Zahra Yar Amana Book Compelet

Description

Here is the translation, summary, description, comments, conclusions, keywords, and table list based on the provided Hausa text:

1. Translation in Original English

When Malan came out, he didn't suspect anything about the collapsed roof of the room because, as far as he knew, there was nothing valuable inside that room. Therefore, he simply performed his ablution and left for the Fajr prayer. When he returned, he didn't pay any attention to the room; instead, he informed Umma about what had happened, finding her still sleeping at the time. Startled, she exclaimed, "Goodness me! Which room, Malan? The guest/store room?" She clutched her chest and widened her eyes. Seeing how frightened she was—and realizing her secret might be exposed—she quickly stood up, saying, "Let me go and put the leftover food on the fire," and walked straight out. She went straight to Umma Zara's room, praying to God that Zara would be dead when she returned, though a part of her mind thought, 'Ah, God, I wish Zara had died so everyone can have peace.' Just like that, she prepared breakfast for Malan and took it to him, hoping he would eat and leave, since he was traveling out of town that day. If he left, he would only get the news of her death upon his return, which she had already reconciled with in her mind.

He dressed up neatly, and just as he reached his motorcycle and turned around to leave, he said, "Look, let me check that room first—" "No, no!" she said hurriedly, "Malan, go take a nice bath, don't get your clothes dirty, let me clear it up." He laughed, dismissing her, "What are you saying? I am the one who will do the construction work before I leave, so getting dirty doesn't matter." He stepped forward to enter the room, slightly pushing the containers aside and lifting some things. To his absolute shock, he saw blood on one of the containers. Quickly lifting the others, he found bits of flesh and blood. Only then did he remember that today wasn't Zara's turn to cook the leftovers, nor had he seen her washing dishes as she usually did. Truly, it was Zara—without a doubt! From the way Furai panicked, if Zara was lying down inside covered in blood, he figured she couldn't possibly be alive. Terrified, he rushed outside.

He spotted Muktar wiping down his tricycle (keke napep) and rushed over to him. Seeing him carrying Zara like a corpse, Muktar immediately helped him with her, and they loaded her into the tricycle. Muktar started the engine without asking where they were going, speeding away with them. When they arrived, there was no doctor or nurses—only primary health officers. The officers stated that the case was beyond them, so they directed them to Murtala Hospital. There, the staff instructed them to bring the police immediately, as her condition looked like someone who had been in an accident. Everyone was thoroughly panicked. Finally, Muktar remembered his friend Hamza, who was a police officer, and called him on the phone to explain the situation: "Look, my tricycle is out of fuel, and I don't even have transport money. Where are you?" "I am at Gwale Police Station." "Okay, I am coming."

When they arrived with Hamza, the hospital staff told them there were no beds available, no matter how much they begged and the nurse refused to take her in. Malan had completely given up hope on the girl, but Muktar kept encouraging him. He drove them straight to Nasarawa Hospital. Upon arrival, they rushed her into emergency. They coincidentally bumped into a female nurse who took pity on them; although her shift had just ended, she stayed back to give them first aid. She handed Malan a slip, saying, "This is needed urgently because she needs minor surgery and stitches. When you get it, give it to the nurse and she will give it to the duty doctor." Malan went straight to the payment desk, but the cost of the medicine was far beyond his imagination—he didn't have the money, nor did he have any savings. He came back, sat down, and rested his chin in his hands in despair.

Remembering something, he went to the room where Zara was. Bless him, Muktar hadn't left yet. He handed him the slip to look at, hoping the doctor might let them go. Muktar said, "By God, Baba, I don't even have a hundred naira; yesterday I used my balance for the tricycle." He stared at the young girl, and deep pity overwhelmed him. Ever since she came into this world, the girl had known nothing but hardship, and even today, Furai was still hounding her peace.

Suddenly, a nurse's voice rang out: "Malan, we are waiting for you to bring what the doctor prescribed! If not, take your girl and get out of here!" She glared at him. She wasn't much older than Kharima, his daughter, yet she stood with her hands on her waist shouting at him, "Are you staring me down like that? Or do you want me to become the medicine we need to give her? Patience, I am going to get it now—or better yet, don't even bother bringing it!" She hissed and walked back to the ward.

