The Inheritance of My Grandfather<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I once asked my father about my grandfather\u2019s inheritance\u2026<\/p>\n
He smiled and replied:<\/p>\n
A piece of land filled with trees on the outskirts of the village…<\/p>\n
A stone house, consisting of a single room, sharing its walls with my cousins\u2019 homes and other neighbors…<\/p>\n
It was part of the family house…<\/p>\n
A large courtyard, a mulberry tree in the middle, and a taboon oven…<\/p>\n
A plow, an axe, and a basket of belongings…<\/p>\n
Inside the basket, there were papers wrapped in a bundle\u2014<\/p>\n
I assumed they were the land deeds…<\/p>\n
A cooking pot, a clay jar…<\/p>\n
A clay storage vessel filled with wheat, and another with flour…<\/p>\n
A copper ablution pitcher engraved with Turkish letters…<\/p>\n
A drinking vessel\u2026 a hammer with two heads\u2026 and an anvil…<\/p>\n
A wooden wardrobe with three compartments\u2026<\/p>\n
In the first, were turbans and trousers.<\/p>\n
In the second, remnants of garments.<\/p>\n
In the third, prayer beads, a cane, and other scattered belongings…<\/p>\n
I asked my father about my grandfather\u2019s spotted ghutra.<\/p>\n
He said: He never wore one; he had only a turban and a headband…<\/p>\n
My grandfather had a locked chest\u2014it was my grandmother\u2019s dowry!<\/p>\n
He was not a wealthy man…<\/p>\n
He had three sons, yet he couldn\u2019t afford to send them to school\u2014<\/p>\n
Instead, he sent them to the kuttab to learn the Opening Chapter of the Quran…<\/p>\n
He was a farmer, deeply in love with his land\u2014<\/p>\n
Plowing, sowing, and watering the fields…<\/p>\n
He left behind no wealth\u2014<\/p>\n
Neither a dirham nor a dinar\u2026<\/p>\n
But he cherished grapevines<\/p>\n
And loved the taste of taboon bread…<\/p>\n
He taught his sons the art of farming<\/p>\n
And the skill of horseback riding\u2026<\/p>\n
Is this all he left, Father?<\/p>\n
My father lowered his gaze, as if searching his memory\u2026<\/p>\n
“There\u2019s more\u2026 much more\u2026<\/p>\n
I almost forgot his will!”<\/p>\n
Did my grandfather have a will?<\/p>\n
“Yes, indeed.<\/p>\n
It contained only a few words\u2026 but they were everything.”<\/p>\n
What were they?<\/p>\n
“Never leave your home.<\/p>\n
Never sell an inch of your land.<\/p>\n
Never extend your hand in need to anyone.<\/p>\n
Build a mosque in every home…”<\/p>\n
I pondered my grandfather\u2019s words\u2026<\/p>\n
And I said to my father:<\/p>\n
“You failed to fulfill his will\u2014you left your home.<\/p>\n
But at least you never sold an inch of land!”<\/p>\n
My father sighed,<\/p>\n
“I was forced to leave\u2026 it was during the war.<\/p>\n
‘Verily, with hardship comes ease.'”<\/p>\n
My father died with sorrow in his heart\u2026<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t fulfill his father\u2019s will\u2026<\/p>\n
Forgive us, Grandfather\u2026<\/p>\n
I do not know who will uphold your words.<\/p>\n
But at least\u2026<\/p>\n
I will remember them.<\/p>\n
And that shall be enough.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u270d\ud83c\udffc By: Mohammed Abdul Jalil Dheeb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Inheritance of My Grandfather I once asked my father about my grandfather\u2019s inheritance\u2026 He smiled and replied: A piece of land filled with trees on the outskirts of the village… A stone house, consisting of a single room, sharing its walls with my cousins\u2019 homes and other neighbors… It was part of the family house… A large courtyard, a mulberry tree in the middle, and a taboon oven… A plow, an axe, and a basket of belongings… Inside the basket, there were papers wrapped in a bundle\u2014 I assumed they were the land deeds… A cooking pot, a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature-and-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\n