I wondered how it could be that people could love God and hate one another .
          -Julie Orringer, How to breathe under water.

    
CHARO'S POV
    "God! I am so hungry." I said as I opened the fridge to look for something to eat .  I saw Adda Maryam and Hamma Umar exchange a knowing look.

    "I told you she is adopted ." Yaya umar whispered loud enough for me to hear.  I rolled my eyes and continued what I was doing.

   "But, you ate like thirty minutes ago Charo, at the rate you are eating you will finish the food in the whole house before you go back to school." Adda Maryam continued .

    "And she never gains weight." He shook his head dramatically ."what a waste."

      "And you are the adults ." I said grabbing what I want and exiting the kitchen.

    They followed me to the living room, teasing me along the way ."I spoke with Safiya today, she said she is coming in the next thirty minutes maybe ." I threw a glance at Hamma Umar, that was a trick to shut him up and it worked.

     "You know....I ...I have somewhere to go ." With that he sprinted to his room, probably to get ready and leave the house before then.

     Adda Maryam and I bursted into laughter ."Well, that worked well ." I managed to say .

      "You are evil . Safiya isn't even in town . Poor him, you should have seen the look on his face ." Unfortunately for us, he heard the last part.

    "Charo wait till I catch you,you are so dead." I ran to my room and locked the door.

      " Charo! " he banged the door ." Alright, you won't stay in there forever . Oh! I will get you." He laughed evilly before he left . Yup! Its official, I am dead and gone.

     Still, laughing over what happened . I jumped into my bed and logged into Facebook . I still didn't trust Hamma Umar enough to open my door.I wondered what his revenge will be, I hope it has nothing to do with dead rats, I shuddered at the thought, last time he said he had a surprise for me, and as stupid as I was I allowed him to blindfold me and he put a dead rat in my hand. You can only imagine my reaction,, I refused to talk to him for the whole day,and he received a long lecture from an angry mom, no one wants a lecture from Mama when she is angry.

      As I scrolled down, I saw a post by Sahara reporters, it made me freeze . My heart was beating furiously, "innalillahi wa inna ilayhirrajiun ." ( To God we belong and to him we return.) I kept saying over and over in my eyes, tears started flowing down my eyes and I didn't try to stop it.

     Another attack by the so called jihadist group "boko haram ". This evil beasts who had leased terror in this land for some time now . A bomb exploded in a car park . A car park, what cruelty, what wickedness.

     How can man be so cruel? How can you say salam and put a bullet through the head of a child? How can u claim to pray to Allah, when your hand is covered with so much blood? How can you live another day, or eat, sleep in peace, when you have cruelly snatched the life of another.

     Ya Allah when would this terror end? When would this madness stop? Why turn innocent children to orphans and wives to widows?

     The attacks in villages, over 200 girls kidnapped in school, displaced persons all over the country . Why? Is the question we all ask .what is wrong with peace? What is wrong with this world that have become so obsessed with the slaying of innocent souls?

        Some questions do not have answers but I am sure God is not blind to our cries.The blood of the innocents will not flow in vain . How can you kill in the name of God, in the name of a religion that preaches nothing but peace? 

      Chasing people out of their homes in the blink of an eye? Forcing them to throw away all they have built in a second? How much do you need to slain to satisfy your evil soul . Ya Allah, you are the only one that can save us from this nightmare . We call upon you, you are saviour, the only saviour, you alone can salvage us .

      "Charo? " Adda Maryam knocked softly ."Are you crying ." I didn't realize I had started sobbing loudly. I quickly wiped away my tears and went to open the door.

   "You scared me what is wrong ." She gave me a worried look.

      "Ermmm, another bomb blast ."

