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English Translation
Chapter 1 (Continuation)
A very grand house surrounded by mesmerizing flowers, with tight security everywhere around the premises......
A magnificent living room that defied description. If I were to stay and detail how stunning the living room is, I would only waste time, so let everyone imagine its beauty in their hearts......
Some young men were sitting inside the living room—one sat on a three-seater sofa, and the other on a single-seater.....
With deep anger and anguish, Rafeeq said, "Ammar, do you mean I should just let my father's blood go to waste? By Allah, even if it costs me my life, I swear I will avenge my father's blood! My father was murdered right before my very eyes, and you're telling me not to seek revenge? That will never happen! Just the way I tasted the bitterness of my father's death, by Allah, I will make their family taste the bitterness of death too. Wallahi, my father's blood will not go unavenged."
Having said that, he let out a heavy breath, showing how deep and emotional his speech was.
Ammar replied, "Enough is enough, Rafeeq. I didn't say you shouldn't take action regarding what was done to Abba, but the way you are going about it is completely wrong."
Rafeeq shot Ammar a vicious, furious look and snapped, "Get out!"
Ammar said, "I don't know what is..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Rafeeq let out a wild, thunderous roar: "I said, get out!"
Knowing that anything could happen in that state, Ammar stood up and walked out.
FASKARI, KATSINA STATE
"Innalillahi! Oh Fatu, what kind of calamity is this? Today someone is snatched, tomorrow another person is taken."
It was Kaka speaking, adjusting the radio pressed against her ear.
A young girl stepped out of a room—she couldn't possibly be more than fifteen years old—and asked Kaka what had happened, immediately starting to utter exclamations of shock.
Kaka said, "Takwara, this calamity has gone too far."
Fatima asked, "Grandma, you still haven't told me what happened."
Kaka answered, "The Imam of the Friday Mosque, Malam Yunus, has been abducted."
Fatima said, "Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. May Allah reveal his whereabouts and bring relief to our country."
Kaka responded with an "Amin."
KANO, HOUSE NO. 1006, ƘOFAR FAMFO
"Ammi, is there any of that tiger nut drink (kunun gyada) left?"
Ammi shot a sharp look at Sadik, who made the request, and said, "I swear, my boy, you give people no peace. As soon as the topic of marriage comes up, you act like you hate it—I might as well just look for a wife for you and hand you over as charity."
Pouting his face, he whimpered, "Haba, my Ammi! I'm still a young boy, how old am I really, that you guys are breathing down my neck with marriage talk?"
Abbi, who was just stepping through the doorway, interjected, "Bring it here, Garba."
Twisting his face as if he were about to cry, he protested, "Abbi, please, stop calling me that ridiculous name Garba."
Abbi hardened his expression and said, "Well, I didn't name you Abubakar or Sadik; I named you Garba."
Realizing that pushing further would genuinely anger Abbi, Sadik kept quiet.
Ammi emerged from the kitchen carrying a small, beautiful thermal flask and placed it right in front of Sadik, saying, "Here it is, now let me have some peace."
Sadik laughed and said, "May Allah increase your health, my Ammi. Drinking this tiger nut beverage of yours is such a delight."
Abbi glared at him and warned, "Make sure that's your last glass, because after this, no more kunu from her end unless you are ready to start looking for a wife."
Grabbing his drink, Sadik quickly retreated to the guest parlor.
ALBASIRA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ƘOFAR FAMFO, KANO STATE
It is a large school combining Western education (boko) and Islamic studies (islamiyya), running from free nursery up to secondary level. It's a private school, but quite affordable so anyone can attend, and true, genuine learning takes place here.
When a student combines both Western and Islamic education, they arrive by 7:30 AM and leave by 6:00 PM. Western education classes dismiss at 2:00 PM, and by 2:30 PM, Islamic studies begin.
"Besty, did you do Uncle Sadik's assignment?"
Zulaihat acted as though she hadn't heard Humaira at all before finally mumbling a reply under her breath.
Humaira was deeply troubled seeing how her closest friend and confidante had completely changed towards her.
Unable to hold back her patience any longer, Humaira said, "Please, besty, if I've offended you or done something wrong, please forgive me."
Zulaihat hissed dismissively and said, "That's your own problem, go figure it out yourself."
With that, she walked away without even waiting to listen to Humaira.
Humaira was utterly distressed, because if there was one thing she hated, it was knowing she had upset someone.
ƘANKARA
"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un! Please, Abban Haidar, have mercy."
