Bismillaahir Rahmaanur Raheem
5th Dhul-Hijjah, 1438/ 28th August, 2017
Assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barkaatuhu my dear brothers and sisters in Islam. Assalaatu wassalaam alaa Rasuulullaah wa alaa aalihii wa ashaabihi wa sallim. I pray you are in the best state of health, wealth and eemaan. Do not forget me in your du’a as usual. Smiles! I am going to tell you a story today. Read it wholeheartedly and share with me your thoughts at the end of it all. May Allah azza wa jal protect us from riyaa and make our focus only Him. Aameen Yaa Allah.
THE STORY BEGINS
There lived a very rich man. He had it all, wealth and family. Yes, a beautiful, supportive and well-groomed wife and two beautiful daughters who were both in the University. He was a man who was truly grateful to Allah azza wa jal for his blessings and he made sure his family lacked nothing. Even though both father and mother tried as best they could to treat their children equally, their father seemed to be more inclined to the elder daughter – and oh, it was just a year or less between the two daughters. Yes, that is possible, some women could get pregnant barely two or three months after giving birth. Smiles! He had named both of them with beautiful names all right, but he had a special name for the elder sister – he affectionately called her; YA DAGA ALLAH which is in the Hausa language and which means ‘Child from Allah.’ The younger sister could not understand why her dad called her sister that and rather called her by her name. He could have given her a pet name too.
The two sisters were however different in character. The elder one was respectful, very humble, kind, friendly, etc. and the younger one was the opposite of all of that. They had a car with a driver and a bodyguard. The car takes them to school and back. Elder daughter does not like the princess-like treatment of opening and closing doors for her. She believed she was fully capable of doing so herself. She did not want anyone to help with her hand bag; she could do that as well. Younger sister wants exactly what elder sister doesn’t want. If you don’t open the door, she remains standing outside of or sitting in the car. She won’t even look at her bag when she gets home because one of their two escorts is expected to bring it inside. She made them know who was boss in the most rude of manners. So, automatically, they were more of the fans of YA DAGA ALLAH as they admired her humility and respect greatly. Back in school also, as expected, YA DAGA ALLAH was on the lips of all. They admired her greatly for all of the positive traits she possessed and her younger sister was just seen as who she was – rude, arrogant and bossy. So they left her alone.
All of the above did not make younger sister try to learn these positive traits from elder sister. Rather, she envied her day after day. Enmity grew between them even though YA DAGA ALLAH tried her utmost best to avoid any confusion with her. She either complained to their mother or their father about younger sister’s attitude towards her and they always put younger sister in her place. That too only increased younger sister’s hatred for elder sister.
To top it all up – there was this fine gentleman that younger sister liked so much. Unfortunately however, fine gentleman was rather head over heels in love with YA DAGA ALLAH. Fine gentleman tried as much to convince YA DAGA ALLAH to accept him but she doesn’t seem interested in that. She thought they were good friends and that was ok.
One day, younger sister comes to meet her big sister and fine gentleman having a chit-chat. She gets so angry that she warns her sister to stay off her man. But fine gentleman could not understand because he and younger sister were not even friends not to talk of any kind of love relationship. Her sister tells her;
‘Don’t worry. We are not lovers. We are just friends.’
Then fine gentleman cuts in saying;
‘No. I love you. I want you to be my wife. You are the one who is not accepting me.’
So, that is just one of the things. Younger sister at one time proposed to fine gentleman who also made it clear to her that it was her sister he wanted not her. And always, younger sister will run to her mother crying and complaining about how her big sister is taking everything away from her – from the love of her friends to the love of the man she wanted so badly. Her mother began to feel worried because she thought her younger daughter was in so much pain because apart from the fact that YA DAGA ALLAH was clearly a daddy’s favourite, she seemed to also be having it all even at school. So she tried to console her as best as she could.
One day, YA DAGA ALLAH needed to be in school earlier because she had an examination to write. As much as she got her sister to hurry up so they leave the house together because of the car, her sister didn’t budge. She just relaxed and cared less. YA DAGA ALLAH then left and luckily for her, after explaining everything to their father, he decided to drop her off at school himself. That was a boom! She was glad and they left. His car was of course a lot more classy. Plus he was popular and the students were glad to see him. After he dropped her off, he gave them money to share and they each got enough to boast about. Younger sister came out, happy to know that she had put her elder sister in a tight situation. She asked the driver whether her sister went to look for a car to go and they told her that her father sent her to school. Younger sister begins to boil inside. That was the last thing she wanted. She rushed off to school only to go and hear the news of how YA DAGA ALLAH’s father had come to drop her off and given them so much money they’ve not had in days. She was furious and mad.
