This story will bring to mind the last years of the rule of the Ottoman Empire over our lands when people took the wrong turning and disregarded God’s
Orders and religious obligations. Hence, the Wisdom of the Almighty decreed that He would limit His Benefits and His Granting of requests in favour of inflicting difficulties and disasters upon them so that they might pay attention to their wrongful ways and come back to their senses. Thus, confusion prevailed in the machinery of government, and consequently among the citizens.
This story takes place during the time of World War I and the particular period of time was called the ‘Time of Travel by Land’, for the Ottoman armies were driven overland to the Suez Canal to fight against the Western invading forces. Apart from the difficulties and shortages imposed by the war it was also a time marked by great famine because of the severe lack of food resulting from several years of drought and a plague of locusts.
So when the people began to suffer hunger and deprivation, the government imposed certain restrictions and issued special bread coupons for each family by means of which every family was entitled to a specified amount of bread every day, depending on the number of members in the family, and this amount could not be exceeded.
Now, let us, dear reader, come back to that period of time and share for a while, the life of Mohammad Amin when he came up against a difficult situation and was faced with a serious problem.
In a particular quarter of Damascus there was a bakery owned by an evil man who lacked all sense of courtesy and honour, and cared little for religion either.
That autocrat used to turn up his nose at ordinary people because, being a notable descendant of a wealthy family that held a high rank in the machinery of government, he believed it gave him the right to act with impunity and do whatever he wished. So, as he was the owner of the local bakery and the entire neighbourhood needed his bread, he lost no opportunity to trade upon this fact. He was afraid of no-one because he knew that his wealthy family was always there to support him.
He thought that all those people should be at his service since bread was a staple food and something they could not go without. So, according to his conceited point of view he decided that he would give bread or withhold it to suit his own evil purpose.
His overwhelming conceit even led him to believe that he could get the girl he desired. He forgot that Al’lah possesses all people, and they are within His Control, and in His Hand. So, He does not give a free hand to the oppressor except over another oppressor, nor does He let one adulterer practise his desires except over an adulteress who is following the same wrongful course as he is. As for his finding a chaste and pure woman, she would be absolutely out of his reach because Al’lah would never allow it.
One day, he heard through the gossip of some stupid women in the neighbourhood that the daughter of a certain elderly man was the most beautiful young girl in all the quarter and that her charm was beyond compare; besides which, she was in the prime of her youth. The news reached him through the women of his family, perhaps through his mother or sister…
On hearing this that sly old fox remembered that the girl they spoke about came to his bakery every day to get the bread for her family as they had no domestic help. Her father was elderly and infirm, and her brothers were still young children. As for her mother, she had died some years before. Thus, there was no-one to go out of the house to bring the food and other things the family needed except for this particular girl.
During that age, the veil was still worn by all Muslim women. So, whenever a woman left her home, no-one could know what she looked like: whether she was beautiful or ugly, or even if she were old or young; her outward appearance was just like a black column. But since the girl had the coupons in her father’s name and she had to give them to the baker in order to get her family’s share of bread, the wicked baker thought that he would have no problem in recognising her. Clearly, he harboured wicked intentions in his heart.
The next morning, as usual, the girl went to the bakery after sunrise to get her family’s daily allowance of bread. She stood in front of the window assigned for women and when it was her turn to be served she stretched out her hand to give the baker the book of coupons. The baker looked at it to check the name of the owner, and when he read the name of the elderly man he knew that she was the beautiful young woman of his dreams, the victim whom he intended to ravish.
He ignored her outstretched hand and did not take the book. He planned not to give her the family’s bread allowance.
The girl found his behaviour very strange! She did not know why he had acted this way with her, so she stood there waiting while the other women, one after the other, were given their bread as usual until finally she was the only person left standing at the bakery window when all others had been served and left. The poor helpless woman continued to stand by the window… completely perplexed!
She did not know what the problem was! She was shy and embarrassed at his behaviour and did not know what to do. She wanted to leave, but she could not for she had to bring bread for her elderly father and little siblings who were waiting for her to have their breakfast together.
At that time, with eyes filled with deceit and evil intent the wicked baker said to her: ‘I won’t give you any bread unless you agree to what I want from you.’
She could not bear to think about what he had said, her pure and chaste heart had received such a terrible shock, so too overwhelmed to utter a single word she turned her back on the lascivious baker and went home as fast as her feet would take her, her honour and purity intact. She cried inwardly: ‘No… no… never!’
It is true that she did not get the bread allowance for her family, but she gained a high rank with God, for He Who sees all, knew what had happened to her.
Sadly, the innocent girl and her family spent that day fighting the pangs of hunger. Early on the following morning she set off again for the bakery, to get her family’s share of bread, hoping that the baker might refrain from voicing his immoral intentions. But alas! What a terrible experience it was for the young virgin girl! For that miscreant repeated his actions of the previous day and made his lustful request once again. He asked her to relinquish her virginity in return for her rightful share of bread. How dare he!