A series of deafening, stinging slaps landed squarely on her beautiful face. "You fool of a woman, you're trying to play smart with me? I don't know what cursed fate made me agree to marry you in the first place!"
She continued crying bitterly, and through her tears, she pleaded, "Please forgive me, my personal money ran out, that's why I borrowed some before I can replace it."
Furious, he resumed beating her, shouting, "You want to disgrace me in public and make people think I don't provide for my family? Well, you'll see who is going to give you and your child food in this house today!"
Having said that, he stormed out of the house.
Little Haidar walked up to his mother, burst into tears, and sobbed, "Haidar doesn't like Daddy, because Daddy doesn't like Mommy."
Maryam's crying came to a dead stop when she heard what her young son said. Though he was just a little boy—hardly six years old—her heart jolted with shock at hearing those words from his mouth.
Desperate to push those painful thoughts away, she said, "Don't say you don't like Daddy, act like a good boy. Daddy loves Mommy."
Haidar shook his head. "No, Mommy, Daddy doesn't love you. If he loved you, he wouldn't keep beating you."
Maryam fell silent, drifting deep into thought. Indeed, there was a serious problem if this continued. She did not want her son to grow up harboring hatred for his own father. She gently scolded Haidar—even though he was just a child—and as she was talking to him, sleep overtook him right there.
Truly, not every marriage between relatives strengthens family ties; in fact, many ruin them. She could swear by Allah that their marriage had only destroyed the relationship between their parents. What baffled her the most about cousin-marriages was that whenever something went wrong, the woman was always blamed. Her father never believed that Aminu could ever do the things she complained of, because Aminu was a two-faced man who used that duality to always win approval from her parents over her.
THEIR ORIGINS
Originally from the town of Ƙankara in Katsina State, Maryam's father and Aminu's mother shared the same grandfather—he was the father to both of their parents. The family valued kinship and mutual love deeply. Alhaji Rabiu and Hajiya Abu were well-known to everyone; ever since Abu was a young girl, she and Rabiu had been very close right up to adulthood. Alhaji Rabiu had wanted to marry Abu, but destiny had other plans. In fact, he had no idea about her wedding until he returned from school and saw crowds at their house, where he was informed that Abu was being married off. He was devastated, but realizing nothing could stop the wedding, he conceded, knowing it was partly his fault for never clearly expressing his love.
Thus, Abu married her husband, Auwal. Years later, after Abu had given birth and her son was nearly ten years old, Rabiu finally married. A few months into Rabiu's marriage, his wife gave birth to a baby girl named Maryam. Years passed, and when Maryam turned fifteen, Aminu was thirty-two years old. Their families decided to arrange a marriage between them to further strengthen family ties. They reached a decision without even asking the young people, who only heard about the marriage out of nowhere. Even though Aminu protested loudly, Abu glared him into submission until he agreed (though he already had a woman he truly loved), and Maryam accepted out of obedience to her parents.
Thus, the marriage took place. Right from the start, Maryam received no affection from Aminu because he didn't love her. Blessed with immense patience, Maryam endured Aminu's harsh temperament. Yet whenever they had visitors or went out, he would put on a show pretending she was the most cherished woman in the world, which made their parents immensely proud of him.
Years later, Maryam became pregnant, and she was overjoyed. But her heart shattered upon seeing how much Aminu despised her pregnancy. That marked the beginning of severe maltreatment: he forbade her from going out and stopped providing food. Driven to desperation, she went to report him to her father, Alhaji Rabiu, but her father refused to believe her and instead lectured and scolded her. From that day on, she never shared her sorrows with anyone else—right up to today, when he abused her over spending a mere one hundred naira on red palm oil to cook food for herself and his son.
CHAPTER 2 (FREE PAGES)
KATSINA, HOUSE NO. 607, ƘOFAR GUGA
"Muhammad! Muhammad! Muhammad!"
A woman of around 55 years old was calling out to Muhammad while knocking on his door...
Frustrated, she said, "I never expected this from you, Muhammad. Never forget that death comes to everyone. It's been nearly eight years since A'isha passed away, yet you've failed to let go of anything. This shows you haven't accepted destiny. I'm certain that if you were the one who had died, A'isha wouldn't have acted this way toward you—she would have prayed for you. Just look at yourself, what is it that you lack? You lack nothing; wealth, clothing, all the comforts of life—Allah has given them to you. Don't forget that A'isha died while giving birth, and what she needs now is prayers."
Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she turned as if to walk away from the doorway.
In a panic, Muhammad threw the door open, hugged Mommah, and said, "Please forgive me, Mommah. I just can't forget. Every single time marriage is mentioned to me, the memory of A'isha's death comes rushing back as fresh as ever. Please, Mommah, drop this marriage talk—you and Baffa."
Mommah wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek before saying, "Muhammad, marriage discussions are a necessity. You must marry. Who is going to care for your children after I leave this world?"
Quickly pulling back, Muhammad raised his voice and protested, "No! Mommah, please drop this topic. In sha Allah, I will find a wife myself. I promise you that."
A smile broke through Mommah's face, and she pulled him into a hug, patting his back as she said, "May Allah bless you, my boy. Come, let's eat."
They returned to the living room and sat on the carpet near the dining area where a delicious aroma drifted.
It was white rice with spinach stew enriched with fish...
Mommah herself fed her son by hand. Suddenly, some beautiful children emerged from a room and froze in their tracks upon seeing Mommah feeding their father like a baby.
Baby pointed at him and laughed, "Look, Papi, Mommah is feeding you like a baby!"
Baby laughed heartily and shouted, "Today Papi has become a baby!"
They all burst into laughter and raced over, sitting down beside them so they could be fed too.
Muhammad's phone rang. Seeing who the caller was, he jumped up quickly and said, "Forgive me, Mommah, I forgot I have clients I'm taking to Dubai today, and they are calling me."
Without waiting, he hurried upstairs...
A short moment later, he emerged with a bag in his hand and knelt before Mommah...
Even without speaking, she knew what it meant, so she placed her hand on his head and began reciting her usual prayers for him...
One by one, he hugged his children, kissing them...
Before saying goodbye, he asked Mommah to relay a message to Baffa whenever he returned, promising to call him later.
LAGOS
Seeing Ammar walk out, Rafeeq collapsed to the floor and burst into tears...
Weeping, he said, "Not everyone understands the state I'm in." Then a smile broke through as he recalled Abba's last words:
"I want you to know that I, Muhammad Shuram, did not father a coward. Stand firm and persevere through everything, my son. I feel it in my bones that you can do it. Whenever you feel like crying over a challenge ahead, smile instead—just smile, smile, smile."
Amidst his tears, he smiled, remembering his father speaking those exact words, and wiped the tears from his face.
Aloud, he said, "Indeed, Abba, you were right. You raised a warrior son, and I will fulfill your promise by showing true strength, and by Allah, I will bring an end to them."
Suddenly, he felt someone embrace him from behind. Turning around to see who it was, he found Ammar, his face wet with tears. Rafeeq pulled Ammar into a tight hug and said, "You are my confidant, my friend, you are my everything. Why won't you understand me?"
Ammar replied, "I do understand you, and I am standing right behind you. Whatever you do, I, Ammar, will do it by your side."
A wave of pure joy flooded Rafeeq's heart. He hugged Ammar again with a smile and said, "Today, I want us to head to Katsina. I've missed Habibaty."
Ammar laughed and said, "Well, this is all your fault for turning us into Lagos boys."
Rafeeq raised an eyebrow at Ammar and asked, "Really?"
Ammar ignored him as they began making preparations...
FASKARI, KATSINA STATE
"Takwara! Takwara! Takwara!"
"Oh Kaka, why are you calling me like someone chasing down a debtor?"
Kaka retorted, "Listen to her! You're giving me attitude? I've been calling your name while you heard me and stayed silent."
Fatima apologized, "Please forgive me, I didn't hear you."
Kaka burst into fake tears and cried, "Alas for me, Fatu! So all this while you treated me like a madwoman when I was calling out to you and ignoring me? Just wait until Amadu returns!"
Fatima kept quiet, watching Kaka, wondering what she had actually done wrong.
Just then, Kaka's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Amadu...
A smile instantly replaced her tears. She thrust the phone toward Fatima and said, "Here, answer and press speaker for me."
Fatima took the phone, answered it, and handed it back...
They exchanged warm greetings with Amadu, but right after, Kaka started crying again.
Alarmed, Baba (Amadu) asked, "Subhanallah! Inna, what happened?"
Kaka sniffed loudly before complaining, "Is this how you treat me now, Amadu?"
Surprised, he asked, "What did I even do, Inna?"
Kaka wailed louder, "You haven't bought me my small chicken since you traveled! You completely forgot, and it had to be Asadu, the blessed boy, who sent money for it to be bought!"
