She sat in the place, but her mind was absent. Anyone who looked at her could tell she was in deep distress, and it was written all over her beautiful face.
Her heart was filled with thoughts — should she just go and confront them to know the reason for this stalking and pressure they were putting her under? But immediately another side of her mind warned her not to, for she did not know if they were evil people.
“But if they were truly evil, they would have harmed you long ago,” another thought told her. She hissed softly in frustration, then said in a shaky, tearful voice, “Honestly, I am even afraid of them,” before burying her head on the table in front of her.
Who are these people? What exactly do they want from her? What offense had she committed that made them start monitoring her life? When she realized she would not get answers by sitting there, she quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed out of the restaurant inside the school towards her lecture hall. She gave a brief glance at someone who signaled her to get up and follow, and immediately she left the place without even paying the bill — her worries had not even allowed her to order anything.
When she stepped outside, she noticed someone was following her. But she ignored it and went straight into the lecture hall where the teacher had already entered. Luckily, it was a less strict lecturer, so she slipped in quickly and sat by her friend Amira.
Amira whispered to her, “I’ve been calling your phone! Where were you? You left it behind, and it kept ringing. You nearly missed attendance.”
But Hanna, overwhelmed with her thoughts, simply stood up and changed seats, saying, “Please, leave me alone.”
When the lecture ended, she left without even saying a word to Amira. It was their last lecture for the day anyway. As she expected, she saw them again — the followers. Even while riding home in a tricycle, she noticed them still trailing her until she finally entered her house, at which point they turned back.
The moment she entered, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. She greeted her father respectfully and he responded warmly. As she was about to leave, he called her, “Hanna.”
She turned gently and answered, “Yes, Baba.” He told her to greet her mother in the room, and she obeyed, walking calmly inside.
Just then, voices caught her attention near her mother’s room. She overheard Hajiya Lami, whom they called Amma, saying:
“Ah, the work of Malam Nakarangi is truly effective. Don’t you see since he sent a spirit to block her marriage, no man has ever approached her? Even among her family, nothing is progressing. We are just waiting for the wedding to collapse, but she remains quiet like a slave.”
They laughed wickedly, and Hanna, shocked to the core, staggered away before hearing more. A wave of dizziness struck her until she collapsed on her bed crying bitterly.
With no one to comfort her, she cried alone, washed her face, prayed, and begged Allah for protection against both humans and jinn.
Later, her mother and the maid, Inna Kaltu, were in the kitchen preparing tea for her father. Mama wondered why Hanna hadn’t come to greet her yet. A young boy entered, delivering a message from Baba, summoning Mama.
When she joined him in the sitting room, he asked, “Halima, what is wrong with our daughter? She hasn’t been herself. Is she bewitched, or is it humans troubling her?”
Mama sighed and replied, “Wallahi, Alhaji, I don’t know. Sometimes I even feel maybe a jinn has married her.”
Baba quickly warned her, “Never say that again! I believe what follows her is actually something good. As her mother, it is you who should seek to know her worries.”
Later that night, while lying down after prayers, Hanna dozed off and felt the shadow of a figure hovering over her. Terrified, she woke suddenly…
Who exactly is stalking Hanna’s life? Who are these strange people? Is it really true that a spirit has been sent to destroy her marriage, or is there another hidden truth?
The mystery deepened.
Secrets in the Palace
Far away in Kano, inside a great royal palace, sat a woman in the luxurious living room of the Emir. By her appearance, one could tell she was the Emir’s wife. Her skin was fair and smooth, but sadness clouded her face.
In tears, she told the Emir:
“Your Highness, it seems because I didn’t give birth to him, you refuse to accept my wish. But you know how much I love him. I love him even more than my own children. Yet at 35, he is still unmarried. We’ve all been watching him, but nothing is working. I fear he is not human — perhaps a jinn.”
The Emir gazed at her silently, refusing to interrupt. She continued, “For nine years now, it’s always the same name, the same mysterious girl. Yet none of us have seen her or even know who she is! We must do something. We should gather scholars to pray until this spirit leaves him.”
The Emir cleared his throat and finally spoke:
“It is not that I reject your concerns, but we must wait until the time he gave us is complete before passing judgment.”
Disappointed, she left angrily, while the palace attendants bowed to her. She ignored them, proud and haughty, and walked to her quarters.
Hanna’s Resolve
Life at home grew more difficult for Hanna. Gossip, whispers, and mockery surrounded her. Even her elder sisters Hafsat and Rabi’ah mocked her, laughing that all she could do was sit alone in her room while others lived freely.
She fled to her room in tears, finally finding an answer to the torment that had plagued her for so long: It was true — a jinn had been sent to marry her. She had overheard it herself.
But who then were the humans stalking her life? Were they also jinn? She could not tell. One thing she decided, however, was that no one must know her secret.
If a jinn was powerful, then surely her God was more powerful. She swore to stay up at night in prayer, seeking Allah’s justice against those who stalked her life.
But who truly is Hanna?
And who is the man whose family suspects he is bound by a jinn?
