Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Epaper

The Neighbor’

Ahmed Sofa

Published : Saturday, 21 December, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 770
Translated by Alamgir Mohammad
Ahmed Sofa (1943 - 2001)

Ahmed Sofa (1943 - 2001)

It is Baghdad, the capital of the glory of the 'Abbasioy Caliphs'. It is the most eye-catching town in the Middle East. Shops were countless in number there in the town and thousands of people travel by the cleanest roads. In the evening the town wears a festive look with the flashes of light. Prettily arranged this Baghdad appears like a fairy land. The business persons enter Baghdad through the city gates with lines of donkeys, horses, and camels carrying goods from abroad. Sultans and princes from different countries come to the Caliph Harunur Rashid with loads of gifts. The mosques are full of people saying prayers. Scent of perfumes from the mosque-goers spreads across the roads. Beside the town Tigris flows to the Red sea.
The Arab gallants travel abroad crossing the red sea.
Baghdada is a city of wealth. A city of glamour it is. It has the charming sky-scrapping buildings of the Abbasi Caliphs. Happiness exists all around, it is a city of happiness on earth. This Baghdada which is pretty blend of fancy and reality is mused with the tales of Arabian Nights. But why is this man so different from others? People are eating, drinking and merry making. But it seems he is unaware of them. For he knows this life on earth is not the real life, after two days everyone has to return back to the Almighty. Almighty has sent the human beings to worship Him and serve the humanity. Forgetting the duties, if someone indulges in happiness and pomp of life, he/she has to be shy to the Almighty for it. That's why he is not interested in the pomp and glory of the earthly life. For pleasing the Almighty he fasts, prays and wishes good of the human beings. He does have no greed for any earthly possession. The caliph has tried several times to appoint him as 'Ujir' but he declined downright. He will not work for anyone but for the Almighty. He never forgets to utter the name of the Almighty. He has been meditating in such a way since life.   
There are some people on earth who cause harm to themselves and others by doing harmful work. He also had a brutish neighbor. When he stands for the 'salat', the neighbor starts showing his lunacy being drunk. He doesn't feel annoyed. He prays to the Almighty, 'Hey Allah, let the stupid have some sense, send light to the unenlightened so that no one can go against you living in your earth'.
All are afraid of the 'Abbasiyo Caliph' in the kingdom. In the ruling area of such a just 'Caliph' why should there live such a drunk? In one evening the watchman of the town arrested the drunk put him in the jail. The dervish was not aware of that incident. Hearing no words from the neighbor, he dervish became anxious. Is that man sick then? In the morning he comes to know that the watchman arrested him in the evening. Then the dervish went to the palace of the 'Caliph' directly.
   The palace of the Caliph was full of high officials. People were coming and leaving the palace in ques. The guard has shown respect to the dervish and showed him the way. The people present in the palace started murmuring that Imam Abu Hanifa has come to the palace. The caliph stood up seeing the dervish. Everyone present in the palace showed respect by standing. The Caliph requested the 'Imam Shaheb'  to sit ardently. Imam Shaheb said-
"I have not come to sit here. Your watchman arrested one of my neighbors yesterday. I have come to your palace with the urge to free that man. Would you kindly free him?''
Then the Caliph asked the jailer to free all the arrested people. And the order has been implemented in an instant. That drunken man after getting freed from the jail went directly to the 'Imam' and begged pardon lying on his feet. 'Imam shaheb' replied caressing his back, "Who am I to forgive you? Beg pardon to the Almighty. He is the kindest of all. Only he can forgive you''. Then the man repented for his wrong and promised to the 'Imam Shahib' not to drink in life again. At this everyone became elated. The palace sang out in chorus, "Naraye Taqbir-Allahu-Aqbar''.

[The Translator is a teacher at Premier University, Chittagong]





LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
The Corpse
New Year’s Day
STOP GENOCIDE
The legend of the Christmas tree
For the Man Who Hated Christmas
The Neighbor’
Thousand shades of tears
‘Joker
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close