13-December-2024

Expecting A Singer, Would-Be-Revelers Got A Preacher Instead

Expecting A Singer, Would-Be-Revelers Got A Preacher Instead

KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - Mohamed Alhassan Mahana relates an amusing story when a wedding gala turned into a religious speech  in which would- be revelers were reminded to avoid vice and pursue virtue.

“I once met my dearest friend Mohamed Zakaria and sat with him for a chat. Mohamed Zakaria is a decent and highly moral young man. He was a close associate of the late Sheikh Mohamed Sayyid Haj, that articulate and knowledgeable Moslem scholar, said Mahanna on his Face Book page. Zakaria said a friend of his was also a close associate of the late Sheikh, tracking him wherever he (the Sheikh) wanted to preach. This young man and his fiancé were very fond of the Sheikh that they decided to invite him to give a religious speech on their wedding night, instead of the usual noisy singing party. They communicated their wish to the Sheikh, who accepted the idea after long hesitation.

When it was wedding day, the groom told his family that he had arranged for a singer and everything was perfect. The guests were served with supper and when it was time to start the gala, the new weds came in, contrary to the usual arrangement that the new weds come sometime during the concert. The groom’s father alarmingly asked his son what brought him and his bride so early and what about the singer and the musical band.”They are on the way, father,” replied the groom, firmly.

And when everybody was eager to see the singer, they saw Sheikh Mohamed Sayyid Haj with his handsome face and white attire finding his way to the theatre. The audience was taken aback by what they were seeing, some murmuring in fury ”What is this bearded man doing here? And what does he want?” And also:”May be he has lost his way to this place and instead of going to the mosque, he came here.”

Then the groom’s father looked in wonder towards his son, who just flashed a smile.

The Sheikh then took the mike, the audience in dead silence, and began his speech, thanking Allah the Almighty. Then he addressed the gathering:”Today I will keep you awake all night..Isn’t that what you want, to find someone who can keep you awake all night?  Isn’t it the singer who keeps you awake until the Morning? I will do that for you!.”

Here the audience relaxed a little bit and laughed, the Sheikh joking and laughing with them.

Then he said:”ladies and gentlemen, you have said you have wed this couple in keeping with the teachings of Allah and his Messenger Prophet Mohamed. Now, is singing and dancing part of the teachings of Allah and his Messenger? These indecently dressed girls, are they doing so in observation of the teachings of Allah and his Messenger?”

The Sheikh kept reminding the audience about hell and the pain the disobedient would suffer on the Day of Judgment, until some of them started to weep out of sorrow.

When the Sheikh was about to wind up his speech, the audience refused to let go of him, insisting that he should go on, saying:” You promised to keep us awake all night.. Then you have to keep your promise!”

Here the Sheikh laughed, saying it was over now. The audience then clamorously gathered around to greet him, all the time praising the new weds for this daring idea.  

A tearful young came out from among the crowd and rubbed his head against the Sheikh’s chest muttering:” By Allah’s name, when I saw you at the beginning, I hated you the most, but now I love you the most!”

The groom’s father then moved forward beseeching the Sheikh to sit down with them for some time, all the time praising his son and his bride for their good idea.

 

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YH/AS

Sudanow is the longest serving English speaking magazine in the Sudan. It is chartarized by its high quality professional journalism, focusing on political, social, economic, cultural and sport developments in the Sudan. Sudanow provides in depth analysis of these developments by academia, highly ...

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