What Will Allah Say On The Last Day? || Adekeye Lukman

Mallam Alamu had never been a man who played around with people. He was a man who had always been straight to the point. If there was no business, there was no discussion. He would rather stay alone in his room or at the Masjid than to stay with people or where everyone would have access to him. Because they all believed that he was a holy man, everyone respected him.

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Early one morning, Mallam Alamu called all the children to sit around him. It was a few minutes after the Morning Prayer and the moon was still out. They all rushed to him like pets running to their master. It was December so it was cold and even though their teeth chattered, it did not stop them from gathering round him in anticipation. They did not know exactly what would happen or what he was about to say, but they all knew that something important was going to happen. He had never called them for fun in that manner. Mallam Alamu had never been a man who played around with people. He was a man who was always straight to the point. If there was no business, there was no discussion. He would rather stay alone in his room or at the Masjid than to stay with people or where everyone would have access to him. Because they all believed that he was a holy man, everyone respected him. They regarded everything he said as final and true. They had absolute faith in his judgment and they believed that he had never said anything of his own will. A man who was not after money or wealth, what on earth could make him lie to the people? From the way he spoke and from his behaviour, there was no doubt that he was unrivalled when it came to goodness and purity. He was good and kind. He didn’t care much about material things or the world. He believed that the only thing a man should run after is how to get to the life hereafter and enjoy for the rest of our life. This was his philosophy of life.

Mallam Alamu had two wives and five sons whom he didn’t send to school because he believed that bad behaviour and unsavoury character were taught at school. So, to prevent his children from such, he restrained them from going to school. He only made sure that they studied Arabic. When the people from his community asked him why he had refused to send his children to school, he told them he would love to build his own community where lies and corruption would be forbidden. He added that he believed that for his aims and objective to be achievable, he must not send his children to school because the only thing they teach them in schools were lies and deceit. “I don’t want my family to be part of such movement,” he said.

Once they all gathered, Mallam Alamu began to tell them a story about a man who had abandoned his religion because of western education. The man had been his childhood friend but the things he had learnt at school made him follow the ways of the world.

“He was given a position that demand him to fully show all the things he was taught in school. Things like lies, bribery, corruption, killings and the rest were his doing after the position was given to him. He cared less about the less privilege and the people from the lower or the middle class. He made things so hard that everyone started talking about him.”

“He was my friend,” Mallam Alamu continued. “We were from the same community. We even started school the same year but I left the school at the age of ten when I realized that all they teach there were pure lies and deceit, so I returned to the religion of my people and I gave it my all.”

Mallam Alamu turned around to make sure he still had their attention.

“While I was studying Arabic, he was there studying the white man’s language and culture. I once called him to retrace his steps back to where he was coming from but he wouldn’t listen. He was at the middle of it, and he was enjoying it. He would tell me to come to his side before it was too late, but Allah was by my side so I was able to say no to him. He had gained more tactics from the teaching which they gave him in school. He was a smart guy so he had learnt a great deal of those attitude of the whites. One day, he demanded to be the head of our community from the government and they gave him the permission. With his power, he would collect our people’s land and gave it to strangers in return for money for his personal use, and anyone who dared to stand up against him was already a dead man. He had his men who were all around torture and torment anyone who dared to speak ill of him or seemed not to like his regime. He was known for his bad actions all over the state. He never hide anything from anyone or pretend to be nice or to be a good person; he was bad and he made it clear to everyone that he is a bad person. I thought I would be able to speak to him since we were friends right from childhood but I was faced with a different thing entirely when I made a step to speak to him.”

Mallam Alamu paused again to check if the children were still following him before continuing with his story. 

“When I got to his office, I greeted him with the most unique and the most special greetings of all time which is assallamalaikum waramatulai wabarakatu which mean may the peace of Allah be unto you. This greeting was like fire in his body. I saw his face go as red as a hot coal. He twirled on his chair as one who was in a great distress. I looked at him with a great disbelief. I didn’t know why he was in that state, but I sensed it must have had something to do with the greeting. But what was so special about the greeting when we were all Muslims? That was what I thought, but what happened was so strange to me. I wondered why for a long time, before I later concluded in my heart to let go of that and face what I was there for.”

“I am sorry to disturb you,” I said. “But I have some few issues to discuss with you.”

“Yes, how may I help you?”

I was thinking he would ask me to sit down first but that was contrary to what I was faced with. He was not even ready to give me more than a minute from his look. I got the message immediately so I did not tarry in stating my request.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I was thinking if I would be able to plead on behalf of the whole community that you should please, because of almighty Allah, give us some peace and happiness. I can remember that we were all living peacefully before you became the community leader, but since you became leader things have never been the same. We have lost our lands and most of our people have lost their lives because they were asking for what belong to them. We sincerely need what belongs to us, and we would be very happy if you would give that to us.”

