Aunty Lubna and Ziyada held each other tightly with their eyes shut.
Seeing Zaleeha cut her wrist with the knife while screaming in a terrifying way made blood gush out heavily, dripping down to the floor.
In fear, shock, and confusion, Ahmad rushed to her and quickly grabbed the knife she aimed toward her throat.
Mama, her sister Ruda, and Zahira’s screams filled the entire house.
Mamy, Aunty Lubna, and Ziyada were all crying in fear as they watched Zaleeha attempting to take her own life.
Meanwhile, Zaleeha herself was screaming and jumping around.
“I swear I will kill myself! Let me die so everyone can rest! When I die, divide my corpse into two and give each of them one half!”
Ahmad kept holding her injured hand, seeing how heavily the blood flowed—it was clear she had cut herself deeply.
Baba Malam, who saw her cut herself, turned around and left the scene, his vision spinning from shock and anger.
In his own house, his daughter was threatening suicide—because of the same man she said she wanted her parents to approach.
Darkness clouded his eyes; he could hardly see anything. He kept whispering Allah’s name in disbelief.
He thought bitterly, “So today, in my own house, my daughter wants to commit suicide? Truly the Fulani were right when they said: ‘If you marry into the bush, expect to give birth to a wild one.’”
Shaking, he sat on the edge of his bed, holding his head as he spoke to himself about the dangers of arrogance and disobedience.
He reminded himself that suicide is forbidden in Islam, a trait of disbelievers without faith or trust in Allah.
Overwhelmed, he packed a small bag—placing his Qur’an, some books, his ATM card, and his car keys inside—then walked back toward the house where the noise only grew louder. His heart pounded heavily, fearing she had truly killed herself.
He arrived to find everyone in the middle of the compound.
Zaleeha was scattering and throwing the boxes brought by Abdussalam’s relatives, destroying everything like someone possessed.
Ahmad held her repeatedly, but she kept struggling wildly.
Her hair was scattered, and she looked like someone completely deranged.
She dragged a large box—so heavy even a man would struggle with it—and flung it aside.
Ahmad grabbed her bleeding hand again, shouting,
“It’s a jinn! A jinn is controlling her!”
Ziyada ran toward their father and knelt before him, crying loudly:
“Please, Baba Malam, forgive us. Don’t leave us. If you go, what will we do? Please, it’s better you chase Zaleeha away since she refuses to obey you.”
She pressed her forehead to his feet.
Maryam also rushed to him, knees on the floor, trembling:
“Oh God! Ya Ahmad, see what Zaleeha is doing—she’ll kill our father with grief!”
They cried louder, kneeling before him.
Zaleeha remained in her frenzy, unaware of the destruction she caused—her mother’s evil charms had already clouded her mind.
Mamy too knelt, crying:
“Don’t punish all of us for one person’s mistake. Where will I go if you leave? My only child isn’t here; it’s only because of your kindness and marriage that I live here. What have I done wrong? What of Maryam, Ziyada, Habu, Zakariya—must we all suffer?”
She held his hand, voice trembling:
“Wherever you go, we’re going with you. And if their actions affect us, I swear if you step out, I’m also leaving this house.”
Her words shook everyone.
Mama, Ruda, and Zaleeha continued screaming, claiming Zaleeha had gone insane from sorrow.
At the gate, Habu heard the noise.
He rushed inside in fear.
When he saw Maryam and the others crying, he realized what was happening.
Rage filled him.
Just then, Zaleeha threw another box, nearly hitting him, and turned to go get more.
Without thinking, Habu gave her a brutal punch to her back that made her stagger.
Before she recovered, he punched her chest, knocking out her breath.
She fell to the ground and hit the parlour door.
Habu removed his belt, flipped it to the metal side, and began beating her relentlessly.
She screamed, rolling on the ground:
“Ya Ahmad! Ya Habu will kill me! My head! My waist! I’m dying!”
Habu chased her, striking her and shouting:
“Useless girl! Before you kill our father, I’ll kill you first! Wicked, stone-hearted thing!”
No one—not Ahmad, Maryam, Mamy, or Ziyada—could reach her to help.
Seeing that Habu might kill her, Mama jumped between them and pushed him back:
“Is it you who has a pure heart? If she inherited a black heart, who did she inherit it from?”
Habu grabbed Zaleeha by the neck and squeezed hard:
“Yes, I too have a black heart! If she kills our father, I’ll kill her first! And the black heart—where else can we inherit it except from the pagan blood of your people who worship idols!”
Aunty Lubna managed to pull his hand away from Zaleeha, whose eyes had already begun to roll backward.
Then Baba Malam’s voice sounded:
“Abubakar, stop! Suicide is forbidden in Islam!”