  "Innalillahi wa inna ilayhim rajiun. Where? "

   "At a car park in Kano, many killed, many injured." Adda Maryam walked like a zombie into my room and sat at the edge of my bed." This people haven't heard that to slay a human is like you have slained the whole mankind . Do they forget  the last day, where they have nothing but their deeds to see them through? Have they forgotten that Allah sees all? Do they not fear their creator, do their hearts not tremble with fear when they think of meeting him? " her voice cracked as she spoke ."why? Why? "

        " I wonder how they think . Its as if they have no heart at all."

     "They forget that as they walk above the sand feeling like Gods, they shall one day lie beneath it. They forget that death is inevitable, just as they unexpectedly snatched the life of others, no one will warn them of death . This life, this life must end ."

     "Have you watched the video shekau  uploaded on you tube,he said he is calling to the true message of Allah, and he called those who disbelieved in that to be kafirs . Astagfirullah, how can you lie in the name of your creator? " I sighed deeply .

     "He is mad, but victory would be ours because one day justice would be given . And who is the most just other than Allah? He thinks the people are helpless yet he forgets who their source of strength is."

      "We can only pray for them, for in sha Allah, Allah would grant them jannah. He and his people should fear for themselves."

     "Indeed, one day it will come to pass, as Allah himself says "with every hardship there is relief ."

     "Yes, in sha Allah ."

    "The horrors happening especially in North Eastern Nigeria . So much blood shed. Weeping souls." I shook my head ."Allah is enough for us.

     We all kept silent, each left to his thoughts, each praying to Allah to bring an end to this bloodshed, not just in Nigeria but the whole world in general. I am sure of one thing, he listens .

ANONYMOUS POV
        He was like a brother to me, we grew up in the same neighborhood here in kaduna, till he moved back to Kano some few Years back . We still keep in touch,I had a conversation with him the previous day, only to receive a call this afternoon, Tahir, is no more.

     Tahir was snatched away by a man made instrument of destruction. Tahir died today because of the ignorance and wickedness of man. One of the purest hearts i know is no more. Innalillahi wa inna ilayhim rajiun. He was going for a job interview in Minna,Niger state.My heart do not bleed only for Tahir but for every single victim, though i do not know them, and their families.

     Humanity, is a one big family i believe, whether a stranger or a brother, we are all connected. I dont have to know you to feel your pain.

      What pleasure comes with taking the life of another? What joy comes in seeing the pain and anguish of another?  I wonder why there is so much darkness in the world. Ya Allah, you know these people more than we do and only you can stop this.

     Today we bury our brothers and sisters, today we cry for our loved ones, like we have been doing for a long time now.

       Every time I hear of someone's death, I remember her, her laughter, her kind words . The world have indeed lost a beautiful soul . I still can't believe she is no more. But, I know she is in a better place and that gives me joy and in sha Allah, Tahir as well as the other victims would end up there . Rest now,till we meet to part no more.

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       Slm, This was a kind of difficult chapter to write . But its true, I don't know what is wrong with this world.
      Dear brothers and sisters, justice would be served in sha Allah, for now, let's pray for the world, pray for Palestine, for Syria, for Pakistan, for Somalia, for Nigeria, for central Africa, and many others.
      Murder is murder is has no religion, no race, no social class, no Tribe. You don't have to know them, you just have to be human . This is not the end, not all is lost but so much have been wasted.
       We would reach the promised land in sha Allah . For me, for you and for the next generation, let's strive for a better world. Hatred do not solve any problem, it is the reason why we are here in the first place.
       Never underestimate the power of prayer, especially prayer by the opresssed, we need to work together for a better world . Forget the differences, it wasn't supposed to divide us, it was supposed to make us stronger . Forget what you have heard, perhaps you heard wrong . We are all human and humanity should  always come  first.

Shekau - so called boko haram leader.
Boko Haram - I don't really know how to translate this, the best I can come up with is "western education prohibited ." Anyway, this is a so called jihadist group that have been terrrorising some parts of west Africa, especially Nigeria .
     Niger / Kano /kaduna - states in Northern Nigeria.
        Thank you readers.don't forget to vote and comment . Love ya!