Chapter I. Childhood, poverty and youth. (Глава 1)

Late at night, the father, returning home after hard work, brings 7 silver manats, this is less than what was due for his work, but his owner, for whom Hamza’s father works, was stingy and greedy, and forced hired workers to work for him for a paltry 7 manats, because his my father worked as a stonemason, and then stonemasons were paid on average 20 manats. The family barely had enough money for food, since the land rent and land tax were prohibitively high, and therefore the family could not engage in agriculture, cultivate the soil and grow crops, and the son could not go to study at a madrasah, imams and mullahs took fees for training every month in the amount of 4 manats.
In small madrasahs, 10-15 students attended per day, in medium small madrasahs, attendance per day was from 25 to 30 students, in large madrasahs, attendance per day ranged from 50 students.
Hamza was upset that he, like all children, could not study at the madrasah with his peers; he had to help his mother around the house and with housework. One morning, when the mother woke up the boy, gave him something to eat that she could prepare from the products that were at home, told Hamza to go to the kazoo to graze, in the family the goat was the only breadwinner, the boy met his neighbor and friend Amir, walking in the morning to classes at the madrasah, a dialogue began between them;
~ Assalamu Alaikum Amir, good journey to you. Where are you going?
~ Waaleikum Assalam Hamza, same to you. I go to the madrasah to see Mullah Musa, he teaches us Arabic while I am learning the Arabic alphabet. Where are you going?
~ Yes, my mother ordered the goat to be grazed in the meadow, and to be driven into the barn in the evening. You are lucky Amir, I wish I could go with you to Mullah Musa every day, but it’s a pity that I can’t.
~ Okay Hamza, I have to go, otherwise I’m late for class, jazakallahu khairan brother Hamza for asking.
~ Wa iyaka, come on brother Amir, I won’t detain you.
Hamza, having arrived at the pasture, lay down on the grass holding a stick in his hands, then got up and sat down, putting his shirt under him. The mother constantly did hard work around the house and could hardly cope alone, and the father worked as a mason for the local bek Taimas, who, in addition to being greedy and stingy, was also a power-lover, a usurer and a spendthrift. Hamza, meanwhile, was sitting in the meadow and watching the goat, whistling a song that his neighbor, grandfather Batyr, loved to sing. By noon, Uncle Marif, the neighbor and uncle of little Hamza, and the cousin of Hamza’s father, Rizvan, drove a flock of sheep to the pasture and greeted the boy;
~ Assalamu Alaikum Hamza, how are you doing, what are you doing here alone?
~ Vaaleikum Assalam Uncle Marif, I’m tending a goat, and my father is at work, so I have to do the housework for my mother alone and help around the house.
~ That's right, you're great Hamza, mom needs help, you're an obedient and smart boy. How is mom doing at home, how is dad at work, how are you doing?
~ It’s okay shukur alhamdulillah, it’s a sin to complain too, we cope with difficulties little by little with the help of Allah, Allah gives rizq.
~ Yes, you are right, it’s not easy for anyone now, everyone has their own difficulties, their own worries, Allah gives rizq, food, Allah will not leave His faithful slaves who are grateful to Him in everything without his help. May Allah help you and your parents overcome all difficulties.
~ Amin ya Allah, may Allah help you too, Uncle Marif. Have you also come to graze the cattle?
~ Yes Hamza, my sheep give milk, fur, meat, several of my sheep gave birth to lambs yesterday, they need to be grazed in the meadow every day so that they chew grass, give milk, and then I make sheep cheese from it.
~Wow! Uncle Marif, can I look at the lambs?
~ Yes, of course, come visit me tomorrow, I’ll show them to you.
~ But my mother won’t let me go, she needs help tomorrow, my mother wants to beat out the carpets tomorrow.
~ I'll tell your parents to let you visit me for a while.
~ Okay, Uncle Marif, I’ll definitely come to you tomorrow.
~ Okay Hamza, come, I’ll meet you at noon.
~ Hamza, I brought cheese and bread, would you like to share the meal with me? After all, you are probably hungry.
~ I guess I won’t refuse, I’m really hungry, I want to eat.
~ Now I’ll lay the tablecloth on the ground, put the food on the tablecloth, and we’ll sit down to eat.
~ Sit down Hamza, eat.
~ Bismillyahi Rrahmani Rahim — said Uncle Marif, sitting down to eat.
~ Bismillahi Rrahmani Rahim — Hamza said after Uncle Marif.
~ Bon appetit Hamza.
~Thank you, and bon appetit.
Before the meal, Hamza asked Uncle Marif to stick a stick into the ground, tying the goat to the stick so that it would not run away, and Hamza sat down to eat with Uncle Marif.
Hamza asked Uncle Marif how many sheep he had, to which Uncle Marif replied that he had exactly 20 of them.
~ Uncle Marif, did you hear that in the neighboring village wolves began to drag away sheep?
~ Yes, I heard Hamza.
~ Have your sheep been dragged away by wolves?
~ It also happened, it happened that in the middle of the night wolves opened the door and dragged away the weakest and sickest sheep or the oldest, and sometimes they dragged away healthy and young sheep, but now there are no such problems, my fighting dogs protect them. Marif had guard alabai who protected the sheep from wolves and jackals.
Having finished the meal, Hamza stood up and leisurely went to untie the goat so that it could fall out. Towards evening, Hamza and his uncle got ready to go home.
~ Let's go home Hamza, I'll take you with you.
~ Thank you Uncle Marif. What will you do at home today?
~ First, I’ll drive the sheep into a shed, fill them with hay and lock them up until the next morning, and then I’ll start making dung to stock up for the winter. What are you going to do at home today, Hamza?
~ We’ll have to drive the goat into the barn, fill it with fresh grass growing behind our house and lock it up until the next morning, look after our younger brother and sister, and help mom with cleaning the house. That's all there is to worry about.