Due For Inheritance (D. U. I)

Chapter 5

In a faraway state in the North, Niger precisely, Baasim was helping his father clean up after messing up himself for the hundredth time. This might have been an arduous task for an average person but he’s doing it happily.

His source of unhappiness isn’t keeping his blind, deaf and mute father tidy but their wretched state of life. They might as well be classified as an indigent because their next meal of the day can only be provided by Allah. Either he’ll send it with the rainfall from heaven or bring a Samaritan to deliver it to their doorstep. Otherwise; they would stay hungry today again.

It isn’t as if Baasim wasn’t hardworking, but his father is quite dependent and there’s no way he could leave him alone to go in search for work. He’s blind, so he couldn’t look after himself, mute, so he can’t communicate and say his needs and even deaf, so he doesn’t know what goes on in his surroundings. He suspected that his father wasn’t always handicapped but then, he would need some fund to admit him to a hospital and check out if he could be cured like he was told or if he should resign to fate but Baasim hoped that one day, their history would change and he also thought that the day Allah promised is nearby.

His ‘innama al usri yusro’(after hardship, there’s ease) should be here because he recently heard about a good Samaritan who occasionally helped the poor and indigent is coming around their area. He would come to the community mosque to render his assistance and would be staying for a few days. He didn’t need the so called Samaritan to help him forever, all he needed was little capital to start up a small business in petty trading of biscuits, sweets and other necessities that he could sell at home while at the same time lending a hand to assist his father.

Baasim could have made enough money like his peers who were in similar conditions. Some of his peers also have parents or siblings who were handicapped as a result of one impairment or the other. Some are even perfectly able but too lazy to work and resorted to begging.

Through begging for alms, they were living a comfortable life and most of the times are responsible for providing most of the things Baasim and his father survived on which was part of the reasons he couldn’t totally condemn their actions.

Some of this beggars, especially those that moved to the south west have made so much cash that they’re erecting giant houses in their villages, houses that even their alms givers dared not to dream of living in.

His neighbor in particular who harbored him and his father in his house don’t own a land but consume four square meals a day, a meal befitting for the king which might have contributed in his inability to tie down money like other beggars of his caliber but Baasit is not a beggar and do not intend to be one, despite his situation.

He had heard the hadith of the prophet which said that Allah disliked those who always demand from people and loved those who give out instead and one day, he had quoted this same hadith to an acquaintance who also helped him out with feeding. The acquaintance had defended himself and replied that while Allah despise those who always ask from people, he also would not accept your return if you died from a situation you could have prevented and dying of hunger due to pride or other reasons when there are people around you to help you feed is like commuting suicide.

He further explained that if Baasim were to die in such situation, he would keep repeating the scene where he died of hunger till the day of resurrection and would thereafter be punished by Allah and after his statement, he had stopped helping out Baasim and told him to wait for a miracle from Allah.

Baasim had felt bad when he heard this and knew that this was true but their community Imam had lectured severally about the issue of begging and it had found a permanent place to reside in his brain. His belief was firm. The only form of begging he would actually involve in was to wait for the Samaritan.