Despite her hunger, and despite her deprivation, she left the bakery quickly mentally heaping scorn on that evil beast. She felt her heart suffer great sorrow for her father and the children who would go hungry for a second day; while the strength of her spirit enabled her to rebel honourably against his immoral request. She returned home with tears in her eyes, and as soon she entered the house, her brothers and sisters rushed towards her their stomachs suffering severe spasms of hunger. But when they saw no bread in her hands they burst into tears crying: ‘Oh sister! Where’s the bread? Where’s the bread, sister?’
She embraced them and wiped away their tears, ‘Oh… dear! Oh… dear!’… she replied while she could not help but add her own tears to theirs, ‘Didn’t I tell you that the bakery is still not working?’
But what would she do? She could not go to the bakery in the next district as her coupons had been allocated for the bakery of her quarter only, so no other bakery could give her bread.
What was she going to do…?
On the third day, she went off to the same bakery with a broken heart. But that criminal was still determined to have his lascivious way with her. By now he was so overcome with desire for the young woman that he had become like a rapacious beast. He gave no thought to the small children who were desperately hungry. His despotic lack of human kindness was leading a poor family towards starvation and possibly death, only to fulfill his own base lusts.
Again she left the bakery with tears in her eyes and made her way home with uneven steps, swaying like a drunkard because she had been overcome by the terrible hunger that had overwhelmed her and made her seem powerless.
During those days, a kindly old man with the grey beard of age had noticed the situation that was developing day by day. He realised what the baker was up to and felt great sympathy for the state of that poor girl and her family. So he stopped her and said, ‘Daughter! (for it was a customary form of address), go to the head of the police-station in our quarter and complain. He’s the only man who can solve your problem and restore your rights. The police-station is opposite the bakery… go there immediately and tell him your story.’
At that time, the head of the police-station of the neighbourhood where this incident took place was our esteemed officer Mohammad Amin. The girl listened to what the old man said, so she dragged her exhausted feet towards the police-station to speak to the chief officer.
She entered the police-station veiled from top to toe by the clothes designed to protect her virtue and which fully concealed her wan and bewildered beauty which was brimful with honour. She knocked at the door of the chief’s office and he answered in his usual strong voice, full of authority,
‘Yes! Come in, please.’
She opened the door slowly and went in hesitantly.
She stepped inside the office with slow, wavering steps due to her extreme shyness and great desire for modesty: quite apart from her physical weakness and the fact that she was obviously on the point of collapse. The crying voices of the hungry children were still resounding in her ears, so she had to do something and Officer Sheikho was her last resort.
She approached the chief officer’s desk but still she did not utter a word. It was hard for her to tell him about her problem for her tears were flowing abundantly and she was crying too much to be able to speak.
Mohammad Amin sensed that she was crying so he asked her, ‘What is the matter, sister? Come on, tell me, please.’
At the sound of his kindly voice the girl cried even more! Our man realised that she must be in great distress, so he addressed her saying, ‘Come on, sister! Come on, tell me! What’s your problem? I’m here to help you.’
Finally she managed to blurt out a few words, ‘Oh…oh… the baker… does not give me bread. Oh… oh… he wants fornication…’
At that moment, our officer fully understood the situation and instantly flew into a rage: like a whirlwind he leapt from his chair and grabbing his whip he said to himself, ‘It’s like that is it baker? You, despicable man! I’ll show you! I’ll give you what you deserve!’
He dashed out of his office, his feet barely touching the ground until he reached the bakery. The sight of his fury and extremely agitated behaviour made the people there quickly get out of his way, so he leaped over the serving counter and darted inside. It was a great shock for the baker as it had all happened so suddenly and he had no idea what to do; but when he regained his senses, he found himself being dragged out to the street by his hair and a shoulder.
And so it happened, in the middle of the street and in full view of everyone, that he quickly became humble and lowly. He could not put up any resistance under the justified lashing being dealt to him at the hands of Officer Mohammad Amin who was enforcing his need to bring about justice, and which caused him to forget his own strength.
Afterwards, back in the police-station, God’s Wrath descended yet again on the baker when the honest officer, the defender of right, gave him a severe beating, and when he fell down he kicked him and trampled him underfoot. Then he began to lash him incessantly until the baker appeared as lifeless as a bloodied corpse, the blood flowing from every part of his body. Nobody would envy the terrible state the baker was in…! As for his feet, they were swollen beyond recognition because of the scourging and they too were covered with blood.
Indeed, he received a just punishment at the hands of the brave officer. He tasted the torment which the girl had suffered in her heart and the pains felt by her father and brothers. The baker had been prepared to let them die of hunger in his endeavour to exploit and tyrannise an innocent young woman!
