Mus’ab spent the entire day in a state of extreme intoxication, to the extent that he himself could not state the exact number of alcohol bottles he had drained.
Sani rushed into the house, driven by the frantic screams he could hear echoing from outside and the sheer devastation he witnessed Mus’ab causing. Mus’ab was wildly hurling anything his hands could reach in the living room, shattering the house's glassware into pieces.
It took an immense amount of physical strength for Sani to finally pin Mus’ab’s hands down. They stood panting heavily, staring blankly at each other, utterly exhausted by the struggle it took just to stand.
Sani attempted to drag Mus’ab toward his bedroom but failed due to Mus'ab's violent resistance; consequently, they both collapsed onto the couch behind them, gasping for breath.
"What on earth does this look like, Mus’ab?" Sani questioned.
Mus’ab stared back at him thoroughly exhausted. With great effort, he forced his mouth open and muttered, "They have separated me from Aisha, and you stood by watching, doing absolutely nothing because you are wicked, aren't you?"
He spoke laboriously, his eyes rolling and bulging in the characteristic manner of a severely drunk man, while his hands gripped Sani’s neck in a vice-like hold.
Sani struggled desperately to pry himself free from Mus’ab’s grip.
"Go kidnap Aisha and bring her to this house right this very second! I want to see her, I want to hold her tight against my chest, I want to feel her warmth against my body, I want to see her brea—"
Sani swiftly slapped his hand over Mus’ab’s mouth, muffling his words to ensure the domestic staff outside wouldn’t overhear.
"Mus’ab, are you out of your mind? Has the alcohol completely reduced you to this?"
Enraged, Mus’ab tightened his chokehold on him and snapped, "Am I the drunkard here?!"
Terrified by his volatile state, Sani frantically looked for a way to escape his grasp.
He pleaded, "I didn't call you a drunkard, Mus’ab! All I said was that you should calm down and let me go so I can find thieves to kidnap Saddiqa and bring her to you. After all, you know I don't even know how to steal material goods, let alone kidnap a whole human being out of nowhere!"
Mus’ab finally released him. Sani quickly bolted up and made a run for the exit, even as he heard Mus’ab screaming behind him: "I want you to steal her for me this very day!"
The following morning, Mus’ab was sitting on his prayer mat, having just completed his dawn prayers. He sat counting his rosary beads, refusing to get up. He knew full well within himself that it had been a very long time since he had consumed alcohol to the point of completely losing his senses like he did yesterday.
His head was still pounding fiercely, feeling incredibly heavy from an intense migraine. His mind was flooded with a chaotic whirlpool of thoughts and scattered dreams; he couldn't even keep track of the sheer number of nightmares he had endured throughout the night.
Among them, the one that haunted him the most was a dream about Hamida. In the dream, she had come to his house to break the news regarding Saddiqa and Sadisu’s upcoming wedding. The agonizing nature of the news she delivered had enraged him so much that he began throwing objects at her, ultimately cracking her head open.
His heart sank heavily into his chest as he sank deeper into the memory of that dream. Was it merely a dream, or had Hamida actually come to his house and had he truly fractured her skull? What kind of extreme intoxication had he succumbed to yesterday?
He plunged deeper into thought, analyzing the violent way he remembered throwing things at her. He stared blankly at a single spot, trying desperately to recall the exact words she had spoken to him, when Sani suddenly walked in.
Mus’ab stared at him, filled with anxiety and dread. Summoning his courage, he asked, "Where are you coming from, Sani?"
Sani looked at him calmly and replied, "From exactly where you sent me, of course."
He stared blankly at Sani again, racking his brain to remember the errand he had assigned him, but nothing came to mind.
"Where did I send you, Sani?"
"To kidnap Saddiqa, of course. Didn't you tell me to send thieves into her house to abduct her and bring her to you?"
"Me?!" Mus’ab shouted violently, jumping to his feet in absolute shock. He asked again, "Me? Sani, did I really tell you to hire thieves to break into the house of my biological father to commit a crime?"
"Well, you didn't tell them to steal property; you specifically said they should kidnap Saddiqa for you."
Mus’ab took a couple of frantic paces forward before freezing in his tracks. He turned back toward him and asked, "So, what is the situation right now?"
Sani looked at him and said, "It's already over and done with. They're just waiting on you."
Mus’ab’s head began to throb even more violently than before. He pressed his hands against his forehead in profound despair and dread over the situation. He knew deep down that there was absolutely no way anyone could break into their family home and abduct Saddiqa while his mother (Inna) was completely unharmed.
What did they do to Inna? What state did they leave her in? These were the haunting questions consuming his mind.