Description
Troubled Thoughts and Unanswered Questions
She sat in the place, but her mind was absent. Anyone who looked at her could tell she was in deep distress, and it was written all over her beautiful face.
Her heart was filled with thoughts — should she just go and confront them to know the reason for this stalking and pressure they were putting her under? But immediately another side of her mind warned her not to, for she did not know if they were evil people.
“But if they were truly evil, they would have harmed you long ago,” another thought told her. She hissed softly in frustration, then said in a shaky, tearful voice, “Honestly, I am even afraid of them,” before burying her head on the table in front of her.
Who are these people? What exactly do they want from her? What offense had she committed that made them start monitoring her life? When she realized she would not get answers by sitting there, she quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed out of the restaurant inside the school towards her lecture hall. She gave a brief glance at someone who signaled her to get up and follow, and immediately she left the place without even paying the bill — her worries had not even allowed her to order anything.
When she stepped outside, she noticed someone was following her. But she ignored it and went straight into the lecture hall where the teacher had already entered. Luckily, it was a less strict lecturer, so she slipped in quickly and sat by her friend Amira.
Amira whispered to her, “I’ve been calling your phone! Where were you? You left it behind, and it kept ringing. You nearly missed attendance.”
But Hanna, overwhelmed with her thoughts, simply stood up and changed seats, saying, “Please, leave me alone.”
When the lecture ended, she left without even saying a word to Amira. It was their last lecture for the day anyway. As she expected, she saw them again — the followers. Even while riding home in a tricycle, she noticed them still trailing her until she finally entered her house, at which point they turned back.
The moment she entered, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. She greeted her father respectfully and he responded warmly. As she was about to leave, he called her, “Hanna.”
She turned gently and answered, “Yes, Baba.” He told her to greet her mother in the room, and she obeyed, walking calmly inside.
Just then, voices caught her attention near her mother’s room. She overheard Hajiya Lami, whom they called Amma, saying:
“Ah, the work of Malam Nakarangi is truly effective. Don’t you see since he sent a spirit to block her marriage, no man has ever approached her? Even among her family, nothing is progressing. We are just waiting for the wedding to collapse, but she remains quiet like a slave.”
They laughed wickedly, and Hanna, shocked to the core, staggered away before hearing more. A wave of dizziness struck her until she collapsed on her bed crying bitterly.
With no one to comfort her, she cried alone, washed her face, prayed, and begged Allah for protection against both humans and jinn.
Later, her mother and the maid, Inna Kaltu, were in the kitchen preparing tea for her father. Mama wondered why Hanna hadn’t come to greet her yet. A young boy entered, delivering a message from Baba, summoning Mama.
When she joined him in the sitting room, he asked, “Halima, what is wrong with our daughter? She hasn’t been herself. Is she bewitched, or is it humans troubling her?”
Mama sighed and replied, “Wallahi, Alhaji, I don’t know. Sometimes I even feel maybe a jinn has married her.”
Baba quickly warned her, “Never say that again! I believe what follows her is actually something good. As her mother, it is you who should seek to know her worries.”
Later that night, while lying down after prayers, Hanna dozed off and felt the shadow of a figure hovering over her. Terrified, she woke suddenly…
Who exactly is stalking Hanna’s life? Who are these strange people? Is it really true that a spirit has been sent to destroy her marriage, or is there another hidden truth?
The mystery deepened.
Secrets in the Palace
Far away in Kano, inside a great royal palace, sat a woman in the luxurious living room of the Emir. By her appearance, one could tell she was the Emir’s wife. Her skin was fair and smooth, but sadness clouded her face.
In tears, she told the Emir:
“Your Highness, it seems because I didn’t give birth to him, you refuse to accept my wish. But you know how much I love him. I love him even more than my own children. Yet at 35, he is still unmarried. We’ve all been watching him, but nothing is working. I fear he is not human — perhaps a jinn.”
The Emir gazed at her silently, refusing to interrupt. She continued, “For nine years now, it’s always the same name, the same mysterious girl. Yet none of us have seen her or even know who she is! We must do something. We should gather scholars to pray until this spirit leaves him.”
The Emir cleared his throat and finally spoke:
“It is not that I reject your concerns, but we must wait until the time he gave us is complete before passing judgment.”
Disappointed, she left angrily, while the palace attendants bowed to her. She ignored them, proud and haughty, and walked to her quarters.
Hanna’s Resolve
Life at home grew more difficult for Hanna. Gossip, whispers, and mockery surrounded her. Even her elder sisters Hafsat and Rabi’ah mocked her, laughing that all she could do was sit alone in her room while others lived freely.
She fled to her room in tears, finally finding an answer to the torment that had plagued her for so long: It was true — a jinn had been sent to marry her. She had overheard it herself.
But who then were the humans stalking her life? Were they also jinn? She could not tell. One thing she decided, however, was that no one must know her secret.
If a jinn was powerful, then surely her God was more powerful. She swore to stay up at night in prayer, seeking Allah’s justice against those who stalked her life.
But who truly is Hanna?
And who is the man whose family suspects he is bound by a jinn?