ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:

The Mother And Fort

COURSE CODE:
ENG-601
COURSE TITLE:
Short Stories
Submitted to:
Mam Muqaddas
Submitted by:Group(8)
Roll No: 1237.1219.1220
BS English 7t Semester (Evening)

Government Islamia Postgraduate College

Faisalabad
 Ali Al’amin Mazrui
Ali Al'amin Mazrui (24 February
1933 – 12 October 2014), was a
Kenyan-born American academic,
professor, and political writer
on African and Islamic studies, and
North-South relations. He was born
in Mombasa, Kenya. His positions
included Director of the Institute of
Global Cultural Studies
at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, and Director
of the Center for Afro-American and African Studies at
the University of Michigan. He produced the television
documentary series The Africans: A Triple Heritage.
He was the son of Al-Amin Bin Ali Mazrui, the Chief Islamic Judge
in Kadhi courts of Kenya Colony. His father was also a scholar and
author, and one of his books has been translated into English by
Hamza Yusuf as The Content of Character, to which Ali supplied a
foreword. The Mazrui family was a historically wealthy and
important family in Kenya, having previously been the rulers of
Mombasa. Ali’s father was the Chief Kadhi of Kenya, the highest
authority on Islamic law.
Major Works
➢ The Africans: A Triple Heritage.
➢ UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. VIII: Africa since
1935 (unabridged paperback) (General History of Africa, 8)
➢ Cultural Forces in World Politics.
➢ The African Condition: A Political Diagnosis.
➢ Nationalism and New States in Africa: From About 1935 to the
Present.
 Introduction
The Mother And The Fort
This thought provoking story describes the story of a mother and his son.
The name of the mother was Mwana Safia and the name of her son was Abu
Bakar. She was married to Bwana Masood, a very rich person who had a
vast coconut farm at Kisauni where scores of slaves worked for him. Later
on, all slaves were freed when slavery was abolished from Kenya. The family
did not realize that they should change with change a time. Omar, an ex-
slave, came to help the family of his ex-owners by offering him a partnership
in his business. Masood thought it below to his dignity to accept the offer of
a slave in order to make both ends meet. The estate had to be sold piece
meal. They became poor when their son Abu Baker was born. He was hardly
ten, complaints started to pile up against him. At the age of 21, had spent 4
years in jail. At 45 he became respected within the walls for Fort Jesus, the
building turned into a museum. He became a totally changed and a nice
gentleman. It was due to the inscription on the mosque in the Fort. The
inscription read: "O ye calamities of the world, ye are welcome. I have found
protection in the God of the Heavens". Later he got T.B. and died. His mother
Mwana Safia wanted to see the inscription that changed the life of Abu
Baker. She was going to the fort mosque when she fell down and died as
she was almost ninety. Later on the narrator met her daughter Mwana
Saada, who was 70 years old then. Then he was able to analyse the situation
by joining different pieces of the story together. He came to know why Mwana
Safia wanted to see the mosque in the fort. She wanted to see the inscription
on the wall of the mosque which changed the life style of his son. The moral
of the story is also implied in the inscription on the wall.
SUMMARY
The Mother And The Fort
It is a semi-detective story it tells about an old mother, Mwana Safia, who
lived in Mombassa, Kenya. The story also tells about the life of Abou Baker,
the son of the lady, who was at first a bad man and later on he became a
nice person. The story describes the reason of the change in About Baker's
life.Once the narrator was goint on a raod to "Frot Jesus" opening as a
museum. He saw an accident, an old woman fell down without any evident
reason. Later, she came to her senses and spoke:
"The mosque...... Take me -------- the mosque" and died. Nobody could
understand the meanings of her last words. The narrator and his friend, Aziz,
tell the whole story to the police. The police enquired but could not solve the
mystery.
There were two questions, Why was she going all alone at the age of 90 and
which mosque she intend to go? The police called all the mosques in the
locality and made enquiries but didn't know any significant reason. Police
untied the two "hirizis" tied with the arm of the lady. The first one contained
a verse from the Holy Quran. But the second contained something that was
not a verse from the Holy Quran. It said: "O ye calamities of the world! Ye
are welcome. I have found protection in the God of the Heavens". The same
day at ten at night, the narrator went to a restaurant. A visitor at the
restaurants, Salim, told the narrator that a 90 years old lady asked him the
way of Fort Jesus as she wanted to go there for some reason. She had
walked for two miles. The narrator visit- ed Fort Jesus and found the writing
of the second "hirizi" inscribed on the wall of the mosque there. He tried to
understand the mysterious story. Three days later, he visited to an old
