By Maryam Altine Baba
Chapter Twenty one
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 grant 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.”
“Ah yes, but I wanted to talk to you about something of utmost importance.” Malam Audu said stubbornly like he had found a life line that they could hold on to.
Malam gave him a listening ear, not sure he wanted to know what that important thing was. “You know, as a leader, you ought to lead by example.” He started jokingly. “It is not proper that you continue to stay married to one wife while the rest of us have four, some even keep charming the ladies even after attaining the maximum number of spouses ordained by Allah in the Qur’an.” At that, he winked at him mischievously like a teenager who had suddenly discovered he had started to grow beard.
Malam knew where the discussion was leading, but he didn’t interrupt. “There’s this divorcee that recently visited my house. In fact, she’s my wife Hamma’s cousin sister. Her marriage ended in a bitter divorce and had completely observed her waiting period. So, she came here so as to change her environment and hopefully forget what had happened to her in the recent past.”
Malam moved at a gentle pace, his hands behind the small of his back, his head hung low as he always does whenever he was lost in deep thought. But his mind wasn’t on what the chatter box beside him rambled about.
It was on the predicament at his house, where Zainab had been discharged and was home by then. He hasn’t been to see her at the hospital even once, not because he had disowned her as his wife had accused him of that morning. He just didn’t want to interfere or meddle. Just as Zainab had wanted.
He was also aware, that Malam Hamza, Ali’s father hadn’t been there to see her either, let alone make a move for reconciliation. He’d met with him severally at the mosque but had conveniently evaded or even broach the matter at hand.
Many of the villagers expressed their bitterness and scorn towards the impassiveness of the whole family. Many had come up with a comeuppance to be meted to the sorry excuse of a husband!
“And that was why I approached you first.” Malam Audu pointed out glibly. “You should come to my place so you’d meet her. She is the epitome of chastity and beauty and she is guaranteed to bear male children for you.” He added forebodingly.
Malam Tijjani sighed. Malam Audu wasn’t the first to confront him with that suggestion, and he wouldn’t be the last. It was best to let them land before letting them down easy. Taking a second wife wasn’t on his top list, or bottom, or at all. He had more than enough in his cup to last him a life time.
Ten minutes later, he was on his way home, leaving a very disappointed but determined Malam Audu behind. He will surely keep trying till he convinced him to take up his free offer.
It wasn’t likely to happen though. He had promised himself that if he decided to welcome a new woman to their lives, it would be for the sole reason that he wanted it so, not because others wanted it.
He was still very much in love with his darling wife and appreciated her every minute of the day. She had sacrificed so much to be with him and had paid the ultimate price. She’d lost her identity as she gave his family a new one.
She’d strived so hard to build their home, their world, and he wasn’t going to let in another woman to destroy it.
It wouldn’t be fair to Khadija, to him or even the new wife. True, Allah had ordained taking more than one wife, but only if one was going to be impartial in treating them. He wasn’t sure he would adhere to that, hence, he decided to be with his one and only love.
