Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 127
109 Opposition and hostility: When his father came to know, he tried to admonish him softly softly but the young man refused to take his advice. The father tried in several other ways even harshness to turn him away from Ahmadiyyat but in vain. Then he used the ultimate weapon: ‘leave Ahmadiyyat or get out of my house‘. Trust in Allah: Putting his trust in Allah, Dr. Sambou Jan Bah took up the second option and bade farewell to his parents and house. Young, empty handed, disowned by parents, no one else to stand by – it all led to his pitiable financial condition. All the same, he never held out the begging bowl to anyone. Farming, the Gambian way: It is customary in the Gambia that the poor, the labourers and the jobless people go to different areas during the rainy season, acquire a few acres of land from the landlords and start farming there. The same landlord is responsible for their boarding and lodging. At the time of harvesting the income from the farm is shared between the two according to agreed terms. Likewise Dr. Sambou Jan Bah packed up his luggage and went to a faraway region, acquired a piece of land from a landlord and started farming, that is usually millet and groundnuts. Reconciliation with the parents: During that period, the two mothers suffered such grief that they cried their hearts out because he was their only son. However, the father was not moved at all. Some of the relatives continued to look for him on behest of the mother. Ultimately the parents came to know his whereabouts and requested him to come back. He agreed to return on the condition that no one meddled in his religious affairs.