Mallam Alamu glanced around again. He was pleased that the children were listening to him with their mouths agape. He went on.

“He looked at me with a scary eyes. He was fuming like a mixed detergent in a pure water and I felt his anger in my marrow. I wondered what he was thinking or what I had done wrong for saying the truth. Was that not what we need? I asked myself without demanding for an answer from any soul. But I couldn’t come to a tangible conclusion. He stared at me in the eyes and asked if that was what I am here for. I didn’t know where he was going to so I said yes, without thinking about the possible outcome.”

“If that is all you are here for, you can go. We will look at what we can do about it.”

“I left with my heart aching. I don‘t know what I needed to think or what I needed to be expecting; either good news or bad news. But I left with my mind on ‘Allah knows best’. By the time I got home, I met four men in black waiting for me at my entrance to my compound. I was surprised. I was not expecting any visitors from anywhere. I had not associated myself with anyone for a couple of years so I was surprised seeing people at my entrance. Also, I was well acquainted with my in-laws that I know everyone from their family. I was sure they were not from my wife’s family. I summoned the courage and progressed towards my door. Immediately, without any question, they took me by the neck, tied me down and bundled me away in the presence of every members of the community. I was sure I wouldn‘t be here today if not that almighty Allah was by my side. They took me to the forest, dug a very big hole and threw me inside. I was tied, so I couldn‘t help myself. I was there for two days before someone came to my rescue.”

Mallam Alamu was only halfway through the story but he stopped and walked off without completing the story. The pain of the horrible memory was too much to bear.

The children, however, started to look forward to another opportunity where they would hear the full story about what happened between Mallam Alamu and his former friend.

The next time Mallam Alamu convened the children together, they were still hoping that they were there to hear the conclusion of the story.

“Soluwalanabiyi Kareem.”

“Salalaalei wasalam,” echoed the children.

Mallam Alamu cleared his throat before delivering his speech.

“I have called you all here so that I can enlighten you more about the will of Allah.”

“Will you tell us the rest of the story today?” One of the small boys asked.

“No. I won‘t be telling you story today. I have something more important to tell you than a story.”

He cleared his throat again.

“I have studied so hard this religion of peace, and almighty Allah had shown me more light in this course that I think it is very important for me to inform you all because I believe you are the leaders of tomorrow, therefore, you are our future. If we failed to build our future, our future might fail us. I don‘t want that to happen, that’s why I have called you all today. I believe you have received a substantial knowledge here which must have opened your eyes and mind to some facts about our Islamic religion, this world and the world after. Allah knows that the knowledge that we have been passing on to you is only truth and nothing but the truth. And we will not stop from telling you the truth because we are here to teach you the truth that will lead you to the right path. So, please, my children, do listen to everything we have been teaching you and every other things we will be teaching henceforth. We believe you are the one who can change the world. The world is corrupt and Allah is very angry at all of us. That is the reason why everything in this world is not in its right place. The world is falling and we need to put it back in its right place.”

As he was speaking, a woman sitting outside the masjid overheard him. What she heard disturbed her. She tried to peep through but she could not really see inside.

“Are we to go out and preach to the people about the right way to Aljanat?” A little boy asked.

“We would have asked you to go out and preach to the people about the right way but the people will not listen. We have tried it times without numbers but it doesn’t work, so there is no hope or any assurance that now will be different. Allah has put a stone in their hearts, so they cannot hear us even if we preach. However, this will not prevent us from preaching. I will like to expose to you today what a discovery we have made. All the Mallams in this part of the world have put their heads together to make sure they produce a way to curb this wildfire gradually ravaging our world. The output of the research in which these people have made is now what we will be talking about today. In the holy Qur’an, Allah has made it compulsory for all Muslims, I mean the true believers, to wage war against the unbelievers, and this is called Jihad. Jihad is the holy war in the course of Islamic propagation.”

While he was saying all this, some of the children thought he was telling them a new kind of story. Some others saw it as the best knowledge they had ever received and, to a few of them, it was all a mystery. The same man who had been teaching them peace, love, honesty, care and so on towards man was now talking about war; how did it all correlate? To this group, it was a total mystery and it left them in a confused state for the rest of the discussion. None of them had the guts to stand up to ask the Mallam what he meant by the things he said, except for a sixteen-year-old boy known for his talkativeness.

With a scornful look, Mallam Alamu dressed the boy down.

“I have told you times without number that you should try to think before you ask questions. It is because you are a fool that you cannot understand my simple and straightforward statement. Tell me, what is so hard to understand here?”

The other children looked at each other without comment. They felt pity for the teenager.

