Today and tomorrow left nothing behind. Likewise, Zara did not spare Dami either. All the food supplies that Shatu had—those Alhaji used to store for her—were completely exhausted. She began to suffer hunger and hardship, and that was when her relatives realized what she was going through and started criticizing her.
Her sister, Sa’ade, told her not to mind them. She personally supported Shatu and helped her for a while. However, their stepmother—the woman in whose house they were raised after their mother died when they were still young—raised false accusations. She gathered the elders of the town and told them stories, before and after, about how it was inappropriate for Shatu to live alone in that house. She insisted that Shatu must return to live under her authority.
Sa’ade, Shatu’s elder sister, did not challenge the decision. It went through, even though she knew the woman was not acting for the sake of God. Worse still, after pretending goodwill, she quickly arranged for the house Shatu was living in—since it belonged to Alhaji and was built for Shatu—to be sold. She collected the money and bought livestock for Shatu, handing them over to her, out of fear of what the future might bring.
Not long after, Shatu packed up and returned home with Maimunatu. The house they moved into marked the beginning of a new life filled with hardship, restriction, and different kinds of suffering. Shatu’s heart was full of love and longing for her husband. Her body and soul completely rejected the rumors spreading in town that her husband had run away and abandoned her. Everyone knew his character, and she firmly believed he would never do such a thing to her.
Life became even more difficult when Inne discovered that Shatu was pregnant. She jumped up angrily, declaring that Shatu would never give birth to a child without a father. Those words cut deeply into the hearts of Shatu and Sa’ade and nearly caused her physical harm. At that time, Sa’ade was not around—business had taken her and her husband to Benin Republic. She was deeply saddened, knowing the condition her sister was in, but she had no choice but to follow her husband.
In the middle of all this, Inna Furera came to town. The moment she set her eyes on Shatu’s livestock, she sweet-talked her and followed her to her settlement, where she settled down, took care of the animals, and even gave birth there without hardship.
Shatu thought she had found refuge with her elder sister, but before they even fully settled in the camp, conditions and strict rules were laid out for her. An agreement was made that Shatu’s animals must be kept under Furera’s control; otherwise, they would be attacked and killed since Shatu was considered a stranger.
At that time, Shatu was not even more than twenty-four years old, having been married off early, as was customary.
Shatu entered the settlement as a stranger. Even her beauty was different from the rest of them. Without pity or fear of God, Furera turned Shatu and Maimunatu into slaves without freedom. Shatu worked like a servant; Maimunatu worked like a servant. God endowed Shatu with extraordinary patience, endurance, and self-restraint—qualities she passed on to Maimunatu—because not everyone could endure what she endured.
What later caused Shatu and Maimunatu to become hated was this: in Fulani culture, you do not point out or single out livestock, no matter how beautiful or impressive they appear. Out of ignorance, Shatu pointed at some cattle belonging to Bappa Labaran that were about to be taken south. One day while they were being taken to graze, she pointed to a large cow and said it looked healthy and beautiful, but that it was actually sick. Arguments broke out between her and the herdsmen; she was insulted, and she apologized, explaining she only feared a loss.
The matter was dismissed, and the cow was returned home. When they came back, no sign of illness was found, as Shatu had claimed. By the next morning, the cow was found dead. A serious fight almost erupted, but Bappa stopped it. What they didn’t know was that I myself had noticed after dawn that the cow lacked strength. I knew she was truly ill, but when I spoke up, Daada accused me of lying, saying I was only defending Shatu because she often came to me.
Later, while heavily pregnant, Shatu went to fetch water. One of the women of the Barau household, Talatu, insulted her as usual and even tripped her. Shatu had never complained to me about anyone, but I had heard how some people in the settlement oppressed her. That day, Talatu pushed her so hard that she nearly fell into the stream. Only God saved her—death was not destined for her that day.
Shatu, shaken and soaked, looked at Talatu with tears in her eyes and said:
> “I thought that even if I have no value in your eyes, at least the life growing inside me would. Since you too are a woman. If you did this to humiliate me, go—Allah sees everything. And I pray you receive your recompense very soon.”