Muktar tapped Baba: "It's better we raise the money so the girl doesn't collapse, wallahi." "Muktar, I don't have it." "So Baba, why don't you sell your tricycle?" "Aside from you, where would I find a buyer? It's not like gold." "Well, that's true, but let's try our luck, I know a buyer." They forgot they had left her all alone and rushed off together.

Meanwhile, a nurse was raging: "Hina! This is sheer wickedness—people bring a girl, abandon her, and just leave!" she complained continuously.

"Oh, this nurse complains too much, let me go peek and see who upset her," the doctor laughed. "If it's Mairo, you'll just get tired of listening to her."

A young male youth, not more than eighteen years old, stepped out of the office. Seeing the condition of the girl filled him with pity. "Hina, nurse, won't you please examine her? Let us examine her!" "How? Can't you see the condition she is in? Or do you want me to become the medicine we need to give her? The people who brought her ran away!" Sensing that the nurse was hot-tempered, the young man hissed and walked back into the doctor's office.

"Please, doctor, help save this girl's life, she is in a terrible state." "Did you hear what she said? They didn't bring the injections. Just write it down for me so I can go get them." "Let's go see her." After briefly examining her, the doctor wrote down the prescriptions, and the young man went off to pay.

With the help of God and the doctor's young assistant, everything was done for her, and the assistant stayed behind to look after her.

Muktar took Malan everywhere he thought he could sell his tricycle, but to no avail—buyers kept saying he should come back after a week to collect the money. Only then did Malan remember he had left Zara all by herself. Panic gripped him; what if she had died by the time he got back? What would he tell people? As they hurried back on the way, Muktar kept reassuring him until they arrived.

Where they had left her was completely empty! Malan's heart sank a thousand times over. He saw a nurse walking by and asked her; she pointed him toward the emergency room: "She is inside." He rushed in. Her bed was the last one. She was lying down, and a young man who looked like he was around Muhammad's age was sitting on a chair, seemingly dozing off. Muktar whispered, "Baba, let me go home first so they don't wonder why I left without saying goodbye." "Alright, thank you very much, my boy." The young man sitting down raised his head and saw him stroking her head. "Are you her relative, Baba?" "Yes, my son, she is my daughter." "Oh, poor thing," he said, rising from his seat. "Come sit down, take your seat."

"But Baba, why did you leave and abandon her?" "By God, I didn't leave to abandon her; I went to look for money. I tried everything I could, but I couldn't get any." "Ah, is that so? Don't worry, it has been paid for." "Please, Baba, don't ever do something like that again. It is sheer recklessness to leave someone behind alone. You should have stayed—even if she had died, you could have taken her body back." "Yes, that's true, I was completely out of my mind, wallahi. The nurse barely let it go, saying she wouldn't let up until you returned, and threatening to involve the police!" He widened his eyes. "Well, that's taken care of. Be careful next time, insha Allah."

He stood up. "Baba, let me leave now before they start looking for me at home." "Alright, my son. Won't you tell me how much everything cost?" He smiled. "Baba, please don't worry, I did it for the sake of God." "Wallahi, thank you, my son. May God reward you," Malan kept showering him with blessings, and the youth replied, "Amin, my son. But you haven't told me your name yet." He rubbed his head. "My name is Zaem." As Malan sat down on the chair the boy had vacated, memories of Zara's life rushed into his mind—how she was born, how she grew up—all flooding his thoughts. He didn't realize when tears began streaming down his cheeks.

Who is Zahara?

She was a native of Kano. Her father was a well-known, wealthy businessman across Nigeria. Their parents had given birth to six children; two died when they were young, leaving their older brother named Zaem, the one after him named Zikir, then her—Dina, their last-born and only female child. Because she was the only girl they had, they lavished all the love in the world on her.

When Dina finished secondary school, she managed to secure admission into the School of Hygiene, studying Environmental Health. The day she would never forget was their parasitology exam. She sat next to a young man; he was an EVT (Environmental Technology) student while she was an EHT (Environmental Health Technology) student. Before the question papers were brought out, they had already befriended each other, chatting away. Because her course was superior, he jokingly had to respect her, while he teased her constantly.