woman of 70 years, Mwana Saada. She was the daughter of the old
deceased lady, Mwana Safia. She lived in a poor house. She told the narrator
that she had gone to her neighbour hood on the day in her absence, her
mother went outside without even telling her. She told the narrator all the
story of her mother.
When the slaves were set free by the government the family started
deteriorating, Bwana Masood went down and down. Omar, a freed slave,
came to him with an offer of partnership. But Bwana Masood rejected his
offer.
Abu Baker, the son of Mwana Safia was born into the poverty of the family.
When he was hardly 10, complaints started coming home. At the age of 21,
Abou Baker had already spent 4 years in jail at Fort Jesus. Bat at 45, he was
respected and changed. Abu Baker surprisingly got an early release for
"good conduct" "He was a changed man". He told his mother that he would
pass his life as a good man. Mwana Safia was pleased. But he got T.B and,
later on, died.
Abu Baker changed his life as he had seen inscribed on the wall of the
mosque in Fort Jesus: "O ye calming as of the world, ye are welcome. I have
found production in the God of the Heavens". These two writing were found
in the two "hirizis" bound with the arm of Mwana Safia. Later, the prison
house turned into a museum. She could not see the inscription in the
mosque. But now it was a museum and she could go inside. She wanted to
see the inscription with her eyes that changed the life of her son. Now all the
mysterious points of the story become clear to the narrator.
Character Sketch of Abubakar:
Abubaker is one of central characters of the story. Abubakar was the son of
Mwana safia. He leads the life as a social rebel. He is the son of a proud
family who once have seen happy and prosperous days. His father, Bawan
Masoud was a landlord and the owner of coconut fields. But all this family
fell from fortune to misery. His father was deprived of his lands and they
settled in city slums. Their son Abubakar was born into to squalor. Abubakar
learnt the Holy Quran within three years but unfortunalely he joined the
company of the bad boys. He got himself involved into bad activities. When
he was hardly ten, complaints started coming home - Abu had willfully broken
so and so's donkey cart. Abu had smashed and run away with s-and so's
bunch of bananas right outside his shop.
Abubakar might have saved if another offer by the former slave Omar - to
train the boy as a carpenter and bring him up himself in better surroundings
had been accepted.
At the age of 21, Abubakar had already spent four years of his young life in
Jail. At forty five, he was a respected old timer within the walls of fort Jesus.
His father had been dead for many years. Many things had changed. Even
the name of their country was changed. Only people like Abu's mother and
sister really knew what it had been before.
But the noticeable change was a very human change. Just before the last
war with the Majararumani that Abubakar got for the first time an early
release for good conduct. He was a changed man. He told his mother that
he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to her. After his
release, he lived only for one year. Afflicted with consumption and knowing
that he would not have time in which to make up to his mother and sister, all
he could do was to ask their forgiveness. Her sister said that a few days
before his death, he started raving in his sleep. And now and again, he came
out with a verse from the Holy Quran:
"Verily, Allah changenth not the condition of men until they change
what is in their hearts".
Moreover, Abubaker had been uttering the words in his ravings again and
again: The mosque.....The mosque in the Fort....."
Abu kept repeating the words, "mosque, mosque because of an inscription
fixed in the mosque has changed his life. The words of the inscription ran
like so:
"O,ye calamities of the world, ye are welcome. I have found protection
in the God of the Heavens".
Thus, a small incident at fort Jesus changed the whole. life of Abu. As a
result, he was able to influence other people of his family especially his
mother, who had passed her life in pride and aloofness. Under the influence
of his son, she was determined to improve herself but died on the way to the
Mosque in Fort Jesus.
Enlightenment reaches to her but her life is cut down and she is unable to
seek forgiveness. Thus Allah changes the hearts of the people whom He
wishes to change and does not change whom he does not wish to change.
So, spiritual enlightenment on the part of Abubaker enables him to be
successful in the world herein and the world hereafter.
Character Sketch of Mwana Safia:
Mwana Safia is the mother of Abubaker and Mwanag Saada. She is of ninety
years old. The narrator found her on a the way where she was lying
unconscious. The narrator was or astonished why her family has let her be
out in the streets. b She felt little better and whispered.
"The mosque... Take me, ... The mosque..."
That was all she said and died. The narrator got curious about the last
words uttered by the old woman. He wanted to establish the identity of the
 woman. Her age was another mystifying factor. Then they found two
sacred "Hirizis"