She said nothing more, carried her water, and left. They gathered and started gossiping, bringing back the issue of the cow. That was when they began to brand her a witch.
Two days later, Talatu went to fetch water and drowned. It became her death. Rumors spread rapidly, accusing Shatu of witchcraft. Before anyone knew it, the entire town was in chaos. Talatu’s relatives and other troublemakers came armed with sticks to Furera’s house, demanding that Shatu be brought out and killed, insisting she was a witch.
After much struggle and tension, the situation calmed. Sadly, Shatu’s illness worsened due to the stress. Furera abandoned her completely, leaving only Maimunatu to struggle with her.
Eventually, Furera asked Maimunatu to secretly call me. When Maimunatu reached the door and called her, she stopped, waved her inside, and sat before Shatu, kneeling.
“Daada, is there something you want?” Maimunatu asked.
She smiled, removed all the beads she had been wearing for years, and placed them on Maimunatu. But the girl felt no joy this time.
“Daada… are you leaving me?” Maimunatu asked.
She nodded.
“I’m leaving Maimunatu with you. Be patient… face life as it comes. Be truthful and trustworthy. If you see Sa’ade, tell her I wish her well.”
Maimunatu ran to call Yuuma, but that moment marked her eternal separation from her mother. By the time I arrived, Shatu’s soul had departed. She was buried without giving birth. That night, I stayed with Maimunatu, comforting her—her mother had died, leaving her with no one to cry to.
Bappa later warned me to cut all ties with anything related to Shatu if I wished to marry. I knew conspiracies involving Daada Himu and Furera were behind it all. After Shatu’s death, Furera seized all her livestock. Maimunatu became nothing but a servant, suffering severe hardship. I was forced to pretend she didn’t exist, though I never stopped praying for her.
“Are these really the reasons the girl is hated, when she committed no wrongdoing?” Anni asked.
“They are,” came the reply.
“This is nothing but ignorance and selfishness,” Anni said firmly. “Allah will reward that child. I will take Maimunatu away from this town. An orphan is no joke.”
Today and tomorrow left nothing behind. Likewise, Zara did not spare Dami either. All the food supplies that Shatu had—those Alhaji used to store for her—were completely exhausted. She began to suffer hunger and hardship, and that was when her relatives realized what she was going through and started criticizing her.
Her sister, Sa’ade, told her not to mind them. She personally supported Shatu and helped her for a while. However, their stepmother—the woman in whose house they were raised after their mother died when they were still young—raised false accusations. She gathered the elders of the town and told them stories, before and after, about how it was inappropriate for Shatu to live alone in that house. She insisted that Shatu must return to live under her authority.
Sa’ade, Shatu’s elder sister, did not challenge the decision. It went through, even though she knew the woman was not acting for the sake of God. Worse still, after pretending goodwill, she quickly arranged for the house Shatu was living in—since it belonged to Alhaji and was built for Shatu—to be sold. She collected the money and bought livestock for Shatu, handing them over to her, out of fear of what the future might bring.
Not long after, Shatu packed up and returned home with Maimunatu. The house they moved into marked the beginning of a new life filled with hardship, restriction, and different kinds of suffering. Shatu’s heart was full of love and longing for her husband. Her body and soul completely rejected the rumors spreading in town that her husband had run away and abandoned her. Everyone knew his character, and she firmly believed he would never do such a thing to her.
Life became even more difficult when Inne discovered that Shatu was pregnant. She jumped up angrily, declaring that Shatu would never give birth to a child without a father. Those words cut deeply into the hearts of Shatu and Sa’ade and nearly caused her physical harm. At that time, Sa’ade was not around—business had taken her and her husband to Benin Republic. She was deeply saddened, knowing the condition her sister was in, but she had no choice but to follow her husband.
In the middle of all this, Inna Furera came to town. The moment she set her eyes on Shatu’s livestock, she sweet-talked her and followed her to her settlement, where she settled down, took care of the animals, and even gave birth there without hardship.