From then on, they became close friends. Whenever they didn't have lectures together, you would find Islam (her friend/fiancé) among the women. Anywhere you saw Dina, you saw him. Even at Dina's house, the presence of her friend Islam was well known.

Initially, Dina didn't know much about hygiene, but when her dad brought up taking the JAMB exam, she flat out said she preferred to just do a diploma in health and pursue a degree later. Her dad let her be.

Dina didn't know she had fallen in love with Islam until the semester-ending break. Since he wasn't from Kano, he stayed at the hostel.

When Dina was in National Diploma II (ND II), her dad announced he was going to arrange her marriage to the son of his friend. She threw a tantrum, refusing outright, stating she didn't know the guy because she already had someone she loved. When asked who it was, she named him. Her dad said fine, he agreed, but he would investigate him.

Two weeks after that conversation, he called her, saying she must break up with the boy because he had no proper background or roots. She insisted that was how she wanted her man. No matter how hard he tried to make her leave him, she refused.

Love had completely blinded her eyes. Her dad finally said fine, she would have her way and he would marry her to him, but she must know that neither he nor her brothers would support it. Her brothers strongly opposed it, but she refused to budge. Thus, the marriage was conducted.

The joy of the new couple knew no bounds; their eyes were blinded, not thinking of anything else. Islam took his wife and relocated to Bauchi, and they completely abandoned their education.

Upon moving to Bauchi, everything went smoothly for a while before life became difficult. They packed up and returned to Kaduna, but things were bad there too—hand-to-mouth living. If they ate in the afternoon, there was no guarantee of a meal at night. They endured it patiently. During this period, Dina became pregnant. She suffered from terrible morning sickness, grew very thin, and everything became burdensome for her.

When her pregnancy reached seven months, she said she was going to Kano to see her family. Islam objected, saying she was going nowhere since her family didn't accept them. But she insisted she was going anyway.

She arrived exhausted, feeling intense hunger. When her mother saw her, she immediately rushed to welcome her with food. She began eating voraciously, unlike the dainty eater Dina used to be, and burst into tears. When Dad returned, he declared he didn't want to hear anything—she should pack up and leave his house. Despite her mother and siblings begging him, he stood firm. She didn't even spend the night, nor did she finish her food; he chased her out.

Thus, she returned home crying. 'Why couldn't Dad make allowances for me? Now I realize my mistake.'

No matter how much Dina wanted Islam to take her back to his family, he refused. Now he was only preparing to go bring his grandmother to live with them. She begged to follow him, but he told her to be patient—after she gave birth, when they were returning the grandmother, they would go together. With that agreement, he left.

Four days after his departure, she gave birth to a baby girl. Since he left everything behind, on the naming day, a ram was slaughtered, and she was named Zahara.

At first, it didn't bother Dina, but she soon began to worry. Three months had passed since Islam left with no word from him or his grandmother. She even went to Bauchi, where she was told he never arrived; apparently, he had come from Niger Republic originally, and they had no certainty of his whereabouts or if he even went back there. She cried her eyes out, not grieving for herself, but for her innocent daughter who was the object of pity.

When the baby was nine months old, she tried going back to her family home again. Once more, they rejected her without even pausing to listen to her story or look at what she had given birth to. They chased her away, and she returned to Kaduna.

Ever since her return from Kano, her health deteriorated with various illnesses. With no family close by, only a neighbor cared for her. Zara was two years old, running around and chattering in her half-formed toddler speech. She was a lovable child who grew deeply attached to their neighbor, who did everything for her. Sometimes Zara even slept at the neighbor's place, and the neighbor eventually weaned her.

One day, Dina's health worsened completely. Hajiya Barira was comforting her, telling her to reduce her worry. Dina smiled weakly: "Umma, please, even after I'm gone, help me look after Zara. If her father ever returns, give him his daughter." "Hina, you talk like that! Sickness is not death; you'll see her grow up." "I won't see it."