He turned around instantly to demand answers from Sani, but to his utter frustration, Sani had already slipped out of the room without telling him.
Mus’ab slowly fumbled for a couch and sat down, spending a long time agonizing over how to fix a situation that had already spiraled into complete ruin. They had already stated they wouldn't grant him Aisha's hand in marriage because he was a degenerate rogue; if they discovered he was behind her abduction, what would they label him then?
Would his parents ever forgive him? How could he ever reconcile with them? His original intention wasn't to simply snatch Aisha away, flee the country, and live a fugitive life with her. He desired a blessed, legitimate marriage to fulfill the Sunnah of the Prophet; furthermore, he had reached an age where he desperately sought stability and a proper reconciliation with his parents.
He was overwhelmed with intense self-pity when he realized that if his hand in this crime were uncovered, he and Aisha would be separated forever. Yet, despite the panic, he resolved to return Aisha to his parents; he could not tolerate anything severe driving a deeper wedge between him and his family at this point in his life, especially his mother.
While soaking in hot bathwater laced with heavily scented perfume, desperately plotting a way out, he decided he would go to wherever Sani and his crew had hidden Aisha, take her, and personally return her home. Instead of waiting for them to investigate and uncover it, he would confess the truth, fully accepting that whatever consequences he feared would simply have to happen.
Mus’ab completed his grooming, dressing immaculately in a white traditional three-piece Babban Riga outfit made of fine Swiss voile fabric. His cap and the black shoes on his feet matched perfectly. He wore a soothing, exquisite perfume. Despite the immense distress weighing on his mind, it did not diminish his striking appearance; his natural, commanding charisma remained fully intact.
He emerged from his bedroom into the living room and headed toward the couch where he spotted his car keys, while strapping his Rolex wristwatch onto his arm. Hearing a movement behind him, he turned around sharply to find Sani standing there.
Mus’ab glared at him, his face contorted in deep anger.
"Where is Aisha right now?"
Before Sani could respond, Mus’ab snapped, "I never realized just how foolish you are until today, Sani! You mean to tell me that whatever reckless order a person gives you, you just blindly follow it? Can't you take into account the mental state the person is in at that moment?"
Sani rolled his eyes dramatically at him and retorted, "Oh please, don't blame your actions on me. Is alcohol madness?" He turned to walk away again.
"Just tell me where she is so I know what to do! You know very well this is no time for games since everything is already ruined. Have some pity on me, Sani."
Moved by a sudden wave of pity for his friend's desperate state, Sani looked at him and said, "She is at her mother's house."
Mus’ab’s mind completely jammed. He asked again, bewildered, "Which of her mothers' houses?"
Sani replied, "Inna's house, of course! I didn't actually send anyone to kidnap her."
He looked at Sani and hissed loudly in annoyance.
"You really have a habit of mocking a person and adding to their misery no matter how desperate their situation is, out of pure ruthlessness! Fine, let's go so we can see what's happening over there, since she has refused to answer any of my numerous phone calls."
Sani glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Honestly, you'll just have to go alone. Ishaq called while you were in the shower and said he's on his way. I think it's better I wait for him to arrive rather than follow you, otherwise he'll meet an empty house. What do you think?"
Without offering a reply, Mus’ab stormed out. As he drove away in his Mercedes-Benz 190, his mind frantically rehearsed sweet, persuasive words he could use to appease Aisha, hoping to make her back down from the rigid stance she had taken against him due to the terrible things her aunt (Gwaggo) had told her about his character.
He parked outside the family house, consumed by extreme anxiety and dread. His heart immediately began to throb violently at the sight of a massive crowd of children playing outside the entrance—a clear indication that a large gathering was taking place inside the house.
To his knowledge, there were still nine days left before Aisha's wedding was to be formalized; so what could possibly warrant such a massive gathering of people today? The moment he asked himself this question, his nightmare about Hamida and the agonizing news she broke to him flashed vividly into his mind:
"Brother, I came to inform you that Father and Mother have moved the wedding of Saddiqa and Sadisu forward to this coming Friday. They are doing this to catch you off guard and preemptively silence the public who might gossip about their refusal to marry her to you. Before you know it, you will simply hear that she has been taken to her husband's house."
Those were the exact words he recalled Hamida telling him in his sleep. He stepped out of his car with a heavy, weak body and profound dread, walking past the children without acknowledging them—a cold aloofness that was completely uncharacteristic of his usual behavior.
