Zuciya Da Kwanji Book 3 By Maimuna Beli

Description

Not long after her uncles (su kawu) left, Laila walked into Fatima's living room. At that moment, Fatima was with Maryam—Abdullahi’s younger sister, whom Fatima had personally invited to stay with her to keep her company and assist with household chores after Safiyya and the others had returned home. From the moment Laila stepped into the living room, Fatima fixed her eyes on her without blinking; she stared at her intensely, her heart marshaling every weapon of malice and hostility to unleash upon her. Slowly, Fatima began to swell with a rage that seemed on the verge of exploding—perhaps only Maryam's presence prevented her from completely blowing up.
Laila sat down, and she and Maryam exchanged cold, casual greetings. Fatima kept her mouth tightly shut, doing nothing but breathing heavily in anger. Sensing the heavy tension, a flustered Laila said, "I heard about your situation since last week, Fatima. I have been making every effort to come visit, but Allah did not decree it until now."
Fatima merely continued to glare at her without uttering a single word. Maryam assumed that Fatima's silence was simply due to her being exhausted from weeping so much earlier, making her unable to respond to Laila. Feeling the crushing weight of Fatima's silence, Maryam tried to chime into the conversation to break the ice. But before she could speak, Laila cut in with another topic.
"I actually thought you were at your family home, which is why I planned to go there. I had no idea you were still here."
Fatima took advantage of Maryam looking away to glare viciously at Laila. Maryam then found an opening to speak, trying to draw Fatima in. "Haba, why would they go back home? They are not little children, right, Aunty?"
Forced to respond, Fatima offered a fake, strained smile, turned her head away, and let the conversation drop into silence once more. Shortly after, without looking at anyone, she stood up, walked toward her bedroom, and pushed the door shut behind her.
She left Laila sitting there, anxiously calculating how to win her back. Laila knew Fatima better than anyone else—she knew her stubbornness was legendary, her hatred ran deep and fierce once triggered, and she was incredibly slow to forgive or let anyone see through her. Ultimately, Laila decided to stand up and follow her into the room, even though she hadn't prepared what to say.
She found Fatima reclining on a sofa bed. Laila's entry caused Fatima to sit up abruptly in a fit of rage, speaking before Laila could even open her mouth.
"I guess you didn't just inherit the loose morals of a stray dog, Laila; you also inherited its complete lack of dignity! Did you forget the stern warning my husband gave you? Or the humiliation I subjected you to? I honestly thought that even if you heard news of his death, your feet wouldn't carry you here to pay condolences—let alone now when, by the grace of Allah, he is alive and well..."
Laila quickly sat close to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, her demeanor subdued. "If I had only heard it as a rumor, Fatima, I would have found it hard to believe that you have become like this. That you are the one raising your voice to defend Abdullahi instead of Alhaji. That you are shouting bitter words at me, throwing away all the long years we spent together..."
Fatima violently slapped Laila's hand off her shoulder, stood up, and exhaled sharply in fury. "Oh! Just because you can mimic my voice clearly, do you think I am like a radio station that anyone can buy with a bag of money and manipulate at will? My frustration grows every single day, especially when I stumble across games like this aimed at insulting my intelligence and making a fool out of me!
Don't you dare forget that it was of my own free will that I agreed to take the path to live with Alhaji again; no one forced me or intimidated me into it. If I now see reasons why I should return to Alhaji, it is only proper that my excuses be considered, and my reasons examined if I choose to withdraw. And out of all the people examining my reasons, you shouldn't be among them, Laila! Because I know full well that the moment I step away from returning to Alhaji, you will immediately wrap your wrapper tight and rush in to take my place..."
Laila also stood up, and they faced each other squarely. Laila’s face was filled with genuine distress—or if it was fake, she hid it perfectly behind a desperate stream of words.
"Haba... For God's sake, Fatima... banish the devils trying to come between us! Remember that my position in your life goes far beyond throwing away all the good things of our past. The love I have shown you, despite all the hardships and the misunderstandings that arose between us, is too great for you to just dismiss."