Zara was sitting nearby, playfully tapping her mother with her toddler babble: "Get up!" She stood up and picked up a shoe, acting as though she was going to beat her mother because Dina wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, Dina just cried. Umma Barira walked in: "Hina Dina, how can you let a child cry like this?" But the moment she looked at her properly, she froze in shock. Subhanallahi! She picked up Zara—and realized the mother was gone.

Ever since Zara's death, no one came looking for her except to take Zara away. Umma Barira took care of her for a while, but she also fell ill, so her younger brother living in Kano came and took her along with his wife.

Ever since they arrived at Malan's house, Malan's wife, Furai, instantly grew to hate the child because her friends gossiped that she might be Malan's secret lovechild and he was just covering it up. Furai refused to show her any kindness; if she didn't starve her, she beat her mercilessly.

Malan had five children—four girls and one boy—and all of them were married except Muhammad, who was still at home. Muhammad's heart naturally bonded with Zara. No matter how hard Umma tried to separate them, she couldn't, which led her to label Zara a witch. Muktasira was the eldest, followed by Zulfa, then Bilkisu, while Mansura was the youngest.

Muktasira and Bilkisu were just like their mother; they despised Zara. There was no form of mistreatment they didn't subject her to whenever they visited the house. Mansura was neutral—she neither harassed her nor got involved in her business. Meanwhile, Zulfa pitied the child. Whenever her older siblings dropped off old clothes, Zulfa would bring them to Zara, even bringing new ones sometimes. She tried her best to shield her from Malan's harshness.

Even after Zara's mother died, Zulfa wanted to take Zara in, but Umma swore that if she took her, she would lay a curse upon her. At that time, Zara was in Primary 3. She was subjected to all sorts of torture because Umma wanted her trimmed down (broken in spirit).

She was only allowed to go to school when it suited them, with no one to hold her hand, no food, and no mentoring—all in the hope that she would die.

The thought of Zara pulled Malan back to the present. She asked, "Baba, are you crying?" He replied, "No, it's just sweat." She tried to sit up: "Let me fan you," but she was too weak. "Ouch, my leg." "Take it easy, Zara, have patience, you will heal soon." "Okay, Baba."

Around four o'clock, Zaem and his grandmother arrived. Ever since he went back and told her the story, she insisted on coming. When Malan saw them, he felt a deep sense of relief. Though he didn't know them, he felt he could trust them, so he left Zara with them and said he was going home to check on things and would return.

When Malan got back home, he didn't pay any attention to Furaira. He took a bath and came out to pray. When Furai saw him return alone without a corpse, overwhelming frustration consumed her; she had desperately wished for Zara to die, even though she was terrified of being caught.

It wasn't until after he finished praying that he remembered he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She watched him finish everything and get ready to leave without her even asking how the patient was doing. "Malan, aren't you going to eat?" He shot her a scathing look, hissed, and walked out.

He stopped to buy bread—though not the one he preferred—and headed back to the hospital. When he arrived, Zara was sleeping, and Inna was sitting nearby. They exchanged greetings, and Inna asked him again what had happened to Zahra. He explained that a building had collapsed on her. She expressed deep sympathy. Before they left, she even left some money behind for any eventualities, for which he expressed profound gratitude.

Two weeks later at the hospital, they were discharged. Zara had healed very well, though the bone fracture would take time to mend completely. Throughout their stay at the hospital, Umma Furai never once, even jokingly, asked Malan how Zara was doing, nor did she dare show her face at the hospital to check on her. None of the other children came either, except Mansura who visited once, and Zulfa who came every single day. Muhammad acted as her caregiver, becoming so close to Zaem that you would think they had known each other for years, since Zaem and his grandmother visited daily as well. As for their neighbors, someone came by every single day.

Even when they returned home, visitors kept streaming in daily, bringing gifts and food for Zara. Whenever things were brought, Umma would claim she didn't want them, even though her heart desperately craved them.

At home, Umma wouldn't even look at her, let alone greet her kindly. Zara wasn't worthy of a proper glance because Umma realized Malan wouldn't tolerate any physical abuse this time, though he had warned Malan strictly before they returned that Zara must be treated with respect—meaning she could only glare at her without the right to beat her.