tied with her arm. Two verses were written on "Hirizis" one from the Holy
Quran and the other from a poetic verse. Then the narrator reached her
house and met her daughter Mwana safia. She told the story of her family.
Mwana Safia was the wife of Mwana Masod who was a land lord and an
owner of coconut estate. Unluckily, they fell from prosperity to misery and
shifted to city slums. A son, Abubaker was born to Mwana Safia.
Their mother was still proud about her past glories. Everything in her
surroundings had changed, even the name of their country. They were an
aloof and alienated family. They were still an uncompromising family,
nostalgic with their past. Her mother was obstinate by nature and did not
maintain friendly relations with the neighbours.
Abubaker, her son is released from Jail because of his good conduct. He is
a totally changed person now. He has begun to offer prayers and reciting
verses from the Holy Quran. He has made up his mind to change the life of
his mother and sister but life does not support him and he dies after one year
of relief. Her son, Abubaker keeps repeating the Quranic verse:
"Verily, Allah changes not the condition of man until they first change
what is in their hearts".
Now, Mwana Safia has begun belief in the verses of the Holy Quran and has
determined to get enlightenment and illumine herself spiritually. She is too
much inspired by her son's humility. Mwana Safia wants to improve her
miserable plight by visiting the mosque but she dies on the way. She has
realized the importance of the spiritual enlightenment and moral uplift. But
her life is cut down and she remains incapable to beg forgiveness she keeps
two "Hirizis" as a belief with her. She feels that these verses have reformed
Abu and changed him for the first time into a son she could more than just
love. She considers the poetic verse and the half turth and the Quranic verse
as the second half turth. So, she keeps the two verses with her, finally,
Mwana Safia emerges as a respectable and admirable character because at
least she had a wish to get a human change. Under her son's influence, she
was capable to shed away her pride and aloofness and was capable to
understand the purpose of human creation.
Theme of the Story:
Theme of the story is the spiritual enlightenment and moral uplift. The central
point of the story is that even a little incident in someone's life changes life
completely. The same happens with Abubaker and he meaningful verses
inscribed at Fort Jesus change his life from ignoble to a humble person.
Resultantly, he is able to influence other members of his family especially his
mother, whose life has passed in proud aloofness. She also wants to improve
herself by visiting the mosque in Fort Jesus. But she dies on the way.
Enlightenment reaches to her but her life does not give her time to beg her
forgiveness. Thus Allah changes the hearts of people whom he wishes to
change and does not change whom he does not want to change. So, the
author emphasizes the point that like Mwana Safia, one should shed away
one's pride and try to be humble like Abubaker. One should try not to be like
Mwana Masoud who was an uncompromising fellow and caused to destroy
his son's and family life. Thus, message of the story is to oneself within in
order to be successful in the world herein and the world hereafter.
Moral
Q.What is the Moral of the story?
This thought provoking story describes the story of a mother and his son.
The name of the mother was Mwana Safia and the name of her son was Abu
Bakar. She was married to Bwana Masood, a very rich person who had a
vast coconut farm at Kisauni where scores of slaves worked for him. Later
on, all slaves were freed when slavery was abolished from Kenya. The family
did not realize that they should change with change a time. Omar, an ex-
slave, came to help the family of his ex-owners by offering him a partnership
in his business. Masood thought it below to his dignity to accept the offer of
a slave in order to make both ends meet. The estate had to be sold piece
meal. They became poor when their son Abu Baker was born. He was hardly
ten, complaints started to pile up against him. At the age of 21, had spent 4
years in jail. At 45 he became respected within the walls for Fort Jesus, the
building turned into a museum. He became a totally changed and a nice
gentleman. It was due to the inscription on the mosque in the Fort. The
inscription read: "O ye calamities of the world, ye are welcome. I have found
protection in the God of the Heavens". Later he got T.B. and died. His mother
Mwana Safia wanted to see the inscription that changed the life of Abu
Baker. She was going to the fort mosque when she fell down and died as
she was almost ninety. Later on the narrator met her daughter Mwana
Saada, who was 70 years old then. Then he was able to analyse the situation
by joining different pieces of the story together. He came to know why Mwana
Safia wanted to see the mosque in the fort. She wanted to see the inscription
on the wall of the mosque which changed the life style of his son. The moral
of the story is also implied in the inscription on the wall.

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