Page 2

"All that love..." Fatima's tears were flowing heavily now. In a broken, trembling voice, she pointed her finger at Laila and cried out, "Wallahi, Laila, in all my life, I have never seen a traitor quite like you! Where exactly did you ever love me? Was it regarding Alhaji? Alhaji’s family? My family? Abdullahi? Or the matter of my pregnancy—is that where you showed me love? Or is it in this errand-running service that you’ve turned into for Alhaji?
Don't play me for a fool, do you hear me? I wasn't picked up from some primitive village. If I were to see a dream showing me that you are among those who love me, I swear to Allah that the moment I wake up, I would spit to cast away the devil, because I'd be certain it was Satan trying to trick me into trusting you so you could ruin me again."
She broke down sobbing even harder before continuing, "I have never seen a cursed person like you in my entire world, Laila. For years, my own parents never had cause to condemn me, until I shared my secrets with you. You turned me into someone they now view as a troublesome wildcard and a liar!
But let me give you a piece of news: my parents are nothing like yours or Hajiya Sa'a’s. They have authority over me, and I was raised with proper morals. I don't need to rely on aborting my pregnancy, nor does Hajiya Sa'a need to threaten to pay me off just to get me to leave Alhaji for you all. Quietly, and by the direct command of my parents, I am leaving Alhaji. Hajiya Sa'a can marry him off to whoever she wants, or marry him to you if she likes, because I can see you all need him far more than I do. From the very beginning, he could never bring me down. Go and ask him yourself—he has absolutely nothing that can intimidate or sway me, wallahi..."
Flustered and visibly shaken, Laila tried to speak in a vulnerable tone, but Fatima cut her off with a shout. "Wallahi, I will not hear a single word from you, Laila! If you push me any further, I will unleash a ruthlessness on you that will make you rewrite what you call me. I will gladly accept that you've won against me, since you've successfully turned me against the parents from whom I had never even received a harsh glare, until my friendship with you caused it. They have put the brakes on my dream of ever living with Alhaji again, and I have left him to you all. Let your marriage to him bring joy to Hajiya Sa'a, even if it doesn't bring joy to Alhaji—and it certainly doesn't bring joy to me!
However, I never expected to be removed from the ranks of decent, respectable children. Thank Alhamdullilah, my pregnancy is intact. Perhaps from this moment on, I will begin living the life you designed for me."
By now, Laila realized it was hopeless to think Fatima would listen to her. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to just give up. She said softly, "You really need to listen to me, Fatima. You don't even know what brought me here, but you're sitting there letting jealousy blind you from listening to me. For heaven's sake, Fatima, where do I even fit into Alhaji's social class? You..."
The sudden memory of seeing Laila and Alhaji together in the back of a car flashed through Fatima's mind, making her blood boil with pure rage. Pointing directly at the door, she ordered Laila out. "I said I will not listen to you! If it is an absolute must that I hear what you have to say, we shall see... Lady, vanish from my sight!"
Laila stood frozen, staring at her. It was clear her own patience had evaporated, as her expression soured completely. She stared at Fatima for a long time, looking as if she wanted to pounce on her and beat her, but she couldn't. She simply scoffed, shook her head, and walked out, leaving Fatima behind, who followed her exit with a long, loud hiss of disdain.
The moment she got into her car, Laila dialed Alhaji’s number in a fit of hot rage. "Alhaji, I want to resign from this job you gave me."
Panic-stricken, Alhaji stammered, "I don't understand. Why?"
Inhaling deeply, her throat tight with a mixture of frustration and disgust, she wiped her nose and snapped, "So that I can save myself from sinking to the behavior and character of dogs! It would do you well to remember that just because Fatima's love has blinded you, it doesn't mean I must be blinded too. To be completely honest with you, I am entirely choked up to the limit of what I can tolerate..."
Annoyed and out of breath, he cut her off. "Cut it short! I don't want a long lecture, for God's sake... You're just looking for an excuse to vent your frustrations on me... Don't mess up my calculations, do you hear me?"
Laila swallowed the pain of being shouted at and dismissed as worthless by Alhaji. Gathering her composure to make him understand and put a permanent end to her involvement in his affairs with Fatima, she said, "If I am to tell you the absolute truth, it is this: Fatima has absolutely no romantic interest in you right now. I know Fatima intimately, which is why I have never taken her rebellion as a joke. I know she means exactly what she is saying from the bottom of her heart, before God. I cannot continue to torture myself for this. If you have something else you can do, go ahead and do it, but as for me, I am washing my hands clean of this... That is the absolute limit of what I have to say to you..."
Alhaji let out a massive, heavy sigh, filled with the agonizing sorrow of realizing Fatima was slipping entirely out of the blueprint of his life. Yet, a stubborn voice inside him insisted that Fatima was merely setting up a scenario where she would lose everything, while Abdullahi was executing a flawless plan to ensure she would never return to Alhaji as long as he drew breath.
Nodding his head in bitter resentment, Alhaji said, "Fine. I never intended to pass a ruthless judgment on Abdullahi, but it seems it has become necessary since he chose this path himself."
A bit frightened, Laila asked, "What are you going to do?"
He blew air out of his mouth, exhaled sharply, and said, "I am going to pack my bags and leave this country either today or tomorrow. The operatives who locked Abdullahi away are fiercely loyal to me. Even if I stay away for ten years without returning, they will keep him locked up for me for ten years."
Laila merely took a deep breath and said nothing in response.

