Around 5:30 in the evening, two lovers were sitting on white plastic chairs, chatting happily and joyfully. A single glance at them was enough to understand how deeply they loved each other, because all that showed on their faces were wide, attractive smiles.
The young man looked at his girlfriend with a relaxed face and said, “My Noor, I asked you a question and you kept quiet. I asked what event you are planning to do.”
She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands shyly.
He frowned as if he were about to cry and said, “Oh my Noor, why are you doing this to me? Anytime I talk to you about our marriage, you start acting shy. Honestly, I don’t like it. We are already together, and only a few days remain before our wedding. If we don’t start preparing now, when will we?”
She shifted slightly, adjusted her sitting position, and lowered her head. In a soft, calm voice she said, “Please be patient, my Shadow. It’s not that I don’t care about the wedding preparations. I swear I feel very shy, especially now that the wedding is so close. I feel strange, as if everything about me is changing.”
He smiled happily and said, “Honestly, you surprise me, my Noor. Sometimes I feel like you don’t care about me as much as I care about you.”
She quickly raised her head, looked at him with a playful face as if she were about to cry, and said, “That’s what you think, but I care about you more than you care about me. With time, you will see.”
He smiled aloud, stood up, and said, “Alright then, stay well. I told you I had somewhere to go, but I felt I couldn’t go without seeing my light first.” He finished speaking with a smile.
She also smiled and said, “Thank you so much, my Shadow.”
“There’s no need for thanks between us, my Noor. My only wish is that when we get married, you won’t become a dark shadow to me. Keep my trust. I am someone who loves honesty. I don’t like hiding things. Whatever you tell me, let it be the truth. Even if the truth hurts me, I would still prefer it to lies. If you can keep this, then I have no problem, Noor.”
She sighed and looked at him, saying, “I’m glad to know that, my Shadow. By Allah’s will, I will be careful about everything you dislike. There is nothing I am hiding from you in my life, and by Allah’s will, I will not hide anything from you in the future.”
“May Allah accept it, Noor.”
“Ameen, my husband.”
He said goodbye to her, mounted his motorcycle, and rode away. She watched him leave the compound, then went inside smiling happily.
Two weeks later, preparations for the wedding were in full swing, as all pre‑wedding events had already been completed. Only the dinner scheduled for the day after the wedding remained.
The bride, Noor, was beautifully dressed; her elegance was striking, and a special fragrance filled the air around her.
As for Shadow, he had no peace that day because guests were arriving from far places. Some of them were friends he had served with during national service in Gombe. They were decent people, and because of their close relationship with Shadow, they had promised to come to Sokoto for his wedding.
They were chatting happily, full of joy and longing for each other. One of them, Kamal, teased Shadow, saying, “Groom of Noor, if you hadn’t gotten this Noor, maybe only a psychiatric hospital could have handled you. I’ve never seen someone who sacrificed so much time and effort for love like you. Sometimes I even pity you, because women can be unpredictable and very good at breaking hearts.”
Shadow laughed and replied, “Kamal, women are often criticized, but I trust Noor, her upbringing, and her love for me. That’s why I don’t put her among the girls of this generation. I have full confidence in her; she is special in my life.”
Haidar mocked Kamal jokingly, comparing Noor to Kamal’s past lover, Sadey. Kamal got angry, insisting he had ended that relationship and didn’t want to hear her name again. Shadow calmed the situation with laughter, saying Sadey hadn’t treated them well. Kamal finally admitted she had been full of lies and deceit, but believed he might still find someone better.
They all laughed and continued chatting until they reached Shadow’s house in Minannata.
The Wedding and the Shocking Revelation
The day finally arrived. On 15/12/2021, people gathered to witness the wedding of Ahanaf Muhammad Imran (Shadow) and Noriya Mukhtar Salah (Noor). As is customary, relatives of both the groom and the bride gathered after everyone had arrived.
Shadow’s attention was on his friends who were teasing him when he suddenly heard a loud voice announcing, “Alhamdulillah, the marriage of Noriya Mukhtar Salah to her groom, Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran, has been conducted with a dowry of one hundred thousand naira, paid in full.”
Shadow jumped up in shock and said to his father, “Abba, there is a mistake. My name is Ahanaf Muhammad Imran, not Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran. Abba, please tell them that name belongs to my son, not me.”
In panic and confusion, with tears filling his eyes, he begged, “Abba, what is happening? Please correct this name. Noor and Al‑Qaseem? What have I done to deserve this painful punishment? If I wronged you, do anything to me—but don’t stop me from marrying Noor. I love her, and I cannot live without her. Please don’t throw my life into darkness.”
Before he could finish speaking, he received a hot slap across his cheek.
He looked at his father in total shock. Was this real? His father, who never allowed disrespect, had slapped him.
“This is not a dream, Ahanaf,” his father said angrily. “I, your father Muhammad Imran, have married Noriya Mukhtar Salah to Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran—”
Before he could finish the sentence, Shadow collapsed to the ground, lifeless, with no sign of breath.