Even Baba chuckled on the other end, realizing Inna's penchant for drama had flared up again.
Soothing her, he said, "Please forgive me, Kaka. Let me call Bala right now to bring you one."
Her face beamed with joy, and she brightened up. "May Allah bless you, my Amadun!"
Fatima looked at her and remarked, "Look at Kaka, always finding ways to milk people for money."
Glaring at her, Kaka snapped, "If I don't eat my share while alive, I'll die! I'd rather take my energy straight to the grave."
Fatima fell silent, because whenever death was mentioned, she always remembered her late mother...
Fatima said, "Since you're done with the call, give me the phone so I can call Yaya Asad."
Handing over the phone, Kaka warned, "Mind you, don't go eating up my money."
Taking the phone, Fatima didn't reply to Kaka.
FATIMA'S BACKGROUND
Originally from the town of Faskari in Katsina State, Fatima's father, Malam Ahmad, was a religious scholar who inherited his knowledge from his father. He was also a merchant dealing in spices like ginger and garlic. Malam Ahmad married Hafsat, who also came from a reputable, respected family. They lived happily in mutual love. Sometime later, Malam Imam—Malam Ahmad's father—passed away. The loss deeply shook them, but remembering that everyone must return to Allah, they found patience and continued praying for him.
Three years into their marriage, Allah blessed them with a child. Hafsat gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Malam Imam, though they called him Asad. From then on, they had no more children for six years, until Hafsat became pregnant again. They were overjoyed, and when the pregnancy reached full term, tragedy struck during childbirth: Hafsat passed away...
Malam Ahmad fell into deep distress, and it took immense effort for him to regain his composure. Kaka took over the upbringing of the newborn baby girl, who was named Fatima after Kaka herself—which is why Kaka fondly called her Takwara (my namesake).
When people suggested Malam Ahmad remarry, he initially refused, but as time passed and pressures mounted, he was married to Hafsat's younger sister, a divorcee...
Although Malam Ahmad was initially reluctant, seeing that her temperament was somewhat similar to his late Hafsat's made him agree...
However, Kaka firmly refused to let them take Fatima away, insisting she would live with her.
And so it was. Without causing trouble, they left Fatima with Kaka. She began school, while Asad was finishing up his secondary education...
By the grace of Allah, Asad finished his education and secured admission into Isa Kaita College of Education in Katsina...
After some years, he graduated and won a scholarship, and Alhamdulillah, a non-governmental organization sponsored his further studies abroad...
Though Baba (Malam Ahmad) was initially reluctant, he let him go, while Kaka made a huge fuss—crying and asking why he had to travel to the land of the "red-eared foreigners" (Europe/abroad)...
It took a lot of convincing before she finally calmed down.
Thus, Asad left, and eventually secured a well-paying job in a store overseas...
THE STORY CONTINUES
After Fatima finished her phone call with Asad, Kaka sent her out to buy bread, because when Asad's chicken-pepper-soup arrived, they were going to eat it with bread.
KANKARA, KATSINA STATE
Back in Ƙankara, Maryam realized that wallowing in her thoughts wouldn't change anything, so she got up to prepare something for them to eat. Thank goodness she ran a small, secret petty business of her own.
After finishing the chores and cleaning the house, little Haidar woke up. She gave him a bath and served him food.
While he ate, she gently counseled him like an adult...
She grabbed her phone and called her younger brother, Abdullah, to tell him what had happened. Abdullah was the only one who truly understood her and knew the extent of Aminu's cruelty...
Her brother felt immense pity for her and transferred some money to her account. Thank goodness he had his own trade and was doing fairly well, which allowed him to support her secretly without Aminu knowing about her hidden business...
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard her husband's footsteps and greeting at the door. She still couldn't understand why the mere sound of his voice always filled her with dread and made her heart race...
Bracing herself, she responded to his greeting, knelt down, and curtsied to welcome him.
Without acknowledging her greeting, he snapped, "Where is my food?"
She brought out his meal, which was simply white dafuwa (plain cooked rice) without any special accompanying sauce or garnish.
He glared at the food and barked, "I am supposed to eat this? Didn't I tell you never to serve me this rubbish again?"
With a trembling voice, she whispered, "Please have mercy."
In a rage, he flung the plate of food at her and stormed out of the house...
Little Haidar walked out carrying a toy truck and cried, "Haidar doesn't like Abba, because Abba doesn't like Mommy either!"