Page 3

It took two full months of Abdullahi being locked away in detention before Sagiru—through intense, relentless pulled strings and high-level networking—finally secured permission for a visitation. He went along with two of Abdullahi’s elder brothers, Abdulwahab and another brother.
Abdullahi was completely unrecognizable. Although no living soul had physically harmed his body or laid a finger on his skin, hunger and the psychological torment of confinement had taken a massive toll on him. On top of that was the intense dread of the crime he was being accused of—a crime he still knew absolutely nothing about to this day. His only fear was before Allah, terrified of being falsely implicated in high-level criminal syndicates. After all, he wasn't a businessman, nor was he a drug dealer; what on earth had he done to warrant such a brutal, degrading arrest?
Exhausted and broken down, Abdullahi simply stared at his brothers and Sagiru. He couldn't even muster the strength to reply to their greetings, let alone answer the barrage of questions they threw at him trying to get to the bottom of the matter—questions to which he himself had no answers.
"What did you do, Abdullahi? Did you get into a fight with someone? Did you default on someone's massive debt...?" These were the types of questions his brothers desperately fired at him, tears welling in their eyes. Sagiru was the only one who didn't ask anything, because he already knew exactly which political angle the trap had been sprung from.
Finally, their visitation time limit expired. Only then did the resilient Abdullahi summon his inner stamina to push past his exhaustion and speak, addressing what was truly heavy on his heart.
"Yaya, for the sake of Allah, please look after Fatima for me. Inform her that I strictly forbid her from taking even a single step outside the house. If a medical emergency arises, let her be taken to the hospital immediately—do not leave her to fend for herself..."
They all stared at him, their eyes wide with utter astonishment. His elder brother, Abdulwahab, losing his patience, snapped, "Who on earth is this woman?
Abdullahi replied, looking away, "My new bride, whom the town has turned its back on."
Abdulwahab retorted angrily, "So your other wives can be left to wander about aimlessly, and if an emergency hits them, they should be left to fend for themselves? Is there no maturity left in this talk of yours?"
They all continued to glare at him, waiting for a logical answer, but he replied directly and without hesitation, "She is weaker than them, and she is far more dangerous than them."
They stared at him even harder, but no one pressed for further clarification, even though his cryptic words desperately required a breakdown. They said their goodbyes, leaving him with words of encouragement—telling him to place his absolute trust and destiny in the hands of Allah and to remember Him in every circumstance.
Following the Isha prayer that same evening, Abdulwahab visited Abdullahi's house, accompanied by his eldest nephew, Sahabi. Hindatu and Sadiya were gathered with him in Abdullahi's living room as he explained the current situation regarding Abdullahi's detention, offering them words of comfort to calm their anxieties.
Up until that moment, he had not seen Fatima. Seeing that Hindatu's younger siblings had come out to greet him, he asked which one among them was Abu Turab's new bride, but they informed him she wasn't there. Therefore, after checking his wristwatch, he personally requested that she be called out to meet him. Hindatu went to inform her and returned.
After a long delay, Fatima finally walked into the living room with a calm, measured grace. She was wearing a large hijab that failed to conceal her pregnancy, which was now roughly seven months along. Despite everything, her signature aura of elegance, pride, and haughty sophistication remained completely intact.
Abdulwahab was hit by a wave of profound shock the moment he laid eyes on Fatima. His mind instantly flashed back to Abdullahi's desperate plea in the cell: "...please look after Fatima for me." He suddenly began to question whether this woman was truly Abdullahi's wife or someone else entirely.
Caught in this state of utter confusion, he stole glances at her until she knelt down politely to greet him. He answered her greeting, his face completely masked in bewilderment, and then spoke her name out loud.
"Are you... Fatima?"
The sound of his voice instantly caught her attention. She raised her head fully and studied his face intently. To her absolute shock, she recognized him as Alhaji’s closest friend—a man who used to visit her home constantly back when she was married to Alhaji. Back then, Alhaji used to practically drag her out to greet him, and she had never hidden her irritation at being forced to do so. She had long known how deeply Alhaji cherished this man because of how frequently he spoke about him.
Swallowing her sheer shock and recognizing him instantly within a matter of seconds, Fatima shook off her surprise, straightened herself up, and sat firmly on the sofa.

