She walked while crying as if she had been told her parents had died. One hand covered her face while the other held a broken clay pot. As I got closer, I saw she was a small, fair-skinned girl who couldn't be more than 11 years old. Despite her young age, her beauty was evident with a sharp nose and a small, pink mouth. However, her clothes were tattered and dirty. She wore a mismatched outfit typical of village girls, with a headscarf tied in front of her dress. Seeing her attire, I assumed she was a poor girl, but I was surprised to see the house she was about to enter. It was the only cemented house in the village, surrounded by a fence, unlike the other houses made of straw.
She stood at the door for a long time, unable to enter. She would move forward and then step back several times before finally reciting the Shahada and entering. I followed her.
Inside, I saw a dark-skinned woman sitting on a chair, shaking her leg and adjusting her headscarf. The girl knelt at a distance, unable to speak, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
The woman looked at her and asked angrily why she was standing there and where she had gone to fetch water. The girl, trembling, explained that she and her friends had gone to fetch water when some boys chased them. In her haste, she tripped, fell, and broke the pot, injuring her knee.
Instead of feeling sorry for the girl, the woman cursed her and accused her of going to meet her boyfriends. She demanded compensation for the broken pot, threatening to beat her if she didn't pay.
The girl continued to cry and apologize, but the woman picked up a whip and started beating her until she fainted. She then dragged the girl into the sun and went inside, cursing her.
The girl didn't wake up until around 2 PM when the woman poured water on her. Startled, she got up, and the woman insulted her again, telling her to go and herd the cattle.
The girl quietly took a water pot and went to the well in the yard to perform ablution and pray. The woman, out of spite, had forbidden her from using the well and made her fetch water from the village well.
When the girl asked to use the pot for ablution, the woman mocked her and told her to leave. The girl then asked to use the bathroom, and the woman allowed it but insulted her again.
The girl then asked for food, saying she was hungry. The woman rudely told her she hadn't cooked for her. When the girl tried to speak again, the woman shouted at her to leave.
With no other choice, the girl took her herding stick and went to tend to the cattle. Fortunately, some of the cows were nursing, so she milked them and drank the milk to fill her stomach. This was her usual routine; if she was given breakfast, she wouldn't get lunch, and if she wasn't given breakfast, she would get a small portion for lunch.
After drinking the milk, she performed ablution and prayed.
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'Every son of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who repent (when they commit a sin and do not return to it).'
After she finished her prayer, she sat down thinking about her life. She didn't know why her mother didn't love her, why she hated her so much. Every day, she faced different kinds of abuse from her, unlike any other mother who shows love and care to her child. And then there was the word that stuck in her brain, 'prostitute.' She didn't know what the word meant, but sometimes Murza would call her that, and she couldn't ask her about it. She stayed there until the Asr prayer was called. After praying, she rested a bit before heading home. Being tired and hungry, she fell into a deep sleep. She didn't wake up until just before Maghrib. She quickly got up, herded the cows, and headed home, praying that Baba Musa had returned.
From a distance, she saw Murza at the door, looking around as if waiting for her arrival. She clutched her chest and said, 'I'm in trouble now, Maysam. What kind of punishment will Murza give me this time?' When Murza saw her, she turned back into the house.
Maysam started trembling and shedding tears. After tying up the cows, she entered the house, and right at the entrance, she felt the sting of a whip on her body, causing her to fall. She grabbed Murza's leg, begging for forgiveness.
Murza kicked her away and continued whipping her, saying, 'You shameless girl, you want to bring us shame in the town. Even while herding, you stop for your prostitution.'
Maysam cried, 'I swear, mother, I didn't go anywhere. I just fell asleep.'
Murza retorted, 'Oh, so you even had time to sleep while herding? You left my animals to suffer out of spite, didn't you?'
