Death Has No Respect For Age -By Hassan Idris

No one died and returned to the world. Nor did anyone see the dead. The dead and the living are in two different world they said. On a very beautiful evening, I was standing in front of the gate of my house alone receiving the comeliness of the cold harmattan breeze as I reminisced on a lot of things and the memories of late Nasir; the beautiful time we went out on his Hajue motorcycle with laughter on our faces.

Those times that we walked out like twins and those times he teased me in the presence of mama and she laughed and said” you better let me be and go get me a wife, I need to have my grandchildren from you”. Despite Nasir being very older than me, he joked with me like we’re twins as most times we sewed the same kind of clothes and wore and I accompanied him to Aisha’s place; the girl he wanted to marry as his Assistance I followed him anywhere.

A sudden kind of breeze started blowing and all the trees around started turning around their faces on I and my house gate was shaking and making sounds like a juggernaut or someone was pushing it from behind and suddenly late Nasir appeared to my sight. I’ve never experienced fear in my entire life until that day. I shivered and my head felt like mountain Kilimanjaro was dropped on it and my body felt cold like I was beaten by the cold of Russia until I cried, fainted and woke up to meet him standing.

I had no other way out than to develop confidence when he said to me” Hassan, fear not, I’m still your elder brother and death do not share us apart for death is created by Allah to test our faith. If I do not die, how do you expect me to go to the next world? All I needed from you is your prayers and not your fear nor tears.” That moment, fear drifted from me and I fell to the ground and started crying and asking Allah to forgive his soul and grant him eternal paradise and he replied” Ameen summa Ameen”

I and Nasir both entered the house while I was still scared and shivering while we moved straight to the kitchen where Mama and other siblings were and where we always sit at that exact time when he was alive to discuss, crack jokes while our female siblings do the cooking. When mama and my other siblings saw me shivering, they were all surprised thinking I was sick and I needed to be taken to the hospital but I told them I was fine while looking straight into the eyes of Nasir sitting and watching me. Nobody could see him sitting but only I. He hears everyone’s talks but no one hears him except me. When he talks, I tell my parents and siblings what he says.

At first, my mom felt I was still traumatized by his death or I’m gradually losing it not until I was able to convince her and my other siblings. Nasir speaks to me while I tell mama and siblings” Mama, do not worry, we shall meet when Allah wills and your prayers have been effectively working. Keep it up and may Allah grant you paradise he said!. He went further to request we all to be scared of death and do good things for death will expose all our secrets (good/bad).

“You do not know when you’re dying, so prepare for it like someone who’s preparing to write exams for questions could come from anywhere at any time”. He turned to his younger ones ( both male and female) and said,” do not think because you’re young you won’t die, death has no respect for age”. He asked for his friends and neighbours who died and those who were alive for that’s what we do whenever I come back from school so we can pray for them.

Finally, he said that” may Allah bless you all and he went straight to mama and looked at her in the eyes and started crying and returned to wave me bye. Immediately, I heard the call for prayer and that was when I realized it was nothing but a dream. May Allah forgive our beloved ones that are dead.

© Hassan Idris.
idrishassan035@gmail.com.
Benue, Nigeria.