The words instantly calmed Habu.
He released her and knelt before his father, crying:
“Please, Baba Malam… forgive us. Don’t abandon us.”
Zaleeha coughed violently from the choking, crying weakly as Aunty Lubna held her.
Ruda secretly fled the house out of fear.
Mama began gathering Abdussalam’s boxes and returning them to her parlour.
Baba Malam attempted to leave, but the girls cried harder.
Maryam wailed:
“My father! My father whom I cannot even comfort!
If I were not married, I would accept even a cripple, a blind, or deaf man just to make you happy!”
Ziyada held his hand:
“Baba, please don’t leave us. If he loves me, I’ll marry him instead.”
Everyone was crying—even Habu and Ahmad.
Then, Ahmad noticed Zaleeha crawling slowly toward their father like a child.
She knelt before him, hands clasped, trembling:
“I accept… Baba Malam, I agree to the marriage. You can give me to Saifuddeen. Please forgive me. Please cover my shame. Don’t destroy me because of your anger. I accept the marriage.”
Maryam and Ziyada hugged her.
Ahmad and Habu embraced each other.
Mamy took Baba Malam’s hand and walked him toward his room.
Everyone followed.
Saifuddeen’s Family Responds
At Saifuddeen’s house, Ummi sat with Bappa Ali and Malam Ashiru.
She explained everything calmly:
“My mind has been troubled since their first visit. The girl clearly doesn’t want Saifuddeen. She even told them terrible things that shocked them. Ahmad came back crying because of how she insulted them. Saifuddeen didn’t want them to tell me because he loves her deeply, but she does not love him. I fear she might harm him.”
Bappa Ali asked, “So what do you want us to do?”
She sighed deeply:
“I want the marriage canceled. Call Saifuddeen and convince him to give up. Then go tell her parents the engagement is off. Since the girl doesn’t want it, better to stop now.”
But Baba Ashiru interrupted:
“No. We have no justification for canceling the marriage. We went there with dignity and respect. How can we now return to say we want to withdraw? And you yourself admitted Saifuddeen truly loves her.”
Ummi shook her head gently:
“It’s not just gossip. Yesterday, Hayatuddeen went to their grandmother’s house and met the girl crying. She said she does not want to marry a deaf cripple. She vowed that if they force her, she will kill herself.”
Description
The Chaos in the Household
Aunty Lubna and Ziyada held each other tightly with their eyes shut.
Seeing Zaleeha cut her wrist with the knife while screaming in a terrifying way made blood gush out heavily, dripping down to the floor.
In fear, shock, and confusion, Ahmad rushed to her and quickly grabbed the knife she aimed toward her throat.
Mama, her sister Ruda, and Zahira’s screams filled the entire house.
Mamy, Aunty Lubna, and Ziyada were all crying in fear as they watched Zaleeha attempting to take her own life.
Meanwhile, Zaleeha herself was screaming and jumping around.
“I swear I will kill myself! Let me die so everyone can rest! When I die, divide my corpse into two and give each of them one half!”
Ahmad kept holding her injured hand, seeing how heavily the blood flowed—it was clear she had cut herself deeply.
Baba Malam, who saw her cut herself, turned around and left the scene, his vision spinning from shock and anger.
In his own house, his daughter was threatening suicide—because of the same man she said she wanted her parents to approach.
Darkness clouded his eyes; he could hardly see anything. He kept whispering Allah’s name in disbelief.
He thought bitterly, “So today, in my own house, my daughter wants to commit suicide? Truly the Fulani were right when they said: ‘If you marry into the bush, expect to give birth to a wild one.’”
Shaking, he sat on the edge of his bed, holding his head as he spoke to himself about the dangers of arrogance and disobedience.
He reminded himself that suicide is forbidden in Islam, a trait of disbelievers without faith or trust in Allah.
Overwhelmed, he packed a small bag—placing his Qur’an, some books, his ATM card, and his car keys inside—then walked back toward the house where the noise only grew louder. His heart pounded heavily, fearing she had truly killed herself.
He arrived to find everyone in the middle of the compound.
Zaleeha was scattering and throwing the boxes brought by Abdussalam’s relatives, destroying everything like someone possessed.
Ahmad held her repeatedly, but she kept struggling wildly.
Her hair was scattered, and she looked like someone completely deranged.
She dragged a large box—so heavy even a man would struggle with it—and flung it aside.
Ahmad grabbed her bleeding hand again, shouting,
“It’s a jinn! A jinn is controlling her!”
Ziyada ran toward their father and knelt before him, crying loudly:
“Please, Baba Malam, forgive us. Don’t leave us. If you go, what will we do? Please, it’s better you chase Zaleeha away since she refuses to obey you.”