“As I was saying,” continued Mallam Alamu, “We have all agreed that the best way to save the world therefore is to go into war with the unbelievers who had vow never to do the will of Allah but the will of their selfish interest. Today, we must ask for forgiveness from Allah because for a very long time we have left his will undone. This will is essential to all Muslims. Before you can call yourself a Muslim, you must follow everything Allah has commanded us to do. This we cannot do in part but in full.”

Rocking from side to side, Mallam Amalu silently scrutinized the children to see what effect his speech had on them. From the look on their faces and their expressions, you could tell that they had mixed emotions. They were visibly confused by the message and at the same time remorseful for not having obeyed the will of Allah according to Mallam Alamu.

The woman outside was restless.

“How I wish I could see through this wall. How I wish I could see through this opening. How I wish I could see any of the children so that I can talk to them. At this point they are likely to be led astray.”

Inside the masjid, Mallam Amalu preached on.

“You will not go to the heaven, not even the smallest part of it will you be able to enter. As small as the kitchen is, it will be very hard for you to enter it if you did not involve yourself in Jihad. In fact, the only gate way to Aljanat is Jihad. For many years, we have taught you to a great extent the place called Aljanat and it’s important. On the last day, when all creatures will stand before their creator, that day judgment will be pronounce on all human and animals. The believers will go to the Aljanat while the unbelievers will be sent to the Jahanama where the fire burns faster and wilder than anyone you have seen in this world. We have also made you understand that in this fire, there will be nothing like death, which means that anyone who go into the fire will be there forever. Who among you want to go to the everlasting fire?”

No one raised their hand or uttered a single word. The children were all gripped with fear. None of them wanted to go into the fire. They all wanted to make it into the Aljanat.

“Do you all still remember the reward waiting for you in the Aljanat?”

“Yes!” The children chorused.

Mallam Amalu was impressed. He smiled. He knew that he had gotten through to their hearts.

Meanwhile, the woman standing outside was startled by the noise.

“What is he telling them?” She asked herself. “I need to hear better. Where can I stand? Where, where?”

She moved from one side to another but could not get a suitable place to stand.

Inside the masjid, the preaching continued.

“Now that you all want to enjoy such rewards, you must as well be ready to work for it. If you want to enjoy forever, you should be ready to work very hard for it. Good things are not easy to come by. Sometimes you need to work very hard to get what you need the most. Especially when it comes to religion, you need to put everything you have got into it. Remember that once you get there, there is no going back to make amendment. So, while we are still in this world, let us do everything in our power to secure that place which we cherish the most. You should also know that if you die in the process of jihad, you have automatically created a way for yourself in the hereafter and you will be among the selected ones on the day of judgment.”

“So, what are we to do in order to be one of the selected ones?” asked one of the children.

“Jihad! You must kill and be ready to die in the course for Allah. We must wage war against the unbelievers and clean the land. This land is dirty. It’s unclean and unholy. We need to clean it by wiping off the bad people on our land, and the people who can do that is you and me. We are the ones who know the truth, so we are the ones who can fight for that truth. Let us put together our effort and clean this land because of Allah.”

“What are we going to do to clean this land? Who are we going to kill and where are we going to fight the war?” asked another boy.

This question gingered Mallam Alamu and he could not wait any longer to tell them about his plan. He licked his bottom lips and gazed into the distance.

“Our neighbouring states are known for their religious activities, but those activities are not what almighty Allah had asked of us. They have changed his will to suit their personal interest. We need to wipe those people out of our land to make it clean and void of sin. So, all of you need to grip yourself firmly as you carry out our plan to do the will of Allah. Today, we will give you all things that you will use to carry out your assignment.”

The children were done with questions. They now all believed that what they were about to do was the will of Allah, and that they would be rewarded for the killing. They trooped outside, all ready to fight for Allah.

As they streamed out of the masjid, the woman hid herself and secretly followed them until they arrived at a house in the outskirts of the community. She was surprised. She had no idea such a building existed in their community. There were armed security men at the entrance. They were clad in black uniforms, black gloves and black shades and looked imposing. They gave the children a knife each and bundled them into a bus.

“You are all moving out for the project,” Mallam Amalu called out as the children settled into the bus. The bus driver started the engine.

“How I wish I could have a minute with those children so I can tell them what was going on,” muttered the woman from behind the tree where she was hiding.

“Who could believe that my husband could do this just to save his own children? They are my children, but I wouldn’t advise him to sacrifice other children for the safety of my own children. But was it only because of my children? Didn’t they also promise to send him some amount of money? He has sold his trust, belief and religion for just a token.”

The bus began to move.

“What will Allah say on the last day? The one teaching has taught the wrong thing, the ones learning have learnt the wrong thing. Who will carry this burden? What will Allah say? I never knew my husband could ever join the politicians he was fighting against. I never knew such a thing could go this wrong. May Allah forgive these children, and may their souls rest in peace.”

She kept her eyes on the bus until it was totally out of sight.

THE END