Shatu thought she had found refuge with her elder sister, but before they even fully settled in the camp, conditions and strict rules were laid out for her. An agreement was made that Shatu’s animals must be kept under Furera’s control; otherwise, they would be attacked and killed since Shatu was considered a stranger.
At that time, Shatu was not even more than twenty-four years old, having been married off early, as was customary.
Shatu entered the settlement as a stranger. Even her beauty was different from the rest of them. Without pity or fear of God, Furera turned Shatu and Maimunatu into slaves without freedom. Shatu worked like a servant; Maimunatu worked like a servant. God endowed Shatu with extraordinary patience, endurance, and self-restraint—qualities she passed on to Maimunatu—because not everyone could endure what she endured.
What later caused Shatu and Maimunatu to become hated was this: in Fulani culture, you do not point out or single out livestock, no matter how beautiful or impressive they appear. Out of ignorance, Shatu pointed at some cattle belonging to Bappa Labaran that were about to be taken south. One day while they were being taken to graze, she pointed to a large cow and said it looked healthy and beautiful, but that it was actually sick. Arguments broke out between her and the herdsmen; she was insulted, and she apologized, explaining she only feared a loss.
The matter was dismissed, and the cow was returned home. When they came back, no sign of illness was found, as Shatu had claimed. By the next morning, the cow was found dead. A serious fight almost erupted, but Bappa stopped it. What they didn’t know was that I myself had noticed after dawn that the cow lacked strength. I knew she was truly ill, but when I spoke up, Daada accused me of lying, saying I was only defending Shatu because she often came to me.
Later, while heavily pregnant, Shatu went to fetch water. One of the women of the Barau household, Talatu, insulted her as usual and even tripped her. Shatu had never complained to me about anyone, but I had heard how some people in the settlement oppressed her. That day, Talatu pushed her so hard that she nearly fell into the stream. Only God saved her—death was not destined for her that day.
Shatu, shaken and soaked, looked at Talatu with tears in her eyes and said:
> “I thought that even if I have no value in your eyes, at least the life growing inside me would. Since you too are a woman. If you did this to humiliate me, go—Allah sees everything. And I pray you receive your recompense very soon.”
She said nothing more, carried her water, and left. They gathered and started gossiping, bringing back the issue of the cow. That was when they began to brand her a witch.
Two days later, Talatu went to fetch water and drowned. It became her death. Rumors spread rapidly, accusing Shatu of witchcraft. Before anyone knew it, the entire town was in chaos. Talatu’s relatives and other troublemakers came armed with sticks to Furera’s house, demanding that Shatu be brought out and killed, insisting she was a witch.
After much struggle and tension, the situation calmed. Sadly, Shatu’s illness worsened due to the stress. Furera abandoned her completely, leaving only Maimunatu to struggle with her.
Eventually, Furera asked Maimunatu to secretly call me. When Maimunatu reached the door and called her, she stopped, waved her inside, and sat before Shatu, kneeling.
“Daada, is there something you want?” Maimunatu asked.
She smiled, removed all the beads she had been wearing for years, and placed them on Maimunatu. But the girl felt no joy this time.
“Daada… are you leaving me?” Maimunatu asked.
She nodded.
“I’m leaving Maimunatu with you. Be patient… face life as it comes. Be truthful and trustworthy. If you see Sa’ade, tell her I wish her well.”
Maimunatu ran to call Yuuma, but that moment marked her eternal separation from her mother. By the time I arrived, Shatu’s soul had departed. She was buried without giving birth. That night, I stayed with Maimunatu, comforting her—her mother had died, leaving her with no one to cry to.
Bappa later warned me to cut all ties with anything related to Shatu if I wished to marry. I knew conspiracies involving Daada Himu and Furera were behind it all. After Shatu’s death, Furera seized all her livestock. Maimunatu became nothing but a servant, suffering severe hardship. I was forced to pretend she didn’t exist, though I never stopped praying for her.
“Are these really the reasons the girl is hated, when she committed no wrongdoing?” Anni asked.
“They are,” came the reply.
“This is nothing but ignorance and selfishness,” Anni said firmly. “Allah will reward that child. I will take Maimunatu away from this town. An orphan is no joke.”