A girl of about fifteen years old was walking with a bag of tobacco in her hand, wandering aimlessly.

She stopped under a tree to rest, hoping to calm her anxious heart.

She took a deep breath and looked inside her bag. Her eyes filled with tears, and she thought to herself, *"O Allah, You know my condition better than I do."*

She continued to cry, her head resting on her bag, but when she realized that crying wouldn't solve anything, she decided to keep walking despite the hunger and thirst that were tormenting her.

Slowly, she dragged her feet with determination until she reached a place where there were people. She set down her bag, filled with her few belongings, and approached a woman selling food. As soon as she arrived, she noticed everyone's eyes on her. Quickly, the people scattered, including the food seller, thinking she was *insane*. One of them, however, mustered the courage to confront her, asking angrily, "What do you want here?"

With a trembling voice, she answered, "I am an *almajira* (beggar), and I need food or money. I haven't eaten anything since morning."

He shouted at her, making her jump, "Why should we care about your begging? Is it our responsibility to feed you? Did we tell your parents to send you here to beg and disgrace the gift Allah gave them? Get out of here before I kick you!"

She didn't know when the hot tears blurred her vision, making it hard to see. She felt dizzy and almost fell, but Allah saved her from falling. She thought to herself, "Indeed, some people have no compassion."

She walked back to where she had left her belongings, sat down, and continued to cry pitifully, thinking, *"Every servant has their own fate as decreed by Allah. This is my test, O Allah, give me the strength to overcome it."*

She picked up her bag and resumed her journey, praying for even ten naira to buy food so she and her mother could have something to eat. She prayed for Allah to lead her to compassionate people who would give her even a drink of water to refresh her spirit.

The intense heat of the day made her decide to stop and rest, fearing that the sun might harm her. She planned to continue her journey when the sun cooled down. If people couldn't help her, she thought, she would sell her few belongings to buy food for herself and her mother.

She found a place to rest under a shoemaker's shed. As she approached, the shoemaker focused his attention on her, standing up and staring, thinking she might be insane because of her shabby appearance and the bag of rags she was carrying. Her greeting broke his train of thought. She squatted and said, "Good day."

He quickly responded, "What do you want?"

She said, "I am hungry and need help. Please, for Allah's sake."

He began to think, *"This girl is not insane as I thought. She must be in trouble, but there's nothing I can do. I'll just leave her be. Perhaps her parents didn't do well by her, or maybe she ran away from them. But how could someone be so unfortunate?"*

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, "Mister, I said I need help."

He replied, "I said Allah grant you patience. Is charity compulsory?"

She turned to leave but realized it wasn't wise to keep walking in the intense sun. She squatted again and begged him to let her rest until the sun cooled down.

Reluctantly, he allowed her to stay, thinking she might scare away his customers.

She moved to the side and huddled against the wall, as if ready to flee. Her heart was filled with sorrow, reflecting on the hardship she and her mother faced. If their situation didn't improve, she knew what she feared might happen. The call to prayer interrupted her thoughts. She got up, went to the shoemaker, and asked for water to perform ablution. He handed her a container without hesitation. She took it respectfully, went to the edge of the gutter, squatted, and performed her ablution.

The way she recited the post-ablution prayers amazed the shoemaker. He thought to himself, *"Despite her poverty and troubles, this girl hasn't abandoned seeking knowledge of her faith. I must ensure my children pursue their education regardless of life's challenges."*

After finishing her prayers, she spread her small veil and prayed with great concentration. She took her time in prayer, making supplications after completing her salat.

After folding her veil, she sat down, deep in thought about how life had turned against them. The shoemaker, seeing she had no intention of leaving, called her, "*Al-majira*, take this ten naira and buy yourself some food." She gratefully accepted, bowing in thanks. At least she now had something to buy food for her mother, even if it was just porridge.