aab e hayat ( English version)

chapter no 29

With thousands of people in attendance, Salar Sikandar received Ibaka's body at the airport. Among the thousands of people, besides Salar Sikandar, there was not a single white person. Even the news channels covering the event in Congo that day were staffed entirely by locals. No one wanted to take the risk of entering this armed tribal crowd, a group who knew nothing but taking lives and giving their own. 

These savage and untamed people were ready to destroy anything that stood in the way of their survival. Among the thousands of black-skinned people, there was one man with a fair complexion who, despite not being racially white, appeared white compared to the darkest complexions of the crowd. The government of Congo had provided him with some security, but the tribal leaders who were overseeing the event had rejected it. Salar Sikandar, with unmatched bravery, entered alone, without a single guard. 

The event, broadcast live on millions of TV screens worldwide, focused solely on one person. Again and again, the cameras captured the tall man with sharp features, sitting on stage with Ibaka's family during the final rites, before this crowd, where if someone had shot him, it would have been impossible to identify where or who he was.

If the crowd had surged forward, no one but God could have prevented him from being torn apart, and Salar Sikandar was acutely aware of this as he sat on the stage before the thousands who were chanting slogans for the destruction of the empire in response to the passionate speeches of the tribal leaders paying tribute to Ibaka. The fear of thousands weighed heavily on his heart, and he kept reciting Quranic verses under his breath. 

Despite knowing that God was displeased with him, he called upon Him. The man, visible on screens in CIA headquarters in America and the World Bank headquarters, was commanding their awe, those whose power reverberated throughout the world. Such bravery, such courage! They were dumbstruck, speechless, and awed. The man now stood to pay tribute to Petrus Ibaka when his name was called.

 The crowd responded with applause. Standing six feet tall, with sharp features and a serious face, he was a beautiful example of grace and dignity in his black two-piece suit, the focus of the world's cameras.

High above the stage, in a Black Hawk helicopter, a few CIA commandos were monitoring the event with TV scopes. A few other black boxes were in the nearby buildings. They could do nothing more for Salar's protection and life at that moment. Salar Sikandar reached the rostrum, and the crowd fell silent.

 After reciting Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, he began to recite a Quranic verse. Salar Sikandar had delivered many speeches in his life, but none before such a crowd with whom he had no connection beyond human compassion. 

He was speaking to them in the local language, Lingala, and what he said was translated and appeared on TV screens. In the global TV coverage, every speech by the local leaders, delivered in Swahili and Lingala, was translated into English and other international languages. Neither Imama nor Salar Sikandar had any idea that he would repeat the last sermon of the final Prophet (PBUH) before this black African crowd.

The words he had always shied away from now traveled from his subconscious to his tongue without stopping and reached millions. He began his speech as he always did, with Bismillah. He recited the Quranic verse that said honor and disgrace are in Allah's hands. Then, he raised his head and looked at the crowd, and it was as if his mind went blank.

 For a moment, he forgot what he had come to say. He lowered his head again and glanced at the paper on the rostrum where he had noted the points for his speech. He had always given speeches based on notes, trusting implicitly in his memory and knowledge. Now, with an empty mind, he was staring like a deer caught in headlights at the crowd waiting for his next words. His previous words had gone over their heads. The African tribes gathered there still did not worship Allah or recognize His existence.