True Story | The Mysterious Flute & The Jinn of the Village

The incident took place sometime in the 1960s in a village where, at that time, there was not such a dense population and it was not as developed. This incident involves two brothers, one named Hafiz Uddin and the other Karim Uddin. Their ancestral home was in Katali village in Netrokona district. Hafiz and Karim were indeed two brothers, with Hafiz being the elder and Karim the younger. The brothers owned some rice fields, and since there was a lot of theft occurring at night—where thieves would cut and take away the ripe rice—it was common for homes to be robbed as well. During the night, it had become a regular affair for someone to sneak in and harvest the ripe rice. Therefore, they needed to guard this ripe rice.

As for these brothers, Hafiz was the one responsible for guarding their farmland. It was essential; otherwise, their crops would suffer. They would patrol the fields every night. However, Karim, the younger brother, was reluctant to go for guard duty; he had a mischievous nature which made him want to avoid it. Since Hafiz was the elder, it was his duty to go. After finishing his dinner each night, he would head to a makeshift tent next to their fields, which in the dialect of Netrokona is referred to as 'goyala.' He would stay there every night, guarding their crops.

It's worth noting that Hafiz was a brave young man from the village, and he had a calm temperament—he was a very kind-hearted person and quite courageous too. One of his favorite hobbies was playing the flute. He would play while sitting under a tree in the afternoon or during gatherings with friends. At night, he would try to play the flute again. The flute he played was made of brass and a mix of other metals, and it was not just an ordinary bamboo flute.

So, Hafeez Bhai, what did he do? He took that flute and when he couldn't get to sleep at night, he would sit alone in the cow shed and play the flute. For quite a few days, things were going well; there were no problems. Just like any other night, Hafeez Bhai had his meal and went to the fields to lie down in the cow shed. When he suddenly woke up, it was hard to tell the exact time in the middle of the night, and he found it difficult to fall asleep again. So, Hafeez Bhai got up and took a little stroll around the field. After coming back, he sat in the cow shed for a long time. Then what did Hafeez Bhai do? He pulled that flute from under the pillow and began to play it. He could play the flute very beautifully, and people would rush to hear its sound. Now, late at night, as he was playing the flute, he suddenly heard a sound that seemed like something tinkling. Hafeez Bhai stopped playing the flute and looked around to see if anyone had come or if something was walking by. Sometimes, cows walk by, and they have something around their necks that makes a sound like a tinkling bell. So, he thought maybe someone had let their cow loose to eat rice in his fields at night. Hafeez Bhai then stopped playing the flute again and took another stroll around the field, but he saw no cows or anything else. In fact, he didn’t take it seriously after that. Then Hafeez Bhai, not looking back or playing the flute again, lay down. He lay down like that and one night, suddenly, Hafeez Bhai saw something in his dream. He saw a beautiful woman who came to him and said, "Hafeez, what happened? It's been a long time since you played the flute. I've been staying by the cow shed waiting to hear your flute, but you never understood and I was afraid to come in front of you. But from tomorrow, you will play the flute again, and I will listen with full attention." Hafeez Bhai saw this in his dream, and when he saw this...

Then Hafiz Bhai thought about whether he had a dream or a nightmare. The next day, however, he did play the flute. As soon as he played the melody of the flute, within a few moments, he heard the sound of anklets again. Strangely, it seemed that this sound was coming from above, not from the ground. After hearing the sound, he initially looked around but couldn't see anything. Then he looked a bit higher and thought he saw a wonderfully beautiful lady coming down in front of the cowherd. At that moment, Hafiz Bhai truly became frightened because he was not prepared for something like this. He thought he had seen a nightmare, and playing the flute was merely a habit or a hobby for him. But he did not stop playing the flute because he was afraid that if he stopped, that presence might harm him. So he kept playing the flute, and he could see that presence directly. When he actually saw that presence, a problem arose for him: he couldn't sleep at night because whenever he slept, that figure appeared to him in his dreams and would ask, "Hafiz, why don't you play the flute?" So he would play the flute, and after playing, that figure would come, sometimes one or multiple figures would come and listen to him play. Over time, Hafiz Bhai grew accustomed to this situation and was no longer afraid. The figure wouldn’t speak much either. Meanwhile, the time for harvesting came, just before the Fajr call to prayer, but this figure would leave before the time of Fajr if it came alone, or it would leave before the Fajr call even if multiple figures came. One day, this presence told Hafiz Bhai, "Hafiz, do not change the melody of your flute, and do not stop playing it." At that moment, Hafiz Bhai understood that the melody he played attracted these figures, or if we refer to them as fairies, these fairies liked this particular melody. It was true that if he did not stop playing, the fairies could not leave. They would say, "Now stop," and then he would stop. The mystery behind this situation was difficult to comprehend.

So, Parira liked to play the flute in that tune, and Hafiz Bhai would play it. This had been going on for quite some time when something happened. Hafiz Bhai had to go to another village for some work at a relative's house. Before leaving, he carefully told his younger brother Karim that he was going away for a few days and asked him to look after the land in his absence. His brother agreed, saying okay, since you are going out, I’ll keep watch. Hafiz Bhai also told his mother to make sure to send food for him at night, come what may.

Hafiz Bhai gave these instructions and left, but he made one mistake: he forgot to take his flute, which was usually kept under his pillow in that cow pen room. After walking quite a distance, he suddenly remembered, “Oh no, I didn’t bring the flute!” Panic set in because his brother Karim could also play the flute, but he wasn’t as skilled. Karim would get tired after playing for just a little while and couldn’t produce melodies like Hafiz Bhai could.

