Chapter 10: Nasash the gardener: Part 2

"We arrived in the city after three days. I wandered its streets and twisted alleys without knowing what to do, and my grandmother fell asleep on my back from exhaustion and the abundance of new and strange sights, people, and sounds for her.

When I grew tired, I sat to rest on the steps of a large house, with my grandmother still on my back like a child. Suddenly, Father Reda came to enter his house after the midday prayer and found me there.

The kind man was moved by the sight of me, just a boy, so he invited me inside. His family gathered around us, welcoming us and feeding us, while his wife; Zainah, took great care of my grandmother.

I shared my story with them, and Father Reda translated. He was younger then, and everyone was touched. The mother and children cried, and they all showed us great kindness.

Mother Zainah held my grandmother's hand in hers and reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, you won't die until God takes you to Him!"

Neither my grandmother nor I understood the meaning of God, as in the mountains, people worshiped fire; And the idols and the lingering spirits.

Father Reda explained to us that the inhabitants of the city were also mountain dwellers, and they were pagans before Islam reached them from the east. They used to sacrifice children and elders before descending to the plains.

He told us about Islam and about the Prophet Muhammad, so we embraced Islam, and they taught us prayer and all the obligations, and the Sheikh employed me as a gardener and a guard.

My grandmother passed away while we were his guests one night in her sleep without illness or pain, and Sheikh performed a proper funeral for her, and we buried her among the Muslims with honor.

I had forgotten about my family in the mountains and their savage pagan customs, but I remembered them as we buried my grandmother, and I thought to myself, why couldn't they be like these people?! My obsession became returning to them and inviting them to Islam.

So, Dan asked him:

- Why didn't you do it?

"I hesitated and feared for my life, as they were savage pagans and would not hesitate to kill anyone who questioned their beliefs and entrenched customs. Therefore, we must be cautious about stirring up this matter."

The lamp went out, and they sank into a deep sleep