He woke up to the call of muezzin, announcing someone’s death, from the neighborhood mosque. He had been up late watching TV and had fallen asleep in the living room. The announcement sought his attention. For whom was this calling? There were elderly people in the neighborhood, but he had not heard of anyone who was very sick.
He wondered who the muezzin would announce at the end of the call: “From the notables of Garipler Village…” He paid even more attention because the late person was from his village. “Ahmet Adıgüzel.” Suddenly he got up. Who else had the same name! Was it his uncle’s son Ahmet? His grandfather’s name was also Ahmet, but he had already become deceased. Had he heard the name wrong? He listened to the repetition. No, it wasn’t wrong. “Ahmet Adıgüzel.” He called his wife: “Ayşe, Ayşe!”
He turned off the TV and ran to tell his wife. He noticed that the outer door was open. Inside, there were some people in front of the door. They were close relatives and neighbors. His uncle’s son Ahmet was also there. What were they doing here? He said, “Welcome!”, but no one heard him. It was all like a silent film. No one was looking at him, not seeing him. Why was everyone sad and tearful and talking in whispers? He couldn’t grasp it.
He heard his wife sobbing. There was a shrouded person on the bed, and Ayşe was crying. He approached the bed with timid steps. He looked at the dead with fear and curiosity. He was shrouded with an uncovered face. It was him in the shroud! He collapsed on the side of the bed. He was dead, and the announcement was for him.
He was in shock, and didn’t know what to do. He thought of his daughter, and ran to her bed, but no one was there. The neighbors should have taken her so that she wouldn’t be afraid. He sat on his daughter’s bed. His life passed like a storyboard in his mind.
I wish I had gone with those who called me for the meetings. I wish I had performed the Prescribed Prayers on time. I wish I had recited the Qur’an and read books instead of spending time in vain.
Then his biggest regret came to his mind. This was a big slander. He had kept a record of his supervisor, Hüseyin, whom he had worked with for years, and slandered him. The desire to be able to take his place and the endless expenses of his wife had pushed him into this mistake. He would become a supervisor, earn more, live a more comfortable life.
However, he knew that his supervisor was a good person, that he did not take the bribes offered, that he encouraged charity, and that he wanted to subscribe to useful literature. He knew very well that all this had nothing to do with “terrorism,” on the contrary, it was an occasion to eliminate disorder. But he was defeated by his carnal soul, deceived by worldly interests, and preferred this mortal life to the eternal one. The country had become a party state, the slightest dissenting word, writing or action was enough for people to be arrested.
However, he was not a person who paid attention to his obligatory acts of worship before meeting Hüseyin. He had slandered his superior, who helped him change his life, yet he had submitted to Satan. There was a witch hunt, and those who did not obey the government were blacklisted.
They arrested Hüseyin. His wife, Nur, and their children were subjected to social pressure. His neighbors did not greet his wife, his children were not called to play on the street. Hüseyin’s parents also believed the statements of the media and the government, and they stopped asking about their condition. They couldn’t stand the homeowner’s tyranny anymore, so they moved to their homeland, and began to live a simpler life. The children were enrolled in the village school. Fortunately, the mother and father of the Nur took care of them, and said, “Do not grieve, God is with those who are patient.”
Ahmet was now superior and richer, yet he was restless. He forgot about all the other wishes, he was only focused on this. He knew well that on that day when everything would be asked, this would also be asked. Unfortunately, he had no answer to give. He started crying. He was crying so much that his sobs made the bed shake.
His wife who woke up with this shaking woke up her husband by saying, “Ahmet, Ahmet!” He was covered in blood sweat. He opened his eyes, staring blankly at his wife. Realizing that all this was a dream, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Now he was really crying, “We made a wrong decision,” he said. His wife could make no sense of his words.
“What have we done? We have ruined the lives of innocent people.”
He thought that he should go and find them, and he went to the village where Nur lived and found the house. There were the elderly parents. He found out that it was the day of the visit, that they had just left, and that they had even borrowed the money for the trip. The prison was in another city and the distance was long. However, Ahmet was determined, he would find them, and make amends.
He caught up with them before the visiting time even started. Nur, who saw Ahmet, was very surprised and could not make sense of it. Although she did not want to listen to Ahmet at first, she agreed to talk to him later. Ahmet Bey told what happened and asked for forgiveness very sincerely. He was not allowed for a visit because he was not from the family. He begged his supervisor’s wife to ask Hüseyin for forgiveness, and waited at the door, tired, exhausted and worried.
About an hour later, Nur and her children went out with the other visitors. Ahmet asked about the situation of his supervisor and wanted to know how he reacted.
Nur said that her husband forgave him, but he could not say anything about the rights of his wife, his children, and those who could not benefit from the charitable works. Ahmet should ask God for forgiveness.
One month later, Nur encountered Ahmet’s wife on their next visit. Initially, Nur assumed that Ahmet had sent his wife as a replacement for the visit. However, to Nur’s surprise, Ahmet’s wife revealed that her husband had been detained for helping Hüseyin’s family and was now imprisoned in the same jail.
