Bayan Wuya Complete Hausa Novel

She was coughing inside their small kitchen cubicle while fanatically trying to fan the fire. Smoke had completely filled the kitchen, and she was shedding heavy tears. With great difficulty, she managed to get some small pieces of wood to catch fire. She came out of the kitchen to finish sweeping the remaining areas inside their tiny house. Outside, a gathering storm had turned the sky pitch black, and the heat was intense.

She hurried through the sweeping until she was done. As soon as she finished, she went to pour the soup and then went in to take a bath. As she came out, she faintly heard someone calling *MUNEEBBA*.

She quickly performed ablution since it was already time for Maghrib. She entered the room and found that her mother had gotten up and was feeling her way along the wall, apparently wanting to go out to perform ablution. She rushed over to support her, saying, "Mamma, please stop trying to get up by yourself. Look, you have a bad leg and you can't see. If you go out there alone, you might slip and cause yourself more pain. I told you that whenever you want to get up, you should call me," she said playfully, jutting out her small lips.

Mamma let out an audible smile, saying, "MUNEEBBA, you never tire of being troublesome. For now, just help me make ablution here; I can feel a storm has come up."

Muneebba helped her perform ablution. As soon as they finished, they went into the room and commenced their prayers. They spent a long time pouring out their supplications to Allah.

After finishing the prayers, Muneebba stood up and went into the kitchen to dish out the food for them and some for Khabir. She brought it and placed it in front of her mother, then began feeding her until she was full. After that, she started scooping some food to eat herself until she was satisfied. Then she stood up, washed her hands, and cleared away the dining bowls. As soon as she finished, NEPA restored the electricity, lighting up everywhere. I paused to gaze at the beautiful young lady standing there, marveling at the sheer perfection of her beauty.

She was a tall woman who combined height and a robust figure, fair-complexioned with wide eyes, well-defined brows, a moderately straight nose, a cute little mouth with pink lips, and a fair skin tone—though not an extreme one. Her hair lay smooth and flat against her forehead, complete with sideburns.

As for beauty, Allah had blessed her, and all we can say is *Alhamdulillah* and *Masha Allah*.

My gaze shifted to an elderly woman sitting with her legs folded underneath her. She was also a beautiful woman, extremely fair—just looking at her told you she was a thorough-blooded Buzuwa woman. Her eyes were large and wide; when you looked at them, you would never guess she couldn't see with them, because they were wide open. Looking at them both, Mamma and Muneebba looked very much alike, except for the lighter complexion Mamma possessed, and her figure was simply indescribable.

While she stood there, she felt someone land a heavy thump on her back. She turned around quickly, saying, "You, Yaya Khabir! I swear your boundaries have gone too far. As soon as you step in, you just go and slap me on the back," she said, looking as though she might burst into tears.

He burst into laughter, saying, "I just came to offer a greeting, and already you want to show us your youngest-child attitude."

She glared at him, pouting her lips as she said, "Me, where is my promise now? The one you said you would bring for me?"

He looked at her and said, "Oh, so I made that for you? No, I made it for Mamma, not you," he said, walking over to where Mamma was sitting. Upon reaching her, he sat down close by and began massaging her legs. Mamma smiled, patting his head as she said, "May Allah bless you, Khabir. Truly, you have done for me what every child ought to do for their parents. The way you care for me, may the Almighty provide someone to do the same for you."

They chorused "Ameen," and Khabir said, "Mamma, you are always blessing us. Truly, we are blessed to have a good mother who sat down, raised us properly, and educated us. And despite all the gossip in town about how none of us has a father, that never made you pay attention to people's talk. You always endured it and kept your cool inside. From that aspect alone, you taught us how to live peacefully with people, and above all, patience and perseverance."

She stroked his head and Muneebba's again, saying, "Always invoking blessings upon your children is what causes Allah to protect them from every twist and turn of life. Truly, some parents ruin their children's lives with their own hands through insults and curses. You will see something trivial happen, and a mother will hurl harsh words at her child. That is a major mistake we parents commit. You will see a child, even from a young age, make a mistake, and she will call him a fool or a good-for-nothing, and so on. Likewise, proper upbringing is the foundation of life. Truly, any woman who does not train her children and rescue them from the corrupt ways of modern times... and you must know that whatever foundation you lay for your child, surely they will grow up with that character. If good character is yours, they will grow up with it, or vice versa. Similarly, patience is the bedrock of worldly existence. As long as you have patience, you will surely reap the rewards of this world; whoever is patient will succeed. Furthermore, perseverance and steadfastness in doing what is right will take you to every level of rightful success. Once again, I warn you never to follow the talk of the people. Because if you follow people's talk, it's like the saying: 'Entering and exiting is pointless once a madman is left to guard the door.'"

Mamma finished her speech with a smile.

They all let out sighs of relief, feeling deep affection for their mother, alongside a tinge of sympathy for the situation they found themselves in. Khabir drew a long breath and said, "That is why we continually thank Allah and thank you over and over for the path you have set us upon."

Mamma smiled and said, "There is the call to Ishsha'i prayer. Hurry up and go to the mosque, then come back and eat your food."

He answered with a "To" as he stood up, then added, "Auta, get up; I have brought your promise. Then go and heat up some water for me—I want to take a bath when I return," he said, handing her the polythene bag he was holding.

She took it, showering him with thanks until he flashed her a wide smile.