The moment he stepped into the house's entrance hall, the chaotic, overlapping chatter of numerous women echoing from inside the courtyard made him freeze in his tracks.
"Pass me that tamarind basket over there, this one is completely full!"
That was the loud voice he heard from within, and he instantly recognized its owner. He turned around in a blind panic and rushed back outside. Spotting an intelligent-looking boy among the children playing by the door, he called out to him:
"Quickly, run inside the house and tell Bilkisu that her older brother is waiting for her at Abu's house."
The boy replied, "Okay." He dashed into the house, while Mus’ab swiftly hurried away from the front of the residence.
Mus’ab sat on a woven mat in a state of extreme depression, desperately impatient for Bilkisu's arrival.
Meanwhile, Abu was busy putting the finishing touches on her elaborate grooming. She was dressed in a brand-new, high-grade English wax print fabric. Exquisite gold earrings and a matching gold necklace that Mus’ab had purchased for her adorned her neck; today was her very first time wearing them. Her feet were beautifully decorated with fresh henna patterns, and though the stain hadn't fully darkened into a rich black yet, she held a traditional kohl eyeliner applicator in her hand, carefully lining her eyes.
"What on earth is Abu dressing up for like this?" Mus’ab asked, forcing himself to break the oppressive silence in the room.
She paused her shaking of the eyeliner vial, preparing to pull out the applicator to line her other eye. She stared deeply at him before replying, "When have you ever come to my house and found me unkempt and not dressed up?"
He stared at her a bit longer before saying, "No, Abu, definitely not an elaborate grooming like this one today. Your dressing today looks more like someone trying to win a beauty pageant. If I didn't know that elderly women don't compete in Miss World pageants, I would have assumed that's where you were heading."
Abu smiled gently and said, "Even if I'm not going to win a pageant, today's dressing is absolutely worth the effort, because today is Saddiqa's bridal henna ceremony. You're actually lucky to have caught me at home, because I am heading over to their family house this very minute."
"Today is Saddiqa's henna ceremony?!"
He asked the question in absolute terror, his heart dropping in sheer panic, yet Abu acted completely oblivious to the emotional collapse he was experiencing. She simply carried on talking casually:
"Saddiqa's parents have shifted the wedding ceremony to the day after tomorrow. They said you have completely destabilized the poor girl's mind, trying to entice her to rebel against them when she has never been a rebellious child. Ever since her mother exposed your true degenerate habits to her, she has done nothing but weep, even refusing to eat food. Therefore, they decided it's better to quickly dispatch her to her husband's house before you cause an incident that brings public shame upon them. That is why everyone is gathered inside right now, frantically preparing the traditional wedding snacks—the cincin, alkaki, nakiya, and dubulan. In fact, as we speak, I'm certain the house is buzzing with activity."
Bilkisu called out a greeting of peace from the doorway, and Abu answered her. She walked into the room, knelt down respectfully to greet Abu, and then turned toward Mus’ab. He didn't even acknowledge her greeting, instantly unleashing a torrent of furious rage upon her:
"So even you, Bilki, are participating in this wedding that Inna and the others are forcing through? I said even you?! Are you one of those desperate wedding-goers who must crash a party even when they aren't invited? So now, even you are siding with them in this farce of a wedding?!"
Abu stopped what she was doing and fixed her eyes on him, watching his outburst. Bilkisu burst into heavy tears, while he continued to scold her relentlessly:
"Aside from absolute foolishness and a total lack of self-respect, what business do you have joining this wedding? I see they denied me the right to marry her and handed her over to someone else, so are you now among those cheering for Sadisu? Or did you all gang up with the rest of the extended family to suppress me and deny me my marriage? Trying to show me your dominance over me, and you're blindly following Abu's lead, aren't you?
Look at her! She is thrilled with what they did to me, glowing with happiness! Look at her, she's all dressed up! How long has it been since you last saw her holding a mirror and meticulously painting her face if not today? She is celebrating, rejoicing that they have barred me from marrying Aisha and stripped her away from me—even though she belongs to me! And all because I have no protector to stand up for me, and right from the start, Abu herself cursed my marriage proposal with her own mouth!"
Abu sharply cut off his tirade by bursting into a loud, mocking peal of laughter. When she finally fell silent, she looked at him with cold composure and said, "Is this the nonsensical rambling of a total madman, or are you still severely hungover from yesterday's alcohol, making you utter these vile accusations?"
He quickly hardened his facial expression and snapped, "What hangover?!"
