Attila the Last of the Lovers

While I was still pondering this oft-repeated saying, "No soul knows in what land it will die," I was lost in the mystery of the plot of land where Abu Saad was buried. Where was it? Would it bear a towering headstone, as is customary for all people, or had it remained unchanged? And what did these matters matter compared to Abu Saad's reply to Attila that day, when he addressed him jokingly, in a manner brimming with affection, accompanied by a gentle laugh: "Does it matter in what land I was born? We didn't leave our homes, our families, and our loved ones to search for the plot of land where I was buried... Leave aside all this talk of the afterlife, and tell me, how do you perform your prayers? Are they according to the method of your expert Turkmen father or the method of your Sunni Kurdish mother?" I had never seen Attila so perplexed. After some hesitation, he said with the decisiveness of a jerium: "I don't know. I never saw my father pray, and I never paid close attention to my mother's prayers, for I was lost in the world and its pleasures." But now, since the text "God guided me," I have repented before the Sheikh, and praise be to God, the Muslim, for performing my prayers in the manner of Imam Sheikh Kaka Hama al-Barzanji and…” Abu Saad interrupted him with a mischievous al-Barzanji smile: “Imam Sheikh Kaka Hama al-Barzanji, or…Imam Sheikha Fatima al-Barzanji?” And the three of us burst into a beautiful laugh, bursting with joy and sincerity, shattering all the red lines of ideology drawn in blood and gunpowder. And while this recurring question haunts me, “A soul does not know on what land it will die,” I wonder on what piece of land Abu Saad might be buried. Where is his grave? Does he bear a certificate of honor, as everyone desires, or did he not even receive that privilege? And what did all this matter have in comparison to Abu Saad's warm, gentle laughter as he addressed Attila that day, jokingly: "And on what land do we die? We didn't leave our homes, our families, and our loved ones to search for a piece of land to be buried in... Forget all this talk about the afterlife, and tell me, how do you pray? Do you pray according to your Turkmen Shiite father's way or your Kurdish Sunni mother's?" I had never seen Attila so flustered. After some hesitation, he answered tentatively, searching for a definitive answer: "I don't know. I never saw my father pray, and I never listened to my mother's prayers because I was so preoccupied with worldly pleasures. But now, after God has guided me and I have declared my repentance before the Sheikh, I am a Muslim, and thank God, I pray according to the way of Imam Sheikh Kaka Hama Barzanji and..." Abu Saad interrupted him with a sly smile: "Imam Sheikh Kaka Hama Barzanji, or... Imam Sheikha Fatima Barzanji?" The three of us burst into a beautiful laugh, bursting with joy and sincerity, crossing all the ideological red lines drawn with blood and gunpowder.