This segment of Zuciya d Kwanji (Heart and Stamina) revolves around the dramatic fallout of a secret interim marriage arrangement (auren kisan wuta) that has completely spiraled out of control.

1. The Conflict Between Fatima and Laila: Laila, who was acting as a go-between for Fatima's wealthy ex-husband (Alhaji), visits Fatima's house. Fatima, now pregnant and married to the stern Abdullahi, reacts with explosive rage. She accuses Laila of being a traitor who ruined her relationship with her respectable parents and attempts to steal Alhaji for herself or Hajiya Sa'a. Fatima declares she is washing her hands of Alhaji entirely on her parents' orders.
2. Alhaji's Retaliation: Frustrated by Fatima's rejection, Laila calls Alhaji to resign from her role. Realizing Fatima is slipping away and that her new husband, Abdullahi, refuses to divorce her, Alhaji uses his immense wealth and corrupt power to have Abdullahi arrested and thrown into indefinite detention. Alhaji plans to flee the country, leaving his loyal operatives to keep Abdullahi locked up for years.
3. Abdullahi's Confinement and Devotion: After two months in secret detention, Abdullahi's family finally gets access to him. Despite being weak and facing unknown charges, Abdullahi uses his meeting not to worry about his own life, but to give strict orders to protect Fatima, noting that she is "weaker" yet "more dangerous" than his other wives.

4. The Shocking Discovery: Abdullahi's brother, Abdulwahab, visits the house to check on the family. When he demands to see the new bride, Fatima steps out. Abdulwahab is utterly stunned to discover that Abdullahi's new wife is actually the ex-wife of his wealthy best friend, Alhaji.

   Character Descriptions & Dynamics

• Fatima: The central figure. She is fiercely independent, proud, and uncompromisingly stubborn. Despite being seven months pregnant and living in a complicated polygamous household, she refuses to lose her aristocratic poise. She is deeply hurt that her involvement in this plot has tarnished her reputation with her respectable adoptive parents (the Professor's family), leading her to forcefully reject Alhaji and his agents.
• Abdullahi (Abu Turab): Fatima’s new husband. He possesses immense mental "stamina" and quiet resilience. Even when wrongfully detained in a hidden cell for months, his primary focus remains on outmaneuvering Alhaji and ensuring Fatima’s absolute safety and confinement. He recognizes her volatile, complex nature, calling her both fragile and dangerous.
• Alhaji: Fatima’s wealthy, powerful, and obsessed ex-husband. He is a desperate man who cannot accept losing. When his manipulation fails, he resorts to corrupt state power to illegally imprison his rival, showing a vindictive and ruthless streak, willing to leave the country while keeping an innocent man jailed.
• Laila: The compromised intermediary. Originally working for Alhaji to facilitate the scheme, she finds herself caught in the crossfire of Fatima’s wrath. She is driven by self-preservation and hidden class anxieties, ultimately walking away from the mess when the emotional abuse from both sides becomes intolerable.
• Abdulwahab: Abdullahi’s elder brother. He serves as the bridge of upcoming plot twists. He is a rational, protective family man who is suddenly caught in a massive moral dilemma upon realizing his younger brother has married the ex-wife of his own best friend.