The way Zulfa cared for Zara—cooking for her—drew Furai's intense hatred, even more than toward Muhammad, because she claimed Zahra had bewitched her son. Yet she actually liked Muhammad more, viewing a male child as a prized asset. The only reason Zulfa went to Zahra's room was to bring food, and even then, she would just push it in from the doorway and leave.

Zahra healed completely and even returned to school. By now, everything was much easier for her; ever since Malan gave instructions in the absence of the neighborhood women who had warned him, Furai stopped beating her, leaving her only with heavy chores. If there was one thing Furai despised, it was modern people wearing uniforms, so Zara faced plenty of insults and outbursts in the house. If Malan wasn't around, Zara was left entirely to fend for herself with no restrictions. "Where are you going? Where have you been?"—Umma didn't care. No matter how late she stayed out, Umma's secret wish was for the girl to eventually ruin her life, since she refused to die.

Ever since Zahra's hospital stay, a strong bond of kinship had formed between Zahra's family and Zaem's family, to the extent that during holidays she would go visit them until they grew tired of asking Malan to release Zahra to them, but Malan insisted he would raise his own daughter.

Hours passed, days flew by, and years rolled on. Today was a day of pure joy for Zahra because it was their final WAEC paper, marking the end of her secondary school education. Her joy was indescribable; since the previous night, whenever she woke up, she kept checking if it was still night, feeling as though tomorrow was refusing to come. But now it had arrived, and her dream was on the verge of fulfillment: she was finishing school and going to marry her beloved Isma'il—the one who had been looking after her since she was little, even before she understood things. When she was supposed to go to Garko, Malan didn't want her in a boarding school, so he secured admission for her at Day Science while he was teaching at Science and Technical College. After completing his Master's degree, he got a lecturing position at Northwest University (NWU), which had opened that year despite his young age.

Umma Furaira never took the matter of Isma'il seriously until she saw the marriage bride-price (sadaki) brought in—amounting to fifty thousand naira—and even saw the house he had built. Hypocrites took her there to see it, and panic gripped her. Not even half of that amount had been brought for her own daughters' marriages! In her view, how could someone with no background or roots outshine her own home? Besides, she wasn't ready for Zahra to get married yet; even if she did marry, she vowed she would never know peace.

So, she deliberately sent Muhammad to call Atine the broker. She sold off Zara's room items, and her friend accompanied her to see her informants, declaring that as long as she was alive, she would stop this marriage even if she had to walk naked.

On the other side, Zaem's family had already completed all the room decoration items for the wedding, and Malan was extremely excited, eager to give Zahra away in marriage. All his children—except Zulfa and Muhammad (who was running errands)—were unhappy about it, even though Umma had threatened Zulfa that if she didn't detach her hand from the marriage matter, she would curse her. That forced Zulfa to stop visiting openly, though she met secretly with Zahra at Zakiyya's house, while Umma assumed her threats had worked.

Umma's anxiety reached its absolute peak when she saw the marriage preparations gathering stronger momentum daily, while her money went down the drain in vain. Despite growing up without guidance, Zara was a person holding fast to religion, never lagging in prayers—and the groom was the same.

"Do you know what? You must speak up. I have found us a way out. Look, if it's about those arrogant teachers, leave it to me. My problem with you is you're too sluggish. Since going that route failed, if you have money, just get ready tomorrow and let's ride!" "What are we even going to do there?" "Over there is where Isma'il's mother lives. Let's go poison her mind so she can stop the marriage! Even if you didn't raise her, you raised him, so his mother will listen to you. What do you think of this idea? May God spare us till tomorrow, just leave it to me."

Early the next morning, they set off, knowing Malan was out of town. Sure enough, tracking her down there was easy because she knew the house; they were familiar with Isma'il's mother from when she used to live in the old neighborhood. They were warmly welcomed, and the two women poured poison into her ears with a mix of lies and truths, telling her that Zara was a bastard child! Upon hearing that, she sat up straight: "I know it! Because I'm not around, people want to cheat me and wipe out my lineage? By God, that will never happen! I will scatter this marriage unless I didn't give birth to Isma'il myself, but I swear it won't happen!" Binto widened her eyes: "Who are you going to confront? You'd better wait until we go back, or you'll bring a huge scandal upon us!" It wasn't until late afternoon that they left the place, leaving Isma'il's mother showering them with gratitude, laden with rustic gifts, heading back with high spirits, confident their mission would succeed.