She replied, "Well, if you aren't insane or drunk, why on earth would you demand that Bilki shouldn't attend the wedding just because you were denied Saddiqa's hand? Are you in your right mind? Is Saddiqa not your own biological younger sister? Or has alcohol completely warped your mind to the point where you have lost all sense of decency, and care about absolutely no one but yourself?"
"I do not want you talking to me like this in front of my younger siblings!" he growled.
She shot back, "Get out of here and spare me your nonsense! What is it about your wretched character that they don't already know? What is it about you that your younger siblings haven't seen? Do you think the shameful disgrace you subjected Bilki to is what would destabilize my mind or upset me? Bilki knows absolutely everything about you because you two grew up together with barely a three-year age gap between you; she has been witnessing your messy affairs since before she even came of age, there is no dirty secret of yours she isn't privy to!
But what about Hamida? She is the literal baby of your household! A child so young that if you were a woman, you were old enough to have given birth to her yourself! She knew absolutely nothing about your degenerate habits, except perhaps if she overheard snippets of gossip from strangers!"
Mus’ab was suddenly gripped by intense fear and dread. He desperately wished Abu would just get to the point of her lecture or break her long explanation to tell him exactly what he had done to Hamida. Could his nightmare have actually been a reality? Did Hamida truly come to his house while he was in a drunken rage, and did he really throw a bottle at her and fracture her skull? These terrifying questions raced frantically through his heart.
Abu broke into tears, though she refused to stop speaking:
"For goodness' sake, Mus’ab, when on earth will you abandon this evil, destructive behavior of yours? No matter how deeply broken your siblings are over the family's refusal to let you marry Aisha, what can they possibly do? What action can they take that goes against the family's decision? They have no choice but to stand firm and help organize Saddiqa's wedding events.
She is your biological sister; the fact that you were barred from marrying her shouldn't mean you sever the sacred bonds of kinship between you all. She has a right to your family relationship. You are the siblings she knows best and loves most, and she is deeply attached to you all, especially since she has no one she loves and respects more than your mother.
I was utterly furious when Bilki first came to me with the details of the plot to deny you the marriage, and I fully intended to go to your family home to confront Malam Abdullahi directly, since everything was happening with his explicit approval.
But then, Bilki sent Hamida to your house to break the news to you so you could quickly come over, discuss with the elders, and find a resolution. Look at the traumatized state in which that poor girl returned! When I looked at her, I knew instantly that she wasn't just crying from the pain of the fractured skull you inflicted on her; she was weeping out of pure, unadulterated heartbreak over the wretched, intoxicated state she discovered you in! It was at that exact moment I realized your parents didn't bar you from marrying Saddiqa out of malice; they did it simply because they are good, honest, god-fearing people of integrity, and Almighty Allah will reward them beautifully for maintaining their principles.
They are absolutely right! Saddiqa is not the right wife for you. You and her are worlds apart; you are far too volatile for her, and she could never survive a life with you. Every pot deserves a matching lid that fits it perfectly! You have grown physically into a mature man but you don't even realize it; when people see you standing tall in fine clothing, you look incredibly impressive, but your character is completely rotten! Despite your age and your commanding charisma, you are a slave to alcohol, and whenever you drink, you turn into a raging madman! Even your own innocent younger siblings aren't safe from your violence, so who on earth could ever be safe around you?
Given this wretched condition of yours, what decent man of integrity would ever hand over his precious daughter to you, unless out of absolute ignorance of your true nature, or because he is greedy for your material wealth?"
A fresh torrent of heavy tears streamed from her eyes. At that exact moment, she raised her eyes, looked directly at Mus’ab, and said:
"Your parents are good people. It was only my own bias and sense of unfairness that initially made me angry over what they did to you. Otherwise, you and Saddiqa are one and the same to me; the truth is singular, and the moment a person deviates from it, they wander into destruction. It is entirely unbefitting of me to support you in your falsehood."
Mus’ab sat there, completely paralyzed, not knowing what to do or where to turn to find a single shred of comfort. Abu and Bilki refused to stop their painful weeping, yet his own tears stubbornly refused to fall so he could join the two of them in their shared grief.
