cigaal shidaad stories which makes you laugh

Cigaal was a man of natural, profound fear. He was terrified of every living creature that God had placed on this earth—every person, every head of livestock, and every bird. Cigaal was also an extremely cautious man, convinced that anything he imagined could harm him. He was known for his many clever tricks, characterized by extreme vigilance and self-preservation, which he used to protect his own skin. These clever tricks are very numerous, and the stories of Cigaal are known in various ways across the Somali territories. Here are some that were told to me when I was young.

The Stories of Cigaal

Cigaal Shiddaad and the Spider
Cigaal and the Enemy Raid
Cigaal and the She-Camel
Cigaal and the Ostriches
Cigaal and His Young Son

1. Cigaal Shiddaad and the Spider

One day, as he was relaxing, lying on his back in the shade of a cool tree, a spider descended from the tree and landed on his chest, between his chin and his upper lip.

Startled, Cigaal jumped up.

A man from his family who was lying nearby said to him, "Cigaal, don't jump! It's just a spider!"

Cigaal replied, "That's true, I see it is, but the path it's on leads to the throat!"

Note: "Halaq" means throat (a place of slaughter).

2. Cigaal and the Enemy Raid

One day, news came that an enemy raid was heading for the clan to which Cigaal belonged.

All the other men of the clan took up their weapons to confront the advancing enemy and defend themselves.

Cigaal, however, gathered his wives. He lay down on his back and said, panicking, "Naa ided, naa idad, naa iqari, naa canbarooy iqari!" (Oh my sides, oh my back, cover me! Oh my in-laws, cover me!).

His wives piled on top of him, covering him completely and huddling together.

A short while later, the aforementioned enemy force entered the clan's settlement. When they reached his home, one of his wives cried out, "The enemy has been defeated! The enemy has been defeated! Oh, Cigaal is dead!"

A man from the enemy raid asked her, "And when did he die?"

Before his wife could answer, Cigaal shouted from beneath the pile of women, "Naa shale dheh, naa shalay dheh!" (Oh, say yesterday! Oh, say he died yesterday!).

The enemy commander laughed. He then gave an order on the spot, saying, "Do not touch Cigaal. He is untouchable."

3. Cigaal and the She-Camel (Garo)

One day, Cigaal saw a she-camel that belonged to him.

This camel was known for being aggressive and her name was Garo; the camel was bad-tempered.

Cigaal saw Garo looking directly at him. He grew suspicious of what she was looking at. As Cigaal approached his camel and reached out to put the halter on her, he began talking to himself, saying, "This jug (head) of yours, she recognizes me, and yet she is still staring at me!"

4. Cigaal and the Ostriches

It is said that Cigaal was once preparing to pray, and just as he finished the call to prayer, some ostriches ran past him. Cigaal jumped up and forgot about the prayer he was about to perform. He himself started running away from where the ostriches were running towards.

Both Cigaal and the ostriches ended up at the home of his in-laws. Canbaro, the name his wife was known by, came out and said, "Cigaal, what is chasing you?"

Cigaal, looking behind him, said, "Those black-headed ones chasing me are the ones I am running from!"

6. Cigaal and His Young Son

One evening, as Cigaal was eating, his young son, who had no teeth yet, came crawling towards him. Cigaal was frightened of the young boy. He said to his wife, "Naa cunaga iga qabo, naa cunaga iga qabo!" (Oh, grab this eater from me! Grab this eater from me!).

When his wife didn't seem to hear him, he took a piece of the food the child was crawling towards and threw it far away from himself, saying, "An enemy with no teeth has come to eat us!"