Slowly, the car drove into the street and stopped right in front of a large gate. The way the engine made a strained sound showed the car had gone on a long journey. The driver didn’t press the horn. Instead, he moved toward the small side gate under a tall neem tree. From behind the car, a few elderly men came out, followed by a young man stepping down from the driver’s seat. He greeted the driver and offered prayers for safety.
They walked toward the door of the house, but the young man didn’t knock more than twice before an elderly man peeked out from a small opening in the large gate. Quickly, he opened it saying:
“Ah, Alhaji! Welcome! You must be tired from the journey, you are welcome.”
He shook their hands warmly. They responded:
“Truly, yes, Mallam Sani. How are you?”
He smiled brightly.
“Alhamdulillah.”
He led them inside saying:
“Let me take you to Alhaji. He is around, may Allah help us.”
They entered the courtyard following Mallam Sani to the section where Alhaji met his visitors.
When they reached the entrance, Mallam Sani opened the door and said, “Bismillah, please come in, you are welcome.” Then he rushed ahead to inform his master that important guests had arrived.
Inside the sitting room, everything showed wealth and comfort — like the palace of a king.
Alhaji Jafar Mai Yadi approached them with a cheerful face saying:
“A’a! Alhaji Sulaiman! You came all this distance today?”
But inside his heart he was shocked. He knew very well nothing urgent should have brought them here. They still had three days left before returning, and everything needed had already been handled. So what could have happened? He prayed that whatever it was should be good.
After the usual greetings, one of Alhaji Jafar’s sons came in with drinks and left again. Then a young boy and a girl entered with food warmers, plates, spoons, and cups. They greeted the visitors and left.
Since they arrived, Alhaji Sulaiman kept his head lowered. His heart was troubled.
“Please eat before we pray; it’s almost time for Zuhr,” Alhaji Jafar said before stepping out.
After he left, Alhaji Ismail looked at his elder brother and whispered:
“I’m completely confused. I don’t even know how to start telling them such news after all the kindness this man has shown us.”
The young man who had driven them added:
“Honestly Daddy, I told you we should not come. Hajiya should have come herself and explained the problem she caused. I’ve never seen something like this — everything was going smoothly and suddenly trouble came. I really pity Musbahu; he is suffering emotionally but she doesn’t care at all.”
Alhaji Sulaiman didn’t say another word. He didn’t touch the food despite his hunger. He only drank the juice and water. Alhaji Ismai’l and Al-Amin ate, then the two of them went to the mosque.
After the prayer, they returned together with Malam Bukar, the imam.
They all exchanged greetings again, but this time Al-Amin didn’t join them.
With effort, Alhaji Sulaiman finally began speaking, looking at Malam Bukar:
“Please forgive us for what we brought. Wallahi, if not for this matter, I would never come back here again.”
He stopped, unable to continue. His throat tightened.
Alhaji Jafar felt a shock run down to his feet. His heart suddenly felt heavy, without knowing why.
Silence filled the room until Malam Bukar spoke:
“Alhaji, say whatever it is. Life brings both ease and hardship. A good Muslim knows destiny. Don’t worry, there must be a solution.”
Seeing his brother could not continue, Alhaji Ismail took over:
“It’s about the marriage between our son and your daughter. A problem has come up. For the past three days his mother has refused to accept the marriage. No matter what we say, she won’t agree. She even swore that if Musbahu marries Zahra, she will never forgive him. We begged her to explain her reason, but she refused. She became sick over the matter.”
As he narrated, Alhaji Jafar kept repeating:
“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un…”
He was devastated. Every time this girl’s marriage was arranged, something went wrong. How could this continue? What was happening?
Even Malam Bukar ran out of words. They continued apologizing as they walked them to the car.
After they left, the household was silent. How could such a young girl face this fate repeatedly? This was the third broken engagement.
Deep in thought, Alhaji Jafar said:
“Malam, Inshallah I will arrange Fatima’s marriage myself this time. I see this thing is not normal. Whatever it takes, I will find a solution.”
Malam Bukar shook his head.
“Please Alhaji, don’t act out of anger. Don’t make a decision you will regret.”
Alhaji sighed and lowered himself onto a chair.
“I’m not angry at destiny. I’m just tired. Every time my daughter’s marriage is arranged, something destroys it. People even insult me, saying she isn’t my real daughter. If not because I vowed never to force kinship marriages, I would give her to Abdul Hakeem today. But now, I want to hear Mahmud’s opinion. If he agrees, I’ll give her to him.”
Malam Bukar was shocked.
“Which Mahmud? Surely not the one here?”
“Yes, him,” Alhaji replied calmly. “Is there any other by that name here?”
Malam shook his head.
“But Alhaji, Mahmud’s situation is not hidden. People will talk.”