Hafiz Bhai thought to himself, “Well, maybe he won’t play it.” But he knew that if Karim did try to play, it would annoy Hafiz Bhai because Karim didn’t play with the same focus and attention, and thus Hafiz Bhai didn’t want Karim to play. Even though Karim loved it, Allah has given different talents to each person, and in his attempt to play the flute at that age, he wasn’t able to do so well.

Now, during the night, Karim went to the cow pen after he had gone to bed, but he was unable to fall asleep for a long time. Often, when we lie on our pillows and can’t sleep, we shift the pillow a bit, adjusting it or changing its position, trying to find a comfortable spot that helps us sleep. While Karim was trying to adjust his pillow, he noticed, “Oh, my brother left this flute here,” and he began to play the flute inside the room.So, when a sound suddenly started ringing outside while he was playing for a while, Karim thought that maybe a few cows had come in, and someone had let them loose. He picked up his flute and went outside to chase the cows away.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw that those figures were standing there. Although the appearance of the figures was fine, Karim got very scared looking at them. The figures then told him, "Karim, I’m telling you to play the flute; don’t stop playing!" Karim, frightened, found it hard to keep up; the tune he was trying to produce from the flute wasn’t coming out at all. The figures said, "Karim, play the flute properly! Why can’t you produce a tune? And for God’s sake, don’t stop playing!" Now, Karim wasn't that skilled, and in his fear, he couldn’t play anymore. Meanwhile, those figures repeatedly threatened him, "Don’t you dare stop playing!"

After a while, after struggling for some time, Karim no longer had the strength to continue, as he couldn’t keep up anymore. The figures forced him repeatedly and at one point, in an attempt to blow with all the strength in his body, blood started to ooze from his throat. Meanwhile, Hafiz, who was lying in bed at night, was thinking that he had left his flute behind and worried that Karim might be causing some trouble. He couldn’t stay in bed anymore, so as soon as dawn broke, he set off towards home.

He went straight to his house and asked his mother, "Where is Karim?" She replied that Karim hadn’t come back yet. He quickly ran over to the cow pen and saw a horrifying scene: Karim was sitting there just like a human sits, and he had pushed part of his flute deep into his throat. As soon as Hafiz reached there, he witnessed that dreadful sight. He checked to see if Karim was dead, and he saw that Karim was not dead. When he pulled the flute out from his throat, Karim collapsed to the ground. He had been sitting for so long, but now he fell to the ground, and they quickly took Karim home.After bringing him back, his mother, seeing his condition, was almost fainting herself. Karim, seeing his son in this state, is losing consciousness as well; however, he is still alive but cannot speak. After a long while, when Karim opened his eyes, he still couldn’t speak. There was a terrifying look in his eyes. Meanwhile, such an incident has happened to his brother that revenge must be taken. Hafiz Bhai made a long vow that he would definitely take revenge for what they did; they played the flute and caused such harm to my brother. So, he waited until after the Isha prayer to eat and drink, thinking about when he would go to that cow shed. As usual, he went to the cow shed and began to play.

This time, he started to play the flute with an even more charming tune. After a little while of playing, when those figures came down, it had been a long time, and those figures were not coming anymore. However, he did not stop; he kept playing the flute for about two and a half or three hours. Suddenly, the jingling sound of anklets began again, meaning the figures were coming. When those figures arrived, they signaled that if we gesture, you will stop playing the flute. But Hafiz Bhai knew the real secret: as long as the flute was being played, they could not leave from there.

Even after the Fajr call to prayer, he did not stop playing the flute. Meanwhile, those figures kept saying that this Hafiz should stop playing the flute; we need to leave, and if it gets morning, we will die. As daylight breaks, we will perish. You must stop playing the flute; we cannot leave. At that point, he did not stop playing the flute. He was gesturing with his eyes or hands as much as he could, trying to convey why he had harmed his brother and what his wrongdoing was.Then they were saying that your brother cannot save the flute like you do, so why did he go to save the flute? Since we have been coming here, that's why I am saying that you shouldn’t stop playing the flute; this isn’t a punishment. Why did you go to save it? That’s why I punished him. Then he started playing the flute again, but when it came time to talk, the flute would stop, then they would run away. He was signaling, as much as he could, saying that you should not make my brother sick, otherwise even if morning comes, I will not stop playing the flute. You know me; how long do I have left? You know this. Meanwhile, those figures, when they understood they had fallen into a huge danger, facing death, then said, “We haven’t killed your brother.” Yes, we could have killed him at the Fajr prayer call, which is why I couldn’t push that flute fully into his throat; if I had, he would have died. Your brother will recover; you should go home now, stop playing the flute, and you’ll see that there’s a clay pot in your kitchen. There’s water in this pot; give this water to your brother to drink, and after that, let him take a bath. Today, your brother will be well again. Then he stopped playing the flute and declared, “I will play the flute in my own way. If you ever come again, I will not stop for service, even if morning comes, I will save him.” Then you will die, and I hope never to see you in this area again. What great courage you have to try to kill my brother! At that point, they also retaliated, saying they would never come again. Then he stopped playing the flute. All of this he was trying to do with gestures because stopping the flute could bring danger; it could also happen that after stopping, they might attack him. Nevertheless, he went home. When he got home, he found a new clay pot in the kitchen that wasn’t there before, and it had some water in it. He took some of that water and fed it to his brother. After drinking, his brother started speaking a bit, feeling somewhat better. After giving him a bath with water, gradually on that same day, he became completely well. That was the incident.