Now, her father wanted to solve the problem with their having to fight over the use of the car. He gave YA DAGA ALLAH the key to a brand new car. He told her that it was her personal car from now onwards. Their mother and younger daughter were so sad about it and they did not hide their feelings. Their mother made her husband know how much she was disappointed in her husband for the clear favouritism he was showing. He was unperturbed. He made her know he had intentions of getting younger sister her own car too but later. She was not pleased.
YA DAGA ALLAH got more admiration with her car in school. She did not have to fight with her sister over the car anymore.
Now, younger sister’s pain became so unbearable that one day, she had to run from school to the house in tears. Their mother was so worried that she felt she had to do something to calm her daughter down. There was a secret she knew that could make her daughter’s pain vanish right away and she decided to tell her.
She explained to her younger daughter that if anything at all, she is the one who should feel happier because she is their biological daughter and YA DAGA ALLAH was a child they picked from a rubbish dump. Younger sister could not believe it. She believed her father should have been treating her the way he does YA DAGA ALLAH and not the other way round if she was truly his daughter instead of her sister. But in the end, finding this secret only made her happier than ever. She felt like BOSS and YA DAGA ALLAH, some nonentity. Her mother was happy that her daughter was finally relieved of her pain. She had warned her to keep it a secret between them and she promised to do so.
She saw YA DAGA ALLAH looking at the mirror. For the first time, she also called her YA DAGA ALLAH in a sarcastic way. YA DAGA ALLAH was surprised and she mentioned her surprise too. Then younger sister asked why she was sitting by the mirror like that. She explained that she was just wondering whom she looked like among their parents. She could not make any linkage with any of them except that she has her father’s complexion. Younger sister was enjoying the whole thing. She pitied her in a sarcastic way. YA DAGA ALLAH realized that her sister’s attitude has changed towards her and that she had become more relaxed and letting her have her way without any complaints. She was at least thankful that her sister was now happy.
Then, younger sister comes to school one day to meet YA DAGA ALLAH and the object of her interest, the fine gentleman. She told him that she wanted to talk to him privately and he told her that there is nothing she cannot tell him in front of her sister. Interestingly, there were many students around too. Her younger sister told him that YA DAGA ALLAH is not her parents’ child and that she was picked from somewhere. That was a shocker for YA DAGA ALLAH and everyone there. The fine guy slapped younger sister but she kept saying it is true. YA DAGA ALLAH run and drove off to the house. She went to meet her father and asked about what she had just heard. Her father was flabbergasted. He went straight to his wife and asked her why she let that secret out because they are the only two people who know about it. YA DAGA ALLAH heard them and collapsed when she found out it was true.
Her father sent her to his room and when she got conscious, he decided to tell her the whole story in the presence of his wife and daughter. Before telling her the story, he told his wife how ungrateful she was and made his daughter know that she owed her life to YA DAGA ALLAH.
FLASHBACK ONE
He was a very poor man with a pregnant wife. His work was carrying water from one point to the other and it had given him some health problems. One day, as he drove his trolley of water, he fell down unconscious. His friends sent him home and the doctor who took care of him said that he had warned him not to do any tedious work but he wouldn’t listen. He told him to be careful because if he should get an attack again, he will not come back. The doctor was taking care of him free of charge. They did not have any means of livelihood but the doctor assured him of the dangers of doing that kind of work again. Even when he was working, he could only afford minimal food, how much more now.
Unfortunately, his wife became ill and he had to take her to the hospital. The doctor told him that he needed to bring an amount of money before they could take care of her. He left the hospital in sorrow wondering where he could get money. He wondered about to no avail. He went to a money lender who upon seeing his appearance alone drove him away. As he walked around, he came close to the rubbish dump and then he heard a baby crying. He went and saw a baby on a big bag full of US Dollars. He was shocked. Then he found a note in it that said that whoever finds this baby with the money should please take care of the child and that the money in the bag belongs to the baby. They also assured the person that the baby was put there not because she was not needed but it was just to protect her. It also mentioned that she was not born out of wedlock.
He prayed to Allah to put the love of the child in his heart and to help him take care of her as best as he could and then he sent her and the money home. He then went to the hospital with a bundle of the money as he did not know what kind of money it was and its worth. When he gave it to the doctor, the doctor told him it was US Dollars and that he will give him change. The doctor was so excited. His wife wondered where he had gotten that money from.
When they got home, he showed the baby to his wife. She began to accuse him of adultery. He swore that he had never cheated on her and that he only saw the child at the rubbish dump. He told her everything and made her read the note. His wife suddenly took the baby and promised to be the baby’s mother in every aspect of the word. Husband and wife decided to move from the town they were to another town to start their new life.
The man took some of the money and started doing business with it. The business flourished so much that he began to trade in other countries. He finally replaced the amount of money he took and put all the money he picked in the bank. He intended to give the money back to YA DAGA ALLAH when she was old enough. He continued with his business until now. He had always loved YA DAGA ALLAH like he never ever loved even himself and he felt as though she had no other father but him.
