It was already six in the morning by the time Rafiq reached the western end of Mount Ohud. Rafiq left his mess at quarter to six. It was actually a hill though most people referred to it as Mount Ohud. The ridges made it easier and safer to climb it from the western end. Apart from that, the height of that section of the hill was considerably lower. Once he was at the top, Rafiq strolled eastward over the hill. After walking for a while, he noticed a man standing where the height of the hill was greatest. The man wore dark glasses. From a distance it was not clear, whether he had a white shirt or T-shirt on him. His appearance became clear as he strolled for another three to four minutes. Now Rafiq could see Solimulla’s familiar countenance, his white T-shirt and khaki trousers. He had his right foot on a rock, while gazing southward in the direction of the Holy Mosque. He had not yet noticed Rafiq approaching him. He was distracted by the noise of Rafiq moving in the direction where he had been standing.

“You could have climbed the hill at this point, instead of going to the western end,” Solimulla greeted Rafiq with a friendly smile.

“The hill at this point is way too steep. Climbing over here without proper gears is risky.”

“Yes, that’s true. But remember, where there’s no risk, there’s no gain. In order to achieve something truly worthy of your precious time and effort, you have to take risk in life.”

“I don’t see any gain in trying to climb a hill. Anyway, I don’t see Qadir bhai, where is he?”

“At seven, he has to go to work, that’s why he’s not here.”

“When does he have his day off?”

“On Sunday.”

“Why doesn’t he ask for his day off on Friday?”

“On Fridays many Saudi tycoons pray at the Holy Mosque. That’s when they donate the most.”

“I almost forgot that most of your activities revolve around charity.”

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“A true Muslim’s life revolves around charity.”

“Is it enough to donate? Don’t we have to earn an honest living?”

“We don’t tell people to earn dishonestly.”

“It’s not clear from your statement. Many Muslims hoard wealth by stealing, robbing and depriving others. And then they donate part of that wealth as charity.”

“Of course, there are plenty of people like that. However, we shouldn’t always be so cynical about it. Those who are like that, Almighty’s verdict awaits them. There’s no need for us to be so upright about it. Now tell me, how’s our sister? I mean, how’s your wife doing?”

“Your sister has devoted her life at the service of afflicted humanity. The only thing she hasn’t yet sacrificed, is her life. The way the events are unfolding, I’m afraid she might lose that too.”

“Are you making fun of it?”

“Why should I make fun of my wife, standing in the line of fire for you people? I’ve simply stated a fact. I told her not to take this risk, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“Your wife is truly a valiant lady.”

“The problem is, most people don’t have the wit or common sense to differentiate between valor and stupidity. Often this leads to disasters.”

“Life is never meant to be a bed of roses. All over the globe, corruption, oppression and injustice have reached unprecedented level. If we don’t do anything, it will only aggravate the situation. Therefore, confronting the problem is the right approach.”

The sun was already high up in the morning sky with white clouds floating around. Both Rafiq and Solimulla had signs of serenity in their expressions brought about by the cool hilltop breeze. Rafiq had a hunch why Solimulla wanted to see him so early in the morning. He wasn’t really sure, how to raise the issue. On the other hand, Solimulla gazed at the Holy Mosque, expecting Rafiq to bring it up.

Five minutes passed like this. Finally, Rafiq cleared his throat, indicating that he was about to say something. As Solimulla turned to Rafiq, he said, “Yesterday Su had a conversation with Than Kin.”

“Who’s Than Kin?”

“The priest of the Buuddhist temple at Aung Syke. From what he said, it appears that they won’t let us live in Arakan. They have been inciting Tatmadaw to exterminate us.”

“On this issue, what are the thoughts of Brigadier Lee? Has Su disclosed to you anything about that?”

“Brigadier Lee is very optimistic. He believes, he’ll be able to exterminate or expel the Rohingyas from Arakan. Tatmadaw won’t compromise on this issue.”

“Is he going to expel more than a million Rohingyas from their homeland?”

“Yep, he’s ready to expel millions of them. Tatmadaw won’t back down, even if it has to commit genocide.”

“Genocide has already taken place, and almost every day, dramas are being staged at the UN about it. Actually, the UN will do nothing at all. Russia and China won’t allow it. Muslim states won’t be able to do anything either. Almost all of them have been playing the role of the hired guns for the big powers. Turkey and Malaysia are two exceptions, but they are under tremendous pressure, economically and politically.”

“Then what will happen to us? Are we so unfortunate that no state will come forward to help us?”

Gently Solimulla held Rafiq’s arm right below his shoulder and said, “We can’t afford to lose hope. Remember if a single Muslim is sincere in helping us, Almighty is with him. Shortly I’ll give you good news.”

“What good news!”

“I can’t tell you now. You’ll have to be patient.”

When he was done talking, in order to descend from the hill, Solimulla began heading for the western end of the hill. Rafiq followed him.