Alhaji leaned forward.
“Let them talk. I respect Mahmud’s character. If things haven’t worked before, it’s because Allah didn’t will it. I’ve long admired him for my daughters.”
Malam silently reflected. He had always sensed something unusual in Fatima’s destiny and her future husband, but he never spoke.
They discussed for a long time, then agreed Malam should ask Mahmud if he was willing.
---
Zahra’s Scene (simplified for clarity and safety)
Zahra descended the stairs gracefully, beautifully dressed, followed by two girls. Women gathered around praising her beauty and praying for blessings.
Aunty Hasana joined and admired her younger sister’s elegance. Zahra laughed lightly when an older woman exaggerated praises like a traditional praise-singer.
But deep inside, Zahra felt uneasy. Her heart was heavy. She was worried because her fiancé Mushahu had not called since yesterday, and even his friend Deeni was unreachable. Yet today was the day his relatives were supposed to arrive.
By 9 pm the celebration ended. Instead of returning upstairs, Zahra went to Aunty Hasana’s room downstairs. She felt weak, lay down, and soon Aunty noticed her uneasiness.
“What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been yourself,” Aunty asked.
Zahra burst into tears.
“Aunty, I feel something bad is coming. I even dreamt the same dream I always see before my engagements get cancelled…”
Aunty comforted her and encouraged her to pray, hoping nothing would go wrong again.
---
Mahmud’s Scene
After night prayers, Mahmud and other students studied with their teacher. When it ended, Malam called Mahmud to stay behind.
Malam looked at him quietly for a long moment.
“Mahmud, do you know why I called you?”
“No, Malam.”
“There is a heavy responsibility placed on me. I don’t know how to begin. You know Alhaji Jafar’s daughter, Zahra? Her wedding has been cancelled again. Alhaji wants to know if you would agree to marry her. The wedding would be this Friday, In Sha Allah.”
Mahmud was shocked.
He stammered.
“Malam…I am not worthy. I am just a poor student. She is highly educated. How can she accept to live my kind of life?”
“That is not what we need from you,” Malam said. “We only need your answer. Can you marry her or not?”
Mahmud bowed his head.
“I don’t love her, nor do I know her. I accept, and may Allah bring goodness.”
Malam told him to take time and think, then dismissed him.
He left quietly, collected a motorcycle key from his friends, and headed to the Zaranda Hotel.
Slowly, the car drove into the street and stopped right in front of a large gate. The way the engine made a strained sound showed the car had gone on a long journey. The driver didn’t press the horn. Instead, he moved toward the small side gate under a tall neem tree. From behind the car, a few elderly men came out, followed by a young man stepping down from the driver’s seat. He greeted the driver and offered prayers for safety.
They walked toward the door of the house, but the young man didn’t knock more than twice before an elderly man peeked out from a small opening in the large gate. Quickly, he opened it saying:
“Ah, Alhaji! Welcome! You must be tired from the journey, you are welcome.”
He shook their hands warmly. They responded:
“Truly, yes, Mallam Sani. How are you?”
He smiled brightly.
“Alhamdulillah.”
He led them inside saying:
“Let me take you to Alhaji. He is around, may Allah help us.”
They entered the courtyard following Mallam Sani to the section where Alhaji met his visitors.
When they reached the entrance, Mallam Sani opened the door and said, “Bismillah, please come in, you are welcome.” Then he rushed ahead to inform his master that important guests had arrived.
Inside the sitting room, everything showed wealth and comfort — like the palace of a king.
Alhaji Jafar Mai Yadi approached them with a cheerful face saying:
“A’a! Alhaji Sulaiman! You came all this distance today?”
But inside his heart he was shocked. He knew very well nothing urgent should have brought them here. They still had three days left before returning, and everything needed had already been handled. So what could have happened? He prayed that whatever it was should be good.
After the usual greetings, one of Alhaji Jafar’s sons came in with drinks and left again. Then a young boy and a girl entered with food warmers, plates, spoons, and cups. They greeted the visitors and left.
Since they arrived, Alhaji Sulaiman kept his head lowered. His heart was troubled.
“Please eat before we pray; it’s almost time for Zuhr,” Alhaji Jafar said before stepping out.
After he left, Alhaji Ismail looked at his elder brother and whispered:
“I’m completely confused. I don’t even know how to start telling them such news after all the kindness this man has shown us.”
The young man who had driven them added:
“Honestly Daddy, I told you we should not come. Hajiya should have come herself and explained the problem she caused. I’ve never seen something like this — everything was going smoothly and suddenly trouble came. I really pity Musbahu; he is suffering emotionally but she doesn’t care at all.”