YA DAGA ALLAH felt relieved that she wasn’t a child born out of wedlock like her sister made it seem and that her parents had not thrown her away because she was a nuisance but they had done so only under duress. She was glad that Allah placed her into the hands of these loving parents too. Younger sister could not hold back her tears. Her father told them that they should thank Allah for the life of YA DAGA ALLAH. Their mother pulled her daughter away in annoyance. She was angry that her husband prefers YA DAGA ALLAH to them. From then, younger sister ignores her elder sister totally. She told her mother that she wished she had not revealed the secret and kept her happiness as it was. She thought revealing it was going to make her defeat YA DAGA ALLAH totally but it has rather killed the entire ego she had left so much so that she felt as though YA DAGA ALLAH was her god. Mother and daughter kept their cool in anger and father and YA DAGA ALLAH went on with their lives.
When YA DAGA ALLAH was going back to school after the incident, her father told her to use his car instead of hers. She wondered why. He told her that he feared if she uses her car, she might not come back to the house. She assured him that she loved him truly and she was never going to do anything like that. He promised to find her parents for her no matter what.
Back in school, the students were feeling down. They believed YA DAGA ALLAH could not come to the school again after her sister’s disgrace. As they went about their activities in sorrow, they saw her coming in her car. They all gathered around her and sympathized with her. When they saw how happy she was, they became excited again. Her sister also came to school and a group of guys gathered around her to beat her because of what she did to her sister. One of them slapped her and YA DAGA ALLAH came to her rescue, warning anyone who dared to harm her sister that she would deal with the person herself. Her younger sister felt so ashamed.
Fine gentleman was also glad that she came to school and that she was happy. After she had told him the true story, he also volunteered to help locate her parents by putting the matter on social media. Her father also announced the matter on television. Before we continue, let us know the background of fine gentleman a little.
FINE GENTLEMAN’S HOUSEHOLD
He was the only child of a rich woman who had a wonderful house help. The house help was like a sister to his mother and a mother to him. She was his friend and confidant. He had told both his mother and the house help about YA DAGA ALLAH whom he wanted to marry. The house help always gave him good advice as to how to go about it. When the issue about YA DAGA ALLAH being an illegitimate child and someone who was picked at the rubbish dump came about, he had told them about it. His mother was flatly against him going ahead with his marriage plans with her. She did not want her son marrying anybody like that. This house help who was always on his side and seemed to always speak for YA DAGA ALLAH said his mother was right and that no one wanted someone like that in their life. He was angry that she could say that. There was one thing about this house help. She seemed to be absorbed in sorrow all the time. She didn’t have any family and her background was unknown too.
Fine gentleman had come to inform his mother and the house help about what YA DAGA ALLAH had come to say about how he found her. His mother was still reluctant about him having anything to do with her. The house help was rather thinking deeply but no one knew her thoughts exactly.
BACK TO YA DAGA ALLAH’S HOUSEHOLD
Finally, her parents had been found. They had told her father all that had happened for them to lose their daughter. They told him the name they had given her. Her real father had developed a sickness that made him go unconscious from time to time after some thieves had taken his money and daughter away from him and his wife. The story seemed weird but her real father fainted when some questions were asked. Her mother was excited to finally have her daughter back. She hugged her passionately.
YA DAGA ALLAH called fine gentleman to tell him that her parents had been found. He was excited and he told her he was coming to her house to meet them. He told his mother and their house help about it. Interestingly, their house help insisted that he took her with him and he did. When they got to the house, they met father and wife with their daughters and new parents having a chit chat.
There was a love at first sight kind of feeling between YA DAGA ALLAH and the house help all of a sudden. YA DAGA ALLAH could not understand but the house help told her and everybody that she was her mother and that those other parents claiming her were not her parents. Confusion began and the father began asking questions. He asked all of them to tell him the content of the letter that was inside the bag with the baby. The other parents who were claiming her said that it was the thieves who put the letter in it but the house help told them that she was the one who wrote it and she narrated exactly what was in the letter. Father also asked what the currency of the money was and the other parents said it was their local currency. The house help told them that it was US Dollars. The father then knew that it was truly his daughter’s mother. The other parents run out of the house and drove off. They were criminals who were after the money they had heard about on TV.
The house help now narrated to all of them what caused her to do what she did with her daughter.
FLASHBACK TWO
She was happily married and living with her husband and his younger brother. Her husband’s brother was totally disrespectful to her and he misused any money he was given to do business by his elder brother. She got pregnant and her husband invested all of his money into a business that was going to fetch him huge sums of money. He told his younger brother that he was going to give him a lot of money to do business when the business pulls through. He also advised him about his attitude towards his wife and how he misused money. He promised never to be rude to his wife again and never to misuse any money he gives him again.