His heart had reached the absolute limit of agony; the crushing pressure inside his chest was far beyond anything words could describe, and he was completely at a loss. Slowly, he reached out his hand, picked up his car keys lying on the mat, stood up, and stormed out of the house without having the slightest clue where he was going.
He just drove aimlessly, his mind entirely consumed by deep bitterness, sorrow, and intense regret. If only he could change things, he would swear right this very day never to touch alcohol with his hands ever again, because of the profound misery, degradation, and absolute public shame it had brought upon him. It was solely because of this vice that he had permanently lost Aisha—the girl he believed was born solely for him, because of the consuming love he harbored for her.
Furthermore, it had brought him absolute degradation and shame in the eyes of his innocent baby sister, the youngest of their household, Hamida. He was certain that prior to her coming to his house and witnessing his disgraceful state with her own eyes, she would have never believed a single negative rumor about his character; she would have fiercely rejected such talk because of the immense respect and reverence she always held for him as her older brother.
To think that he had actually fractured her skull with a broken glass alcohol bottle all because he was severely drunk! What kind of cursed drink was this? Since he started drinking alcohol, what single good thing had it ever brought into his life, if not pure, unadulterated evil? He sank deeply into agonizing reflections over the destructive nature of alcohol.
Then, another voice inside his mind whispered to him, insisting that alcohol was not to blame; it wasn't the liquor's fault at all. It was simply that he lacked a true anchor and protector in his life. His lack of steadfast guidance was what had dragged him into this ruin. If only my mother (Inna) hadn't passed away, if only she were still alive, I would have never found myself trapped in this wretched state.
These conflicting thoughts cycled relentlessly through his mind. Lost in his despair, he didn't even realize how far he had driven until he suddenly found himself entering his old neighborhood of Tudun Alkali, located within Bauchi metropolis.
He parked outside his family home—which he had recently transformed into a modern building after completely demolishing the old structure to build a new one from scratch. He walked into the living room where Kawu Gide was sitting, called out a greeting of peace, and knelt down before him.
Kawu Gide immediately looked at him in alarm and began questioning him rapidly:
"What has happened to you, Mus’abu? What on earth has happened to make you look so utterly consumed by grief?"
Mus’ab squeezed his eyes shut, allowing the heavy tears that had pooled inside them to finally spill over and stream down his face—an emotional collapse that caused Kawu Gide to instantly jump to his feet in sheer panic.
"What is the matter with you?!" he demanded again, fixing his eyes squarely upon him.
"It is pure orphanhood and loneliness that is destroying me, Kawu! Ever since Inna passed away and left me behind, I have become a completely discarded wanderer among people. I have no anchor, no protector to guide my steps or stand up for me. Her absence is the sole reason I have found myself trapped in absolute misery and heartbreaking despair today. If she were still alive, I would have never been subjected to the humiliating degradation I am facing today. I have no mother, no one to truly pity me, let alone cover my shameful flaws! I have absolutely no one, and nowhere to go to pour out my agony!
That is exactly why I came before you today to weep, so you may know that I will never stop mourning the death of Inna until the end of time! If she were alive in this world, no one would have dared to expose my flaws and humiliate me the way they did in Misau! They gathered together, showed me their raw power over me, and barred me from marrying Aisha under the pretext that I am a drunkard! If she were here alive, Kawu, she would have forced them to give me her hand in marriage, even though she knew my terrible flaws better than anyone else! She would have never denied me that marriage, because she knew that tearing me away from Aisha would cause me severe heartbreak, trapping me in the deep sorrow, misery, and literal heartache I am suffering today! Yet, despite my agony, Abu turns around and stands before those who barred me from the marriage, praying for Almighty Allah to bless them, claiming that it was their pure honesty and justice that guided their actions!"
Kawu Gide slowly sank back into his armchair, staring intently at Mus’ab. With a calm, measured voice, he asked him:
"So, you actually loved Saddiqa all this while but you refused to speak up?"
He replied, "Yes, Kawu. I was completely intimidated and barred from speaking up because they terrified me, threatening that if I dared to declare my love for her, they would expose my true character to her. And look at me now—I didn't escape it anyway; the exact fate I ran from has caught up with me. It was Inna herself who championed the plot to separate me from Aisha, and Father and Abu simply rallied behind her execution. I never even realized she had a hand in—"

