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ZURFIN CIKI (Book 1, Part 1)
on 14 Dec 2016 - 02:16
Ummi was walking along, singing her little songs, running and jumping as she went. Running was Ummi's nature; she simply never walked slowly. From a distance, she spotted a girl who couldn't be older than her peer.
She said to herself, "Perfect, there is that Firdausi who teased me." She headed straight toward her, blocked her path, and placed her hands on her hips. "Firdausi, who do you think you're teasing?" Firdausi replied, "I didn't tease you at all." She spoke out of fear. Ummi grabbed her by the neck. "I heard you when you called me 'Ummi the plucked chicken' (Ummi tsiga)." "I didn't say that," said Firdausi. Ummi shoved her away, saying, "Allah favored you today." The ground cornmeal that Firdausi had carried scattered all over the ground. She said, "Look at what you've done, right? By Allah, you must compensate me!" She began to cry. Ummi took off at top speed, running all the way home. Dropping the peanut oil she had been sent to buy, she dashed toward the room because she was bursting to urinate. Umma, who was sitting down, was grumbling, "What a person! What a person!!" by the time Ummi opened the door.
Catching sight of her older brother, Yaya Abba, she spun around at full speed and flung herself into Umma's room, her body trembling. In her haste, she had completely knocked over the freshly ground chili powder (yaji) that Umma had prepared to fry in oil for their lunch. Then she remembered that she wasn't safe at all, because Abba would easily track her down. She ran back out and headed straight for the old woman's (Tsohuwa's) room. The elderly grandmother was in the middle of performing her afternoon (Zuhr) prayer. Ummi leaped over her and squeezed herself underneath the bed. In doing so, she crashed right into the blended millet gruel (fura) that Tsohuwa intended to drink as soon as she finished praying. Alhaji Babba had sent it to her from the market so she could enjoy it during the afternoon.
Abba emerged from his bath in a furious mood. Heading straight toward Umma's room, he shouted, "Ummi! Hey, Ummi, come here!" He found Umma gathering up the chili powder that Ummi had spilled, complaining loudly. He said, "Umma, I don't even know what kind of beating I should give Ummi today." She replied, "Abba, beat her to within an inch of her life! I am completely fed up with Ummi's behavior. The girl acts like a wild nomad's child. Check on her; she ran to Tsohuwa's room because she knows she will protect her from a beating." He said, "By Allah, Tsohuwa can scold all she wants, but I will not leave her alone." As he turned to leave, they heard Tsohuwa's voice calling out, "I won't scold at all! Go ahead and kill her, namesake of Malam! Don't leave her alive." She then looked at Umma, "And you, Suwaiba, since you knew you wouldn't respect my name, why did you have it given to her just so you could look down on me?" Umma replied, "It's not like that, Tsohuwa. Ummi didn't inherit your good character. She simply lacks manners. Her older brother was taking a bath and she came to spy on him, and then she came here and spilled my chili pepper." Abba said, "Umma, for Allah's sake, please be quiet and ignore this old woman. She is the one who spoiled Ummi. No matter what this girl does, she stops anyone from correcting her. Uhm, despite all your grumbling today, I am going to beat her, even if she shares your name or even if it were you yourself."
Tsohuwa broke into tears and began shouting praises to Allah (salati). "So now, namesake of Malam, is this how you talk to me?" He replied, "Yes, I said it." Umma chimed in, "Hey, Abba, I will deal with you, get out of here." She turned back to Tsohuwa, "For Allah's sake, please forgive him..." Just then, Firdausi's mother made her greeting and walked in alongside Firdausi. Firdausi's mother was clearly enraged. She stood there holding the ruined flour in her hand and looked at Umma. She said, "Umman Abba, look at what your Ummi did to me, for Allah's sake! This girl struggled so hard to grind this corn; I've been waiting since morning and just got it, but she spilled it." Abba said, "Do you see her behavior now?" Tsohuwa asked, "Isn't that Bala's wife?" Firdausi's mother replied, "Yes, it's me." Tsohuwa said, "Well, go and look for whoever spilled your grain, because Ummi didn't even step outside." Umma corrected her, "She did go out, Tsohuwa, I sent her to buy oil." Tsohuwa argued, "Then she must have been provoked." Umma took the container, poured some grain into it for them, and said, "For Allah's sake, Tine, please be patient."