Alhaji Sulaiman didn’t say another word. He didn’t touch the food despite his hunger. He only drank the juice and water. Alhaji Ismai’l and Al-Amin ate, then the two of them went to the mosque.
After the prayer, they returned together with Malam Bukar, the imam.
They all exchanged greetings again, but this time Al-Amin didn’t join them.
With effort, Alhaji Sulaiman finally began speaking, looking at Malam Bukar:
“Please forgive us for what we brought. Wallahi, if not for this matter, I would never come back here again.”
He stopped, unable to continue. His throat tightened.
Alhaji Jafar felt a shock run down to his feet. His heart suddenly felt heavy, without knowing why.
Silence filled the room until Malam Bukar spoke:
“Alhaji, say whatever it is. Life brings both ease and hardship. A good Muslim knows destiny. Don’t worry, there must be a solution.”
Seeing his brother could not continue, Alhaji Ismail took over:
“It’s about the marriage between our son and your daughter. A problem has come up. For the past three days his mother has refused to accept the marriage. No matter what we say, she won’t agree. She even swore that if Musbahu marries Zahra, she will never forgive him. We begged her to explain her reason, but she refused. She became sick over the matter.”
As he narrated, Alhaji Jafar kept repeating:
“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un…”
He was devastated. Every time this girl’s marriage was arranged, something went wrong. How could this continue? What was happening?
Even Malam Bukar ran out of words. They continued apologizing as they walked them to the car.
After they left, the household was silent. How could such a young girl face this fate repeatedly? This was the third broken engagement.
Deep in thought, Alhaji Jafar said:
“Malam, Inshallah I will arrange Fatima’s marriage myself this time. I see this thing is not normal. Whatever it takes, I will find a solution.”
Malam Bukar shook his head.
“Please Alhaji, don’t act out of anger. Don’t make a decision you will regret.”
Alhaji sighed and lowered himself onto a chair.
“I’m not angry at destiny. I’m just tired. Every time my daughter’s marriage is arranged, something destroys it. People even insult me, saying she isn’t my real daughter. If not because I vowed never to force kinship marriages, I would give her to Abdul Hakeem today. But now, I want to hear Mahmud’s opinion. If he agrees, I’ll give her to him.”
Malam Bukar was shocked.
“Which Mahmud? Surely not the one here?”
“Yes, him,” Alhaji replied calmly. “Is there any other by that name here?”
Malam shook his head.
“But Alhaji, Mahmud’s situation is not hidden. People will talk.”
Alhaji leaned forward.
“Let them talk. I respect Mahmud’s character. If things haven’t worked before, it’s because Allah didn’t will it. I’ve long admired him for my daughters.”
Malam silently reflected. He had always sensed something unusual in Fatima’s destiny and her future husband, but he never spoke.
They discussed for a long time, then agreed Malam should ask Mahmud if he was willing.
---
Zahra’s Scene (simplified for clarity and safety)
Zahra descended the stairs gracefully, beautifully dressed, followed by two girls. Women gathered around praising her beauty and praying for blessings.
Aunty Hasana joined and admired her younger sister’s elegance. Zahra laughed lightly when an older woman exaggerated praises like a traditional praise-singer.
But deep inside, Zahra felt uneasy. Her heart was heavy. She was worried because her fiancé Mushahu had not called since yesterday, and even his friend Deeni was unreachable. Yet today was the day his relatives were supposed to arrive.
By 9 pm the celebration ended. Instead of returning upstairs, Zahra went to Aunty Hasana’s room downstairs. She felt weak, lay down, and soon Aunty noticed her uneasiness.
“What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been yourself,” Aunty asked.
Zahra burst into tears.
“Aunty, I feel something bad is coming. I even dreamt the same dream I always see before my engagements get cancelled…”
Aunty comforted her and encouraged her to pray, hoping nothing would go wrong again.
---
Mahmud’s Scene
After night prayers, Mahmud and other students studied with their teacher. When it ended, Malam called Mahmud to stay behind.
Malam looked at him quietly for a long moment.
“Mahmud, do you know why I called you?”
“No, Malam.”
“There is a heavy responsibility placed on me. I don’t know how to begin. You know Alhaji Jafar’s daughter, Zahra? Her wedding has been cancelled again. Alhaji wants to know if you would agree to marry her. The wedding would be this Friday, In Sha Allah.”
Mahmud was shocked.
He stammered.
“Malam…I am not worthy. I am just a poor student. She is highly educated. How can she accept to live my kind of life?”
“That is not what we need from you,” Malam said. “We only need your answer. Can you marry her or not?”
Mahmud bowed his head.
“I don’t love her, nor do I know her. I accept, and may Allah bring goodness.”
Malam told him to take time and think, then dismissed him.
He left quietly, collected a motorcycle key from his friends, and headed to the Zaranda Hotel.