2. Structural & Character Analysis

Linguistic Shift: The Nomenclature Confusion (Aisha / Saddiqa)

A key narrative twist embedded in the Hausa dialogue is Mus’ab’s interchangeable and panicked referencing of Aisha and Saddiqa.

• In the initial drunken scene, he demands "Aisha," but Sani refers to "Saddiqa."
• In the sober confrontation with Abu, it becomes evident that Aisha and Saddiqa are the same person (often a formal name vs. pet name dynamic, e.g., Aisha Saddiqa).

• Mus’ab's internal terror stems from realizing his drunken command to "kidnap" his love was taken literally by Sani, though Sani later reveals it was a cruel, sobering prank to teach Mus'ab a lesson.

  Character Dynamics & Summaries

  Character	Role & Psychological State
  Mus’ab	The tragic anti-hero. He is wealthy (drives a Mercedes 190, wears a Rolex), handsome, and charismatic, but completely crippled by severe alcoholism and violent blackouts. He suffers from a deep psychological wound linked to his biological mother's (Inna) death, using it to rationalize his toxic behavior and shift accountability.
  Sani	Mus’ab’s pragmatic, fiercely loyal, yet blunt best friend. He acts as the voice of reason, physically restraining Mus’ab during his mania and using sharp, psychological sarcasm (the fake kidnapping ruse) to force Mus’ab into a state of sober reality.
  Abu	A highly respected maternal/elder figure or aunt. She represents strict moral integrity within the extended family structure. She refuses to coddle Mus’ab’s wealth, openly telling him that his character is "rotten" (hali babu) and validating the family's choice to deny him the marriage.
  Hamida	Mus’ab's youngest sister. She completely idolized him until she walked into his home during a blackout. In his intoxication, he fractured her skull with an alcohol bottle, shattering both her physical safety and her idealized perception of her older brother.
  Kawu Gide	Mus’ab’s paternal uncle based in Bauchi. He represents the traditional family court where broken men go to seek asylum, air historical grievances, and weaponize their grief (maraici) to gain sympathy.

  3. Thematic Breakdown

  The Fallacy of Wealth vs. Character (Kwarjini vs. Hali)

  A prominent theme running through contemporary Hausa literature (littattafan soyayya) is the conflict between outward socioeconomic prestige and internal moral decay. Mus’ab is structurally flawless on the outside—dressed in premium Swiss voile (boyel), smelling of high-end perfume, and driving a luxury car. Yet, as Abu fiercely points out:

  "Ka girma ne baka san ka girma ba, in an ganka a tsaye cikin sutura abin gwanin sha’awa, amma hali babu."
  (You have grown physically... when people see you standing tall in fine clothing, you look incredibly impressive, but your character is completely rotten.)

  Orphanhood (Maraici) as a Moral Shield

  Mus’ab undergoes an intense psychological defense mechanism. When forced to confront the fact that he fractured his little sister's skull and lost his fiancée due to his own actions, he shifts the blame entirely to the death of his mother (Inna). He weaponizes his status as an "orphan" to claim that his toxic behavior is merely a symptom of a lack of a protective anchor, attempting to strip his parents and aunts of their moral authority.

  A Question for You

  Mus’ab is a highly complex character—he is clearly abusive and unstable when drunk, yet his grief over his mother's death and his deep shame regarding his sister Hamida show he isn't entirely sociopathic. Do you view his breakdown in front of Kawu Gide as a genuine moment of brokenness, or is it a calculated manipulation to turn his uncle against the rest of the family?