Instantly, Aminu whirled around, lunged at the boy, and grabbed him to beat him. Maryam rushed forward to shield her son from his blows, but he struck her instead, sending her crashing to the floor...
(😭😭 Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un! What kind of tragedy is this? She couldn't give you fancy food, but she still managed to provide what she had, yet you humiliated her? Do you think you'll end your life well? What did this innocent little child do to deserve beatings? Oh Allah, please deliver those trapped in such abusive situations! 🤲🏿)
She pulled her children into a tight embrace as they all cried together. In that moment, she couldn't even comfort herself, let alone console her child. They wept a sorrowful cry—the cry of people with no protector...
Realizing that weeping wouldn't solve anything, she stood up, performed ablution, and despite the scorching afternoon heat, she engaged in prolonged voluntary prayers, laying all her anguish before Allah...
She lost count of how many units of prayer she performed until she heard her friend, Mama Ihsan, calling out greetings at the door, which made her pause her prayers...
KANO, HOUSE NO. 230, ƘOFAR FAMFO
"Humaira, are you alright? You've barely touched your food..."
Summary
This segment weaves together multiple compelling plotlines across Katsina and Kano:
- The Vengeance Mission: In Lagos, a grieving young man named Rafeeq vows bloody revenge for his father’s murder, clashing with his calmer friend Ammar before planning a trip back to Katsina. Meanwhile, Muhammad (Shuram), dealing with lingering grief over his late wife A'isha, juggles his family and business trips while resisting pressure to remarry from his mother (Mommah) and Baffa.
- Family Strife & Abuse: In Ƙankara, Maryam suffers intense physical and emotional abuse from her cruel, two-faced husband, Aminu, an arranged cousin-marriage that brought misery rather than unity. Her young son, Haidar, witnesses and echoes the trauma, while Maryam quietly survives with secret help from her brother, Abdullah.
- Daily Life & Relationships: In Faskari, grandmother Kaka provides comic relief with her playful demands and bickering over food with her granddaughter Fatima, whose family has deep roots and an older brother, Asad, studying and working abroad. In Kano, Sadik spars playfully with his parents over marriage and tiger nut drinks, while Humaira experiences painful emotional distance from her best friend, Zulaihat.
Description
The narrative paints a vivid, emotionally charged portrait of Northern Nigerian family dynamics, juxtaposing wealth, urban life (Lagos/Kano) with rural struggles (Katsina/Faskari/Ƙankara). It explores heavy themes of domestic abuse, forced or arranged cousin-marriages, grief, vengeance, unconditional maternal love, and the complex bonds of friendship and extended family.
Analytics
- Character Dynamics & Conflict Archetypes: The text relies heavily on stark contrasts—the aggressive vengeance of Rafeeq vs. Ammar’s voice of reason; the cold, tyrannical abuse of Aminu vs. Maryam’s quiet endurance; and the warm, humorous bickering of Kaka vs. the quiet melancholy of Fatima and Maryam.
- Thematic Motifs: Trauma across generations is a prominent motif, especially through children like Haidar absorbing domestic violence, and fathers like Muhammad wrestling with delayed grief. C cousin marriages are critically evaluated, portrayed as societal pressures that frequently backfire and ruin lives rather than strengthening family ties.
- Pacing & Setting Shifts: The author uses rapid geographic shifts (Lagos \rightarrow Katsina \rightarrow Kano \rightarrow Faskari \rightarrow Ƙankara) to build a panoramic view of interconnected lives, utilizing culturally rich idioms, local foods (kunun gyada, white rice with spinach, dafuwa), and recognizable regional settings to ground the fiction in authentic realism.
Comments
- The emotional weight of Maryam’s storyline is heavy and evokes deep empathy, sharply highlighting the tragic realities many women face in toxic arranged marriages where extended families blindly side with the abusive spouse.
- The dialogue flows naturally in colloquial Hausa-English style translation, capturing the warmth, humor (especially Kaka's character), and stark dramatic tension intended by the author, Fatima Bintu Hussen (Mrs. Nasir).
Conclusions
This excerpt serves as a powerful setup for a multi-layered drama (Kurmar Rayuwa). It successfully hooks the reader by posing central mysteries: What is the truth behind Rafeeq’s father's murder? How will Maryam break free from her abusive marriage? And what caused the sudden rift between the best friends Zulaihat and Humaira? The characters are deeply human, flawed, and fighting distinct battles against the pressures of family, tradition, and personal grief.
