The River’s Promise | A Promessa do Rio | وَعْدُ النَّهْر

Each morning before sunrise, Yusuf knelt beside the great river, whispering a quiet du’a.
His village, cradled by Brazil’s lush jungle, lived slowly and humbly.

Tía Zulay, his aunt, had raised him with strong hands and a soft heart after his parents returned to Allah.

That morning, something strange happened.
The water shimmered more than usual.
On its surface, he saw lines of light—like writing.

He blinked, and it vanished.

The voice came from a girl standing nearby.
She wore a green scarf and a carved wooden crescent on her necklace.

Yusuf was unsure.
“What promise?”

That week, a company arrived, offering to buy land upstream to build a factory.
They promised jobs, power, roads.

Some villagers were tempted.
But Yusuf felt unease in his heart.

That night, he prayed.
“Oh Allah, show me what is right.”

He dreamed of his late father standing by the river, smiling.
A Qur’an lay open beside him.

Yusuf woke and found the verse:

At the village meeting, Yusuf stood up.

At first, there was silence.
Then Tía Zulay stood beside him.
“He speaks the truth.”

One by one, others joined.

The company left.
That week, the rains returned.
The river, full again, flowed freely.

Nura was gone,
but on the bank Yusuf found her wooden crescent resting on a stone.

From that day on, Yusuf continued to pray by the river.
Birds returned.
The fish were many.

The children of the village began to learn the old names of trees and stars, just as their ancestors once did.

And sometimes, just before dawn,
Yusuf would see light dancing on the river again—like lines of writing.

He never tried to read them.
He just smiled.

—FIM—

📜 Translated Quotes

1.
Portuguese:
“A água leva, mas também guarda.”
English:
“The water carries, but it also keeps.”
Arabic:
"الماءُ يَحمل، ولكنَّه أيضًا يَحفَظ."
Transliteration:
Al-māʼu yaḥmil, walākinna-hu ayḍan yaḥfaẓ.

2.
Portuguese:
“Você viu, não viu?”
English:
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
Arabic:
"أنت رأيتَه، أليس كذلك؟"
Transliteration:
Anta raʼaytahu, alaysa ka-dhālik?

3.
Portuguese:
“O rio é um amánah.”
English:
“The river is a trust.”
Arabic:
"النهر أمانة."
Transliteration:
An-nahr amānah.

4.
Portuguese:
“O rio não é nosso. Foi confiado a nós.”
English:
“The river isn’t ours. It was entrusted to us.”
Arabic:
"النهر ليس لنا. لقد وُكِل إلينا."
Transliteration:
An-nahr laysa lanā. Laqad wukkila ilaynā.

5.
Portuguese:
“Uma promessa guardada.”
English:
“A promise kept.”
Arabic:
"وعدٌ محفوظ."
Transliteration:
Waʿdun maḥfūẓ.