Sure enough, the very next morning, Isma'il's mother arrived foaming at the mouth, unleashing torrents of abuse and insults, claiming she now saw through the cunning schemes of Isma'il's foster mother. "Why wouldn't I object to him marrying Zara? My dear, whose child is he that says he wants her? Wallahi, nothing of the sort will happen!" Isma'il's father stood his ground: "By God, not with my son! The marriage must happen!"

She went directly to Zara's house and humiliated her thoroughly. Umma egged her on, while poor Zara could only cry without a word to say. Seeing that Isma'il's father was dead set on not calling off the marriage, she called Isma'il: "You must know, wallahi, even from the grave, if you marry this girl, I will never forgive you! And right now, if you marry her, I swear I will curse you!" He wept, begging her, but she refused to listen, refusing even to spend the night in the neighborhood.

Out of sheer compulsion, Isma'il had to approach his father to ask for a postponement and concession. No matter how hard he tried to explain his reasons, his father refused: "So you are going to make a fool out of me? If there's no valid reason, the wedding will go on!" Then Isma'il revealed everything to him—what Kubra had put herself through. "Oh, is that what Kubra has brought upon herself? Very well, I will find the girl's father." "Thank you, Baba. You can even leave the bride-wealth items with her, we don't need to retrieve them." "Alright then, may God bless you."

When Isma'il met with Malan and laid it out: "Don't worry, nothing will affect our relationship. You know how women are, just exercise patience. As for the items, go collect them—" "No, wallahi, she already gave them away to her." "Very well then, may God reward you with goodness."

Malan offered deep, heartfelt advice to Zahra before breaking the news to her. But she didn't even finish listening to what he was saying before her surroundings went completely blank, and she collapsed flat to the ground! "Subhanallahi!" He rushed to her side: "Zara'u! Zara'u..."

Hurriedly, he fetched water and sprinkled it on her face two or three times until she let out a deep sigh. Her eyes locked onto her father, and she flung herself into his arms, crying: "Please, Baba, tell me this is not a dream!" He lifted her up: "Hina, my Zara, don't break my heart. You are a person of strong faith who knows how to make supplications. Have patience; it was simply not God's will for Isma'il to be your husband. God will bring you someone much better than him." She wiped her tears: "Is there really anyone better than Isma'il?" "Hush, stop saying that, you hear? When God says 'no', nothing else can replace it, you understand?"

2. Summary

The excerpt continues the harrowing life story of Zahra (Zara), tracing her journey from near-death after a mysterious roof collapse/assault orchestrated in part by her wicked stepmother Furai, to her recovery financed by a kind young man named Zaem. Years pass, and Zara successfully finishes her secondary school education, looking forward to marrying her long-time love, Isma'il. However, her malicious stepmother Furai teams up with Isma'il's mother (who has been poisoned with lies about Zara's lineage) to sabotage the wedding. Faced with his mother's severe curses and threats, Isma'il's camp is forced to cancel the wedding. The heartbreak causes Zara to collapse in shock, though her adoptive father Malan comforts her with faith and resilience.

3. Description

Set within a traditional northern Nigerian domestic and academic setting, this narrative segment paints a vivid picture of cruelty, resilience, and emotional manipulation. It highlights the stark contrast between toxic domestic figures (like Furai and Isma'il's mother) and compassionate allies (like Zulfa, Muhammad, Zaem, and ultimately Malan). The tone shifts from suspenseful and tragic medical emergencies to academic triumph, and finally to devastating romantic heartbreak.

4. Comments

• The Endurance of Abuse: Zara's life is a continuous cycle of suffering driven by her stepmother's deep-seated malice, yet her perseverance and religious fortitude shine through.
• Toxicity of Interference: The manipulation by Furai and Isma'il's mother demonstrates how malicious gossip and societal stigma can tear down innocent lives and ruin relationships.
• Redeeming Relationships: The support shown by minor characters like Zaem, Muktar, and Zulfa provides a powerful counterweight to the cruelty of the primary antagonists.