YA DAGA ALLAH was finally born and after some months, he was called that the business was successful. He went for the money and brought it home. He told his wife and younger brother that he was going to put the money in the bank the next day. They all went to sleep and as he had a chat with his wife, their light went out. They went out for him to try to fix it and he got electrocuted to death.
Right after his burial, his younger brother told the women with his brother’s wife to excuse them because he wanted to talk to her. He asked her about the money and she gave him her piece of mind about how heartless he could be to be thinking about money even then. Late that night, she heard him and other men planning to come and take the money. She quickly strapped her baby to her bag, changed the bag containing the money and eloped.
They came; he checked the bag and found it empty. They began to chase her. She was lucky to see a man alone in his truck. She pleaded with him to drive her to some place he was not going. He agreed and drove her off whiles they chased them. Sadly, their truck crushed into something and the driver got stuck. She tried to help him but he told her to leave him alone and run for her life. She assured him that she will look for him one day when he told her his name. She quickly eloped. The driver was stuck in the car and the men who were chasing her came to meet him. They saw that he was as good as dead so they proceeded with their search in the wrong direction. That was when she put the girl at the rubbish dump with the write-up and she found a job as a house help so that she could protect them from being pursued.
Everyone cried as she finished narrating her story. Younger sister came to apologise to YA DAGA ALLAH who forgave her and hugged her.
THEY PAID SOMEONE A VISIT
This man was crippled. He wondered why so many people had come to visit him. They looked like wealthy people too and he was just a poor man living in a poor environment. The woman asked him whether he recognizes her and he said no. She told him that she was the woman with the baby he had helped so many years ago from those dangerous men. Now, he remembered. He thanked Allah azza wa jal that she was able to survive. He asked about her daughter and she pointed YA DAGA ALLAH to him. He was extremely happy that they were safe. She had told him that she promised to come back to him and there she was. She had come to thank him and to see how he was doing. He told her about how he was lucky to survive the accident but lost the use of his legs in the process. Since then, life has been extremely hard because he could not drive again but he was coping. He also assured her that he expected absolutely nothing from her and that everything he had done for her, he had done so only for the sake of Allah azza wa jal so she shouldn’t feel obliged to do him any favour. She however told him that she was giving him a huge sum of money (I guess he hasn’t even heard of that amount before not to talk of seeing it). She also brought him a brand new car for his personal use. She pleaded with him in the name of Allah that he should never ever hesitate to seek her aid in anything whatsoever that he needed or wanted. All of them were very glad.
THE FINAL BIT
YA DAGA ALLAH was chatting nicely with her father. She thanked Allah azza wa jal for blessing her with a father like him. She however had a request. She told her father that she did not want to live apart from any of her parents (her father and her two mothers) so she would be extremely grateful if he accepted to marry her mother so they all live together in the same house. He was amazed at her request and after thinking for a while, he told her that he would talk to her other mother and sister about it. Right then, her other mother entered and told them that she had already thought about it too and that she would be glad to have YA DAGA ALLAH’s mother as her co-wife. Now, they only had to tell younger sister about it.
FINE GENTLEMAN’S HOUSE
She was no more a house help. This time, she was dressed nicely and she was chatting with fine gentleman’s mother. They were wondering how they were going to live. She could not go to YA DAGA ALLAH’s father to tell him to give her daughter to her so they live together and she also did not want to leave fine gentleman’s mother for how excellently she had treated her. As they pondered on the way forward, fine gentleman who had been informed about YA DAGA ALLAH’s father’s interest in marrying his friend, their former house help, came to them looking excited. He told them that YA DAGA ALLAH and her family will be coming there soon and that they want to ask them for something very important. He smiled and walked away but the two women understood it all. Fine gentleman’s mother asked YA DAGA ALLAH’s mother what she thought about the man’s proposal and she said that there was absolutely nothing that she has that the man would request from her that she would not give him due to the rareness of his loyalty and personality – looking at how he kept the trust of a daughter. Keep smiling! Too beautiful to be true! Humanity at its best!
BACK TO SCHOOL
YA DAGA ALLAH comes to school as usual with her fans all over her. She told them she had a surprise for them. She pulled her sister from the back seat and reintroduced her to them. They accepted her too and said that now they will call them ‘YA YA DAGA ALLAH’ which means, ‘children from Allah.’ Everyone was finally happy.
And that was the end of the Hausa movie I thought I should write for many others to benefit from its vast lessons. Though I am not a movie fan, the rare and true kind of love exhibited in the story is heart touching. Please share with me the lessons you derived from this as well. May Allah azza wa jal ease for you your every affair for taking time to read this lengthy story. Aameen Yaa Waduud Yaa Rahmaanur Raheem Yaa Allah. Assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi (my daughter’s name) wa Barkaatuhu. Keep smiling to Jannah! Jazaakumullaahu khairan!
Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu
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