She pressed her forehead to his feet.
Maryam also rushed to him, knees on the floor, trembling:
“Oh God! Ya Ahmad, see what Zaleeha is doing—she’ll kill our father with grief!”
They cried louder, kneeling before him.
Zaleeha remained in her frenzy, unaware of the destruction she caused—her mother’s evil charms had already clouded her mind.
Mamy too knelt, crying:
“Don’t punish all of us for one person’s mistake. Where will I go if you leave? My only child isn’t here; it’s only because of your kindness and marriage that I live here. What have I done wrong? What of Maryam, Ziyada, Habu, Zakariya—must we all suffer?”
She held his hand, voice trembling:
“Wherever you go, we’re going with you. And if their actions affect us, I swear if you step out, I’m also leaving this house.”
Her words shook everyone.
Mama, Ruda, and Zaleeha continued screaming, claiming Zaleeha had gone insane from sorrow.
At the gate, Habu heard the noise.
He rushed inside in fear.
When he saw Maryam and the others crying, he realized what was happening.
Rage filled him.
Just then, Zaleeha threw another box, nearly hitting him, and turned to go get more.
Without thinking, Habu gave her a brutal punch to her back that made her stagger.
Before she recovered, he punched her chest, knocking out her breath.
She fell to the ground and hit the parlour door.
Habu removed his belt, flipped it to the metal side, and began beating her relentlessly.
She screamed, rolling on the ground:
“Ya Ahmad! Ya Habu will kill me! My head! My waist! I’m dying!”
Habu chased her, striking her and shouting:
“Useless girl! Before you kill our father, I’ll kill you first! Wicked, stone-hearted thing!”
No one—not Ahmad, Maryam, Mamy, or Ziyada—could reach her to help.
Seeing that Habu might kill her, Mama jumped between them and pushed him back:
“Is it you who has a pure heart? If she inherited a black heart, who did she inherit it from?”
Habu grabbed Zaleeha by the neck and squeezed hard:
“Yes, I too have a black heart! If she kills our father, I’ll kill her first! And the black heart—where else can we inherit it except from the pagan blood of your people who worship idols!”
Aunty Lubna managed to pull his hand away from Zaleeha, whose eyes had already begun to roll backward.
Then Baba Malam’s voice sounded:
“Abubakar, stop! Suicide is forbidden in Islam!”
The words instantly calmed Habu.
He released her and knelt before his father, crying:
“Please, Baba Malam… forgive us. Don’t abandon us.”
Zaleeha coughed violently from the choking, crying weakly as Aunty Lubna held her.
Ruda secretly fled the house out of fear.
Mama began gathering Abdussalam’s boxes and returning them to her parlour.
Baba Malam attempted to leave, but the girls cried harder.
Maryam wailed:
“My father! My father whom I cannot even comfort!
If I were not married, I would accept even a cripple, a blind, or deaf man just to make you happy!”
Ziyada held his hand:
“Baba, please don’t leave us. If he loves me, I’ll marry him instead.”
Everyone was crying—even Habu and Ahmad.
Then, Ahmad noticed Zaleeha crawling slowly toward their father like a child.
She knelt before him, hands clasped, trembling:
“I accept… Baba Malam, I agree to the marriage. You can give me to Saifuddeen. Please forgive me. Please cover my shame. Don’t destroy me because of your anger. I accept the marriage.”
Maryam and Ziyada hugged her.
Ahmad and Habu embraced each other.
Mamy took Baba Malam’s hand and walked him toward his room.
Everyone followed.
Saifuddeen’s Family Responds
At Saifuddeen’s house, Ummi sat with Bappa Ali and Malam Ashiru.
She explained everything calmly:
“My mind has been troubled since their first visit. The girl clearly doesn’t want Saifuddeen. She even told them terrible things that shocked them. Ahmad came back crying because of how she insulted them. Saifuddeen didn’t want them to tell me because he loves her deeply, but she does not love him. I fear she might harm him.”
Bappa Ali asked, “So what do you want us to do?”
She sighed deeply:
“I want the marriage canceled. Call Saifuddeen and convince him to give up. Then go tell her parents the engagement is off. Since the girl doesn’t want it, better to stop now.”
But Baba Ashiru interrupted:
“No. We have no justification for canceling the marriage. We went there with dignity and respect. How can we now return to say we want to withdraw? And you yourself admitted Saifuddeen truly loves her.”
Ummi shook her head gently:
“It’s not just gossip. Yesterday, Hayatuddeen went to their grandmother’s house and met the girl crying. She said she does not want to marry a deaf cripple. She vowed that if they force her, she will kill herself.”