Abba headed to his room. Only after he had fully dressed did he grab a leather belt and head into the main house. He walked straight into Tsohuwa's room and aimed directly for the underside of the bed. He dragged Ummi out, and she began to scream at the top of her lungs. He struck her once with the belt, but she lunged at him, grabbing and tangling the belt while screaming. Tsohuwa rushed over, beating Abba on his back, shouting, "Are you trying to kill her? People, come and help!" Out of sheer frustration from this interference, he grabbed Ummi by her head and began delivering hard slaps to her neck. He dragged her out and began lashing her with his shoe since she had blocked the belt. He beat her thoroughly before finally walking out and leaving them. Both Tsohuwa and Ummi were crying.
Once everything quieted down, Tsohuwa leaned over to retrieve her millet gruel (fura) to drink, only to find it completely tipped over. She exclaimed, "Ah, so it was you who spilled my fura?" Ummi replied, "Well, wasn't it Yaya Abba who was dragging me?" Tsohuwa declared, "He absolutely must replace my fura." She stood up and walked past Umma, who was distributing food portions, heading toward the entrance hallway (soro/zaure) where Abba's room was located. As he came out and locked his door, she said, "Oh, so you're going out? Well, replace my fura that you spilled." He didn't even glance at her; he finished locking his door and walked right past. She called out after him, "Fine piece of work! If you don't buy it for me, your father will replace it when he returns, no matter how late it gets." Abba retorted, "That's for you to handle." She countered, "You'll find out too, you son of a donkey." She returned inside, grumbling that he was incredibly stubborn.
Umma asked, "Where is Abba?" Tsohuwa replied, "He left. If he doesn't buy my fura, his day will end badly in this house." Umma noted, "He didn't even eat any food before leaving. You, Ummi, go and call him back; he must be hungry." Tsohuwa intervened, "She will not call him. He beats her and then she's supposed to call him back? Since he didn't let her eat in peace, let him go hungry too." Umma fell silent, filled with so much anger toward Ummi that she felt like choking her.
Ummi took her bath and put on her school uniform. As she was putting on her sandals, Umma called out, "Where is Ummi? Come here." Ummi walked over, thinking to herself: "I hope Allah makes her send me to Yaya Abba's room, so I can take revenge for the beating he gave me yesterday. Because right now, whatever he does to me, I must retaliate..." Umma interrupted her thoughts, saying, "Take this tea to Abba so he won't be late. Deliver the tea and come back for the potatoes; today I only made potatoes for him." Ummi asked, "What about me?" Umma replied, "You can eat the leftover warmed food (dumame). Abba doesn't eat that, so I prepared the small portion that remained for him." Ummi snatched the tea set and headed to Abba's room, pouting heavily. She muttered a greeting and, without waiting for an answer, lifted the curtain and barged right in. This was the exact habit he constantly scolded her for. He had just finished putting on his undershirt and was about to put on his shirt.
He snapped, "What kind of mad girl are you? Haven't I told you that when you greet, you must wait for me to answer before you enter?" In her panic, she abruptly dropped the tray. The hot water splashed all over his legs, and the potatoes scattered onto the shirt he was about to wear. She bolted outside, running straight to Tsohuwa's room. He rushed out behind her, crying, "Umma, she burned me! She burned me!!" Umma quickly emerged from Alhaji Babba's room, with Alhaji himself following closely behind, asking, "Who burned you?" He cried, "It's Ummi! It's Ummi!!" Immediately, Alhaji Babba held the burned leg, blowing on it and reciting prayers. Umma fetched some raw millet dough (kullun kamu) and smeared it over the burn, but despite that, his toes still swelled up significantly.
Tsohuwa emerged from her room, muttering, "Can't this Ummi behave? Why on earth did they give her my name?" Abba looked at Tsohuwa in deep frustration and said, "Isn't it all because you always back her up?" Umma marched into Tsohuwa's room, pulled aside the clothes Tsohuwa had arranged to hide Ummi, dragged her out, and began kicking and thrashing Ummi all the way to the courtyard. Even Alhaji joined in punishing Ummi today. Tsohuwa could only grumble under her breath, claiming that even now, she didn't know what the girl had actually done wrong. Abba couldn't go to school that day. Later in the evening, around 4:30 PM, he locked Ummi in his room, taunted her, and gave her another severe thrashing.
