congregants did opposite of what they had just prayed to Allah for. Alhaji Abu, the Muazzin (the caller to prayer), quickly jumped from his place, took the cane under the pulpit and run straight to where the children were seated. Some of the children upon noticing the anger on his face coupled with the cane in his hand ran out in fear. Those who could not run, including Ayuba, remained seated while shivering simultaneously. Alhaji Abu didn’t temper “injustice” with mercy neither did his action seek to promote the peace he had just asked God for. He flogged the children so hard that, their tears and wailing could be heard even outside the mosque. Ayuba was stunned. He wept and wondered how wicked people could be in charge of the mosque, the house of Allah. “Why refuse a child the front row and flog him for playing at the last row” he quizzed himself amidst tears. He wondered if the Imam and the congregation knew about the grandchildren of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Hassan and Hussein, and how they used to play in the mosque even during prayers. He kept wondering if the Imam ever had heard of the story where one of the Grandchildren of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) sat on the him while he was in prostration such that he prolonged the prostration till the grandchild stood up.

 

 

 

Ayuba walked out of the mosque determined not to come back to a house which will beat children at the least provocation. He told his parents about his ordeal and they only consoled him because they knew that was the system in all the mosques in Ijara Zongo.

 

 

 

These two incidents really affected young Ayuba’s view of religion and its followers. Ayuba vowed never to go to the mosque again and even if he would go, he would wait till he was grown up because by then, no one will whip him for making noise. He started skipping makaranta and because his parents weren’t very concerned about his religious life, he dropped out and focused on only school.

 

 

 

 

When Ayuba got to Senior High School, he met very bad friends, most of whom were Muslims like himself but hardly practiced it. These friends introduced him to various social vices including drugs, internet fraud and womanizing. Ayuba would always leave home in his uniform but will never go to school. He would follow his friends into the bush where they had access to all kinds of hard drug.

 

 

 

 

Ayuba was taking cigarettes but his parents had no knowledge about it because they were always busy at work. With time, he graduated to the use of Indian hemp. Because he needed money to purchase these hard drugs, his friends introduced him to internet fraud which was the norm of the community in which he lived in. Within a very short time, Ayuba had enough money on him that could buy him as many a drug as he wanted. He started womanizing because he had enough money.

 

 

 

 

His parents noticed a change in his attitude and decided to do a little investigation on him. When he had left for school one day, they searched his room and were shocked by what they found in his bag. They found huge sums of money and drugs they suspected to be Indian hemp. They quickly boarded a taxi to his school to meet him only to be met by one of his teachers at the gate who claimed Ayuba had not come to school for the past six months. This was a blow to his parents who thought they shirked their responsibilities.

 

 

 

 

With their head bowed in shame and sorrow, they drove back home anticipating the return of their son, Ayuba. They waited till late in the night but Ayuba never showed up. This got them even worried so they decided to go to Ayuba’s friend, Tanko’s house. When they got there, they met the parents of Tanko who were also worried their son had not returned from school. They were all worried now because this was unusual so they decided to go to the police and place a report.

 

 

 
When they got to the police station, they were surprised to see both Tanko and Ayuba locked up. They enquired from the policemen about the crime their children committed only to be told, they were caught by the police in the internet café defrauding foreigners. According to the police, they had information about the activities of Ayuba and Tanko three months ago but needed more evidence before arresting them.

 

 

 

 

Ayuba wept when he saw his parents. A young boy with a bright future had given up his dreams because of two incidents meted out to him in the mosque when he was young. Small as it may seem, many young children in Ijara-Zongo are running from the mosques because of the hostile nature of the managers of the mosque and its congregants.

 

 

 

 

The irresponsibility of a parent has caused a nation such a brilliant boy. Whoever you choose to blame for this, remember we need to adopt new and innovative ways of dealing with issues. Our communities are sick and even worse are our religious centres. Religion was supposed to give hope to people but some have snatched it and left people in despair. There are a lot of Ayuba’s out there who need our help. Let’s help them.

 

 

 

 

The writer is Abdul-Rahim Naa Ninche. You can contact him through his email naaninche@gmail.com or his mobile  phone number  (+233)201962393.