Description
An Evening of Love and Promises
Around 5:30 in the evening, two lovers were sitting on white plastic chairs, chatting happily and joyfully. A single glance at them was enough to understand how deeply they loved each other, because all that showed on their faces were wide, attractive smiles.
The young man looked at his girlfriend with a relaxed face and said, “My Noor, I asked you a question and you kept quiet. I asked what event you are planning to do.”
She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands shyly.
He frowned as if he were about to cry and said, “Oh my Noor, why are you doing this to me? Anytime I talk to you about our marriage, you start acting shy. Honestly, I don’t like it. We are already together, and only a few days remain before our wedding. If we don’t start preparing now, when will we?”
She shifted slightly, adjusted her sitting position, and lowered her head. In a soft, calm voice she said, “Please be patient, my Shadow. It’s not that I don’t care about the wedding preparations. I swear I feel very shy, especially now that the wedding is so close. I feel strange, as if everything about me is changing.”
He smiled happily and said, “Honestly, you surprise me, my Noor. Sometimes I feel like you don’t care about me as much as I care about you.”
She quickly raised her head, looked at him with a playful face as if she were about to cry, and said, “That’s what you think, but I care about you more than you care about me. With time, you will see.”
He smiled aloud, stood up, and said, “Alright then, stay well. I told you I had somewhere to go, but I felt I couldn’t go without seeing my light first.” He finished speaking with a smile.
She also smiled and said, “Thank you so much, my Shadow.”
“There’s no need for thanks between us, my Noor. My only wish is that when we get married, you won’t become a dark shadow to me. Keep my trust. I am someone who loves honesty. I don’t like hiding things. Whatever you tell me, let it be the truth. Even if the truth hurts me, I would still prefer it to lies. If you can keep this, then I have no problem, Noor.”
She sighed and looked at him, saying, “I’m glad to know that, my Shadow. By Allah’s will, I will be careful about everything you dislike. There is nothing I am hiding from you in my life, and by Allah’s will, I will not hide anything from you in the future.”
“May Allah accept it, Noor.”
“Ameen, my husband.”
He said goodbye to her, mounted his motorcycle, and rode away. She watched him leave the compound, then went inside smiling happily.
Two weeks later, preparations for the wedding were in full swing, as all pre‑wedding events had already been completed. Only the dinner scheduled for the day after the wedding remained.
The bride, Noor, was beautifully dressed; her elegance was striking, and a special fragrance filled the air around her.
As for Shadow, he had no peace that day because guests were arriving from far places. Some of them were friends he had served with during national service in Gombe. They were decent people, and because of their close relationship with Shadow, they had promised to come to Sokoto for his wedding.
They were chatting happily, full of joy and longing for each other. One of them, Kamal, teased Shadow, saying, “Groom of Noor, if you hadn’t gotten this Noor, maybe only a psychiatric hospital could have handled you. I’ve never seen someone who sacrificed so much time and effort for love like you. Sometimes I even pity you, because women can be unpredictable and very good at breaking hearts.”
Shadow laughed and replied, “Kamal, women are often criticized, but I trust Noor, her upbringing, and her love for me. That’s why I don’t put her among the girls of this generation. I have full confidence in her; she is special in my life.”
Haidar mocked Kamal jokingly, comparing Noor to Kamal’s past lover, Sadey. Kamal got angry, insisting he had ended that relationship and didn’t want to hear her name again. Shadow calmed the situation with laughter, saying Sadey hadn’t treated them well. Kamal finally admitted she had been full of lies and deceit, but believed he might still find someone better.
They all laughed and continued chatting until they reached Shadow’s house in Minannata.
The Wedding and the Shocking Revelation
The day finally arrived. On 15/12/2021, people gathered to witness the wedding of Ahanaf Muhammad Imran (Shadow) and Noriya Mukhtar Salah (Noor). As is customary, relatives of both the groom and the bride gathered after everyone had arrived.
Shadow’s attention was on his friends who were teasing him when he suddenly heard a loud voice announcing, “Alhamdulillah, the marriage of Noriya Mukhtar Salah to her groom, Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran, has been conducted with a dowry of one hundred thousand naira, paid in full.”
Shadow jumped up in shock and said to his father, “Abba, there is a mistake. My name is Ahanaf Muhammad Imran, not Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran. Abba, please tell them that name belongs to my son, not me.”
In panic and confusion, with tears filling his eyes, he begged, “Abba, what is happening? Please correct this name. Noor and Al‑Qaseem? What have I done to deserve this painful punishment? If I wronged you, do anything to me—but don’t stop me from marrying Noor. I love her, and I cannot live without her. Please don’t throw my life into darkness.”
Before he could finish speaking, he received a hot slap across his cheek.
He looked at his father in total shock. Was this real? His father, who never allowed disrespect, had slapped him.
“This is not a dream, Ahanaf,” his father said angrily. “I, your father Muhammad Imran, have married Noriya Mukhtar Salah to Al‑Qaseem Muhammad Imran—”
Before he could finish the sentence, Shadow collapsed to the ground, lifeless, with no sign of breath.