At around 4:30 PM, Abba's friend Ahmad called out a greeting at the front door, and Abba answered and went out. As they sat on the clay ledge (dakali) outside the house chatting, Ummi came running past, constantly looking back over her shoulder. He commanded, "Come here." When she approached, he asked, "Have you gone out looking for another fight?" She replied, "No." He warned, "If you've brought trouble here, you'll see, you ugly, dirty brat." She smirked at him, so he took off his shoe and flung it at her. She dashed inside the house.
A moment later, a boy drenched in filthy gutter water arrived, with his older siblings following behind him. Abba questioned them, and they stated, "Ummi pushed him into the gutter." He dragged the boy inside the house, caught Ummi in Tsohuwa's room, and forced her to wash the boy's body and clean his clothes. Afterward, he repeatedly tapped her hard on the head. Tsohuwa kept scolding the neighborhood children, telling them they should stop provoking Ummi. Umma didn't even bother to look outside.
Abba walked back out to Ahmad and said, "I'm sorry for leaving you alone." Ahmad replied, "It's nothing." Once Abba sat down, Ahmad looked at him and asked, "Abba, does this younger sister of yours possess possessing spirits (Aljanu)?" Abba replied, "There's nothing wrong with her head except sheer stubbornness and mischief." Ahmad suggested, "No, you should really take her for a spiritual exorcism (ruqyah)." Abba laughed and said, "I swear by Allah, there is nothing wrong with Ummi. Alhaji Karami once thought the exact same thing and took her for ruqyah, but they found absolutely nothing." Ahmad exclaimed, "Wow! Honestly, when she reaches marriageable age, whoever marries her is going to have a massive task on his hands." Abba remarked, "What lunatic would ever bring a problem like Ummi upon himself?" Ahmad teased, "Maybe they'll arrange an internal family marriage for you two..." Abba playfully punched Ahmad in the side, and Ahmad dodged, laughing at him. Abba said, "Don't insult me! If I were forced to marry Ummi, I would pack my bags and leave this town forever. She would probably set the house on fire; she is filthy and ugly." Ahmad pointed out, "But you two look exactly alike." Abba frowned, "Ahmad, stop it. If I truly looked like Ummi, I'd rather go back into the womb and be reborn. Please, just get up and leave, because if it weren't you saying this to me, we would have fought. I detest Ummi; I don't like her at all!"
Alhaji Babba and Alhaji Karami were sitting outside the front door on a large mat, with food spread out before them. Every single day, Alhaji Babba and Alhaji Karami sat together like twins; they shared a striking resemblance. Most of the time, they even wore identical outfits because whenever Alhaji Babba bought fabric, he bought enough for both of them. It was the same for caps and shoes, and he treated their wives with the same equality. Even though Alhaji Karami didn't earn as much as his older brother, he diligently emulated his ways.
Alhaji Babba looked at Karami and asked, "Aminu, what is the situation regarding Bashir's schooling?" Alhaji Karami looked at his elder brother and said, "Alhaji, Bashir completely failed his exams. Yesterday I confronted him about his results, and he claimed he hadn't checked them yet. It was only when I threatened to send him along with Abba to check that he admitted he went and failed everything." Alhaji Babba sighed, "My goodness! So that means he has to repeat the year?" Alhaji Karami replied, "Well, whether he repeats or not, it's his own business. Isn't it Sahura who spoiled them? Abba didn't turn out like that. Look at how Bashir rejected learning the mechanic trade; his mother put it into his head that he should only pursue formal education so he can secure a government job. That is the nonsense Sahura fills those children's heads with every single day."
Alhaji Babba let out a dry, frustrated laugh and said, "Given how things are in this country of ours, who can realistically guarantee a government job? Aren't university degree holders wandering the streets without work?" "Even those with Master's degrees," Alhaji Karami added. He sat up from his leaning position and said, "Take the example of your friend Alhaji Buhari's son." Alhaji Babba agreed, "Exactly, Mas'ud. Even now, he has to go to the market, just starting to learn trade from scratch." Alhaji Karami noted, "Imagine if he had established him in trade from the very beginning. That's why I told Sahura to let the children learn a manual trade. For me, I won't waste my money sponsoring a boy like Bashir anymore." Alhaji Babba remarked, "That's exactly why I love Abba more and more. The boy came to me of his own accord and asked me to take him to a tailoring shop. Even when Suwaiba hesitated, she later agreed, saying, 'Alhaji, take him; if he learns a manual trade, even if he doesn't get a government job, he can sustain himself.'" Alhaji Karami replied, "Well, you know Suwaiba knows exactly what she's doing. But as for Sahura, we can only pray."
Abba's greeting interrupted their conversation. He sat down nearby and greeted them respectfully. They both responded, turning their full attention to him. He handed a paper parcel to Alhaji Babba, saying, "Alhaji, here is some medicine for your ulcer." Alhaji Babba accepted it and said, "Abba, you king of finding remedies, where did you get this one from?" He replied, "I accompanied my friend Ahmad to collect some for his father, so I decided to request a portion for you." Alhaji Babba said, "Thank you, may Allah reward you with goodness." Alhaji Karami asked, "What should it be taken with?" Abba replied, "With Peak milk." They both nodded in approval. As he stood up to go inside, Alhaji Babba told him to take the empty food bowls with him.
Tonight, Abba felt sleepy early, so he left their tailoring shop—where they usually worked until 10:00 PM—and headed home. He unlocked his room, took off his outer shirt, leaving just his undershirt and short denim trousers. He headed to the main courtyard to fetch water and bid his mother goodnight. He found his mother sitting in the middle of the courtyard, leaning her chin on her hand in deep worry. The one thing Abba hated most was seeing his mother distressed.
He rushed over to her side, asking, "Umma, is everything alright?" She looked at him and said, "How can things be alright? It's Ummi. She left immediately after the night (Isha) prayer and has been gone for nearly an hour. Didn't you beat her yesterday for going out to play night games?" Abba asked, "What on earth can be done to make Ummi behave like other normal children?" Umma replied, "Only prayer, Abba, and we pray for her every day."
He turned around in a fit of rage and headed toward the street where her friend Amina lived, knowing she wouldn't go anywhere else—even though Amina wasn't nearly as mischievous as she was. Sure enough, he found her there. She had gathered a crowd of neighborhood children, and they were busy playing pranks and causing trouble, with her acting as the leader. Abba leaned against a nearby electric pole, watching them closely, knowing that if he approached directly, they would all scatter at full speed. He wasn't in the mood to chase them around. The children were bothering everyone who walked past; they would throw dirt at some, yank the shirts of others, and run away.
Suddenly, a man and his girlfriend walked past. Ummi snatched the plastic shopping bag from their hands and scattered its contents everywhere before the group scattered. She ran right toward where Abba was standing, not realizing a person was there, until he caught her firmly. Abba delivered a sharp knock right to the center of her head that made her completely lose her breath in shock. He then marched her straight back to the man whose bag she had torn. The couple was kneeling on the ground, picking up their scattered oranges and bananas. Abba said, "Malam, here is the girl who tore your bag."
The man stood up angrily. Abba said, "Here she is." The man grabbed her by the neck and said, "Today I am going to see your father." Abba intervened, "Even if you report her to her house, I am the one who will discipline her. I brought her to you because she is my younger sister and I witnessed the moment she provoked you." The man calmed down and said, "Thank you, servant of Allah. She is lucky to have you. She can go." Abba said, "You should have thrashed her." The man replied, "It's fine, but you, girl, change your behavior; you are a female." Abba thanked him and drove her back home.
He filled a heavy bucket with water and forced her to balance it on her head as punishment. Umma was at a loss for words when he informed her of the trouble he had caught Ummi causing. Eventually, Umma said, "May Allah guide you. May whatever bad luck is chasing you never affect the rest of the family." When Alhaji Babba found her carrying the bucket, crying and repeating, "Yaya Abba, I repent, I won't do it again," he said to her, "My daughter, won't you listen? I pray Allah guides you." He then headed to his room.
Tsohuwa's frustration with Abba kept her from coming out to speak. In her view, Ummi had done nothing wrong by simply going out to play with her friends. She felt the girl was being unfairly targeted and denied her freedom. Only when Abba himself grew tired did he allow her to bring down the water bucket. He gave her a few slaps with his shoe, and she bolted into Tsohuwa's room.
Tsohuwa looked at her from where she was lying down. "Did he finally decide to leave you alone? That namesake of Malam is filled with pure malice. Come and lie down." Crying bitterly, Ummi said, "My clothes are completely soaked; he made me carry an entire bucket of water on my head." Tsohuwa comforted her, "Leave him to his bad character. How can a person be so merciless?" Ummi declared, "I am absolutely going to retaliate. I will make him cry too." Tsohuwa warned, "No, don't even start talking about revenge. You know that if you try to retaliate, you will be the one who suffers the consequences." Ummi insisted, "I don't care, I must get my revenge." Tsohuwa sighed, "Aren't you tired of suffering? You and your stubborn arguments. Here, take my wrapper from the rack, tie it on, and come sleep." Ummi lay quietly behind Tsohuwa, plotting exactly how she would avenge what Abba had done to her yesterday, until sleep finally overtook her...
SULAIMAN was the original name of Alhaji Babba, and AMINU was Alhaji Karami. Tsohuwa was their mother, and they were the only two children she ever gave birth to. Their origins were from Zamfara, from a rural village in the Kauran-Namoda local government area. Their father, Malam Idris, used to travel extensively for trade until Allah eventually settled him and his wife, Habiba, in the city of Kano. They arrived with their two young sons, Sulaiman and Aminu. The boys received deep Islamic education, but they did not receive formal Western education (boko).
Their father later established them in business, and Allah blessed Sulaiman's business extensively, opening up massive opportunities for him within a very short period. His only challenge was his lack of Western education. Their father, Malam Idris, was among those who strictly rejected Western education when it first arrived in their region, which was why he never enrolled his sons.
Sulaiman eventually married Suwaiba after several months of courtship. She was from the Sheka Makaranta neighborhood, though her family originally came from Daura in Katsina State. Before their wedding, Sulaiman constructed two identical houses in the Unguwa Uku area. He insisted that his younger brother Aminu choose one for himself, even though Aminu wasn't married at the time. This gesture brought immense joy to their father, who showered Sulaiman with endless blessings. Consequently, Aminu's house was locked up for the future, while Sulaiman moved into his own with his wife, Suwaiba.
ZURFIN CIKI (Book 1, Part 2)
Posted by Bashir Sani Fesan on 14 Dec 2016 - 21:40
As days turned into weeks, five years passed without Suwaiba ever missing her monthly period or conceiving. In that same year, their father reached exactly one year since his passing. Once the mourning period concluded and their relatives returned to Kauran-Namoda, Sulaiman said to Aminu, "Well, I am going to bring Tsohuwa to live with me in my house, and you, Aminu, should find a wife and get married so we can live close to each other."
Tsohuwa burst into tears and cried, "My children, please leave me to live here, otherwise this house will become an abandoned ruin." Sulaiman replied, "Tsohuwa, please understand, we will simply put the house up for rent." Aminu agreed, "That is exactly what we will do." It was with great difficulty that Tsohuwa finally accepted, declaring that only death would truly separate her from that house, as it held deep personal history for her. She noted it was the very house where her husband had passed away and where he had first brought her when she was a young bride. They comforted and managed to convince her.
However, when Aminu presented Sahura as the woman he intended to marry, Tsohuwa balked and declared she would not approve, because everyone knew Sahura's mother was notoriously quarrelsome, and Sahura had inherited that exact trait. Consequently, Aminu dropped the marriage discussions entirely for a long time. Sulaiman persistently pleaded with Tsohuwa to give her consent, noticing that Aminu was deeply in love. Left with no choice, Tsohuwa finally relented. The wedding was celebrated, and Sahura moved into Aminu's house.
A person's true character cannot be hidden; Sahura completely avoided interacting with Suwaiba or her mother-in-law. Within barely two months of her arrival, she had already picked fierce fights with the neighbors. Within three years, Sahura finally became pregnant. During that time, Sulaiman traveled to the Holy Land (Mecca) alongside Tsohuwa to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. They prayed fervently that Allah would grant both him and Aminu blessed offspring. The moment they arrived back home, they received the news of Sahura's pregnancy. Sulaiman's joy was so immense it felt as though it were his own wife who was expecting. When the time came, she gave birth to a baby boy. The joy shared between the two brothers was indescribable. A grand naming ceremony was held, and the child was named after their late father, Idris—though they affectionately called him Abba.
Furthermore, Alhaji Sulaiman fully sponsored a Holy Pilgrimage seat for his younger brother to Mecca, which earned them the titles Alhaji Babba (The Elder Alhaji) and Alhaji Karami (The Younger Alhaji). Right from the time Abba was a mere infant, Alhaji Babba and his wife took absolute charge of nurturing and caring for him. Sahura detested this arrangement, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it because the moment Alhaji Karami finished preparing to go out, he would carry the baby straight to his brother's house. The child would only be returned to her when he cried for breast milk. She constantly grumbled that they were keeping her child away from her, but she never dared to confront them directly because she knew Tsohuwa was a formidable force she couldn't cross. Despite all the bitter sarcasms, passive-aggressive remarks, and insults Sahura hurled over the fence or whenever she visited the house, Suwaiba never stopped caring for Abba.
Amidst all this, Sahura woke up one day suffering from severe fever and vomiting. Upon visiting the hospital, the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant again. When she broke the news to Alhaji Karami, he was overjoyed, while she frowned. He noted that since Abba was now walking everywhere independently, it was time to officially wean him. That evening, after returning from the market, he went to greet Tsohuwa and informed her that they were going to wean Abba. She asked, "Why? Leave him until he completes two full years." He explained, "His mother is expecting again, that's why. In fact, the main reason I came to speak to you is that I want to gift Abba to my older brother permanently." Tsohuwa exclaimed, "Wow, you have done an incredibly noble thing!"
The following morning, he personally bathed Abba while his wife lay in bed, dressed him up, and told her to pack all his belongings because he was taking him over to Alhaji Babba's house for good. She snapped, "Do you mean you are gifting him away permanently?" He replied, "Yes." She retorted, "Preposterous! That will never happen. What kind of foolishness is this? Who told them they shouldn't strive to have their own child? I went through severe labor pains to give birth to this child; I didn't just open a shop and have him walk out..." He ignored her entirely, gathered the boy's clothes, and walked out.
He entered Alhaji Babba's house and went straight to Tsohuwa's room, where he found Alhaji Babba exchanging morning greetings with her. He said, "Perfect, I was actually looking for you, Brother." Abba let go of his father, ran straight to Alhaji Babba, and Alhaji lifted him up and hugged him tightly. Alhaji Karami called out to Suwaiba, and she entered and sat down.
Alhaji Karami commenced his speech, saying, "Tsohuwa, I want you to be my witness today. I have permanently gifted this child to my older brother and Suwaiba forever." Alhaji Babba hugged the boy even tighter, a fresh wave of deep paternal love washing over his soul. Tears welled up in his eyes. Suwaiba burst into tears of gratitude and said, "We are profoundly grateful for this incredible gift you have bestowed upon us. May Allah grant us the ability to raise him with absolute honesty and trustworthiness." Alhaji Babba said, "I lack the words to properly express my gratitude to you, brother, except to pray that Allah strengthens our family bonds." Alhaji Karami replied, "Come now, Brother, my son is your son; my only wish is for Abba to be raised exactly like your own." Tsohuwa added, "May Allah bless both of you and your children, and may Allah grant you even more offspring." They all replied, "Amen."
As for Sahura, the moment her husband left the house with the child, she threw on her hijab and marched straight to her parents' house. She informed her mother that Aminu had given away her son to the very people who despised her. Immediately, her mother launched into a furious tirade, declaring, "This will never happen! He must return your child to you." The father, however, intervened and stated, "It is entirely his right to do so. I see absolutely no fault in him giving his child to his own brother." He then strictly ordered her to stand up and return to her husband's house. Her mother defiantly declared that she would not return, but the father firmly repeated that she must stay. He didn't waste any more time arguing with them and went on his way...
