By Hamza Idris
Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return).
October 12 was exactly two years when we lost our father, Alaramma Idris Hamza. He was 78. He died in Kano.
As Allah pleased, our father’s passing coincided with the exact date, day and month we lost his younger brother, Alaramma Haruna Idris Hamza who died on Saturday, October 12, 1991 (28 years earlier).
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They were very close. They were lookalike to the extent that many people mistook them as twins. They committed the Qur’an to memory at a tender age. An injury to one of them was an injury to the two of them.
They so much loved themselves to the extent that whenever Baba Haru visited our father in Jos, they would spend the whole night chatting and recalling fond memories. It was the same pattern whenever our father visited his brother in Kano.
Their older brother, Malam Nasiru Maigoro is still alive. He lives in our village Maiturmi in Mai’adua LGA of Katsina State. He is in his late 80s.
Words cannot describe the huge and irreplaceable vacuum created by the exit of Baba Haru and Baba Idi.
Alaramma Malam Idris was a father to many orphans. Many of our friends and acquaintances adopted him as their father and he treated them as such. Collectively, he was our teacher, role model, confidence builder, mentor, guide, and counsellor.
Baba inspired us a lot while he was alive. You can talk with him for hours on phone and you will never get tired. During discussions, he made complex issues extremely simple to understand. He will quote Qur’anic verses to buttress his points. He will cite Prophetic sayings and traditions to convince you that nothing is new or vague and there is no problem that has no solution. He was always philosophical while trying to inspire someone.
WISE COUNSEL, PERSEVERANCE AND PRAYERS
It was tough for me to get direct entry admission after I completed my Diploma in Accountancy at the University of Jos in 1995. We started the diploma programme in 1992 after completing our Teachers’ Grade 11 Certificate in 1990.
Extremely frustrated, I went to Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi, for the IJMB programme and luckily scored 11 points which should place me in 200 level.
However, desperate to proceed to the university and in order not to miss another year, I wrote UTME which will place me in 100 level in the university. Also, I deliberately applied for mass communication thinking that maybe my luck was not in accountancy.
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I wrote the exam while pursuing the IJMB and with the support of my good friend, Shamsu Abdu Dauda (now a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi), I got admission to the University of Maiduguri to read mass communication. I deed all these with his support and encouragement.
Fast forward, I recalled the troubles I passed through to become a journalist during one of my conversations with our father and he simply remarked: ‘There is no shortcut to success. While you need to pray earnestly to succeed, you have to work hard and persevere until you get what you are looking for.’
I was mindful that he said this to remind me that I was the first person in the extended family to get a university degree. It was indeed a tough journey for me those days resolving some simple issues while struggling to study. Alhamdu Lillah, we have some graduates now.
He then went philosophical. ‘Don’t pray only and ask Allah to give you live fish while sitting in your room because it is like you are questioning the Power of the Almighty; it is like you are tempting Allah. Your room is not the right place to look for live fish; live fish dwells in water and therefore, pray, take your net, go to the pond and look for fish. God will give you a basketful of fish.
‘But if you insist and continued to pray for live fish in the comfort of your room, be rest assured that Allah will fulfil your wish but the fish will kill you because it is not a normal fish,’ he said.
BABA’S LAST DAYS
Baba had been in Kano I think for over two weeks during his last days. He had been sick for some time. We took him to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) severally because of intermittent fever but he was never admitted because the doctors could not figure out exactly what was wrong with him.
Results of multiple tests revealed that Baba was not hypertensive; he had no diabetes. All his organs were functioning well. It was really strange!
During his lifetime, he could trek for miles.
Therefore, disturbed by our inability to establish his health challenge, my younger brother, Aminu Idris, took him to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) where several tests were again carried out and all the results showed that he was fine. He was not admitted there either. In fact, the first day he was taken to the AKTH which was the day he arrived in Kano from Jos, the doctor who saw him simply gave him an analgesic and said he should go home.
We were, therefore ‘elated’ when a certain result from a certain laboratory at the instance of a certain doctor revealed that Alaramma only had mild malaria.
In a festive mood, we bought the best drugs prescribed by the medical doctor and when he took them, the ‘malaria’ subsided for few days only to return. We never thought he was bidding us bye-bye.
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Baba spent the whole of his life learning and teaching. As he aged, his typical day included reading the Qur’an after coming back from the Subhi prayers up till around Zuhr time; participating in prayer sessions for peace and harmony; visiting the sick in the hospital; attending funerals and marriage ceremonies; visiting his children and grandchildren especially those that were married whenever he heard that something was wrong; and settling disputes in our neighbourhood.
He was at peace with himself and with all those around him. He ensured that we participated in all extended family matters by personally leading the team. We are indeed missing a great companion and a great friend, the man who prayed for us all the time.
Kindly join us in prayers for the repose of the soul of our father, our torchbearer and the man who used the whole of his life building bridges.
May Allah admit him, and all the faithful in Jannatil Firdaus, amin.
Adieu Alaramma Hafizul Qur’an.