Officer Sheikho finally stopped when he realised that he might kill the man so he ordered his soldiers to take the beast to the nearest medical centre to be given the necessary aid. And he said, ‘If he dies, hellfire will be his fate; and it’s a terrible destination.’
His anger did not stop there! He then stormed out of the police-station and went back to the bakery to get the bread allowance of the family for the past three days. And that was not all, for he also instructed one of the most honest and reliable policemen to bring the bread daily to the house of the young woman’s family.
Thus, he enforced justice strongly and fearlessly when he stood up to the oppressive perpetrator and punished him. In fact he wiped out one of the worst types of crime and gave no thought to what the repercussions might be from that heroic deed. Nor did he stop to consider that the baker’s family was wealthy and held high positions in the government. It did not even cross his mind that they would plot against him as a revenge for the baker’s punishment. The overwhelming feeling of indignation which arose inside Officer Sheikho’s spirit made him care only about one thing: to put justice back on to its proper course and to apply a severe penalty to the wrongdoer.
Thus, the arrogant oppressor received his punishment and was repaid for his wrongdoing and evil intentions towards that virtuous girl and her innocent young siblings. So, the severity of his injuries ensured that he remained in hospital for two months, suffering intense pains and unbearable anguish.
As for Mohammad Amin, the Turkish government, by
God’s Arrangement, then sent him far away from that neighbourhood to undertake an urgent official task. As he was nowhere to be seen no-one could retaliate or take revenge for the baker’s justified punishment.
Thus, God protected him from any plot that might be hatched against him.
The baker’s recovery was slow and painful and the two months that he spent in hospital gave him time to stoke his anger against the officer. He could not forget how he had been degraded in front of all the people in the middle of the street with no thought given to the fact that he was noble and well-connected, and how he had been beaten in the police-station, causing terrible injury and unbearable pain which needed a long period of treatment in the hospital.
Whenever he remembered it, which was frequently throughout each day, he felt anger surge within him, so he kept trying to plot some way that might quench his thirst for revenge and help him pay the officer back twofold.
It was as if he was talking to himself, ‘I don’t have to give in to him. He’s just a man and so am I. Anyway days are passing and surely I will regain my health and see you once again, officer; who do you think you are?… head of the police-station… that won’t help you! Then, you will know who the real man is… you or I!’
He could not forget him for a single minute, whether awake or asleep, it seemed that every moment was taken up with thoughts of his degradation and what he would do to seek revenge.
This is what occupied him all during the two painful months. But something strange had happened by the time he left hospital! The baker felt that it was not only that his body had recovered from physical pain, but also that his heart had been cured of its emotional injury. He turned his thoughts inward to himself and as he examined his conscience he quickly came to understand that he, the noble born baker, was indeed an absolute criminal. The wonder is that he admitted that he had committed criminal acts towards the young woman!
How merciless he was when he behaved as he did to the girl and her family!
What dreadful punishment he was about to bring on himself from Al’lah!
At that moment he turned to God with sincere repentance. He spent long nights crying for he could not imagine to what immoral depths he had sunk. He gave thanks and praised God wholeheartedly for it was He Who had sent him that honest officer Mohammad Amin to punish him and help him to recover his senses and turn him away from his wrongdoing. He began to pray, to read the Qur’an and to treat people with heartfelt charity and respect.
He wanted to see that humane officer in order to kiss his hands, no, his feet, out of respect for the great favour he had done for him by ridding him of evil and ensuring that he returned to the right path, the path to God. He knew that our officer was the rescuer who had saved him from the Fire of the other world and the misery of this world to direct him towards the bliss and felicity of the nearness to God.
The baker thought about his repentance and our officer day after day, and month after month, until eventually many years had passed. But one day, Mohammad Amin (who had retired from his position by then) was crossing the road, when suddenly a solemn and reverent old man rushed towards him and started kissing his hand while abundant tears coursed over his bright cheeks, but Mohammad Amin pulled his hand away immediately.
That grave old gentleman had been sitting on a chair in front of the door of his house reading the Holy Qur’an after the noon prayer – which was a custom of the people of Sham [76]in the past. When he saw our officer, the memories came flooding back and he remembered him, whereas our officer had no idea who it could be.
It was the baker!
The old man raised his head, his eyes full of tears, and he looked at our man and said, ‘Al’lah… Al’lah! Do not you remember me, Sir? By God, let me kiss your pure and magnanimous hands! Let me kiss your feet, for all my joys were brought about by you. I am the baker whom you beat most severely and thereby helped me turn to God in repentance and to follow the right and straight path. Your beating led me to Paradise, you compassionate disciplinarian and benefactor! May God reward you with the highest honour, you noble saviour.’
One must, therefore, show great appreciation for this kind-hearted, merciful man, who by beating someone for the Sake of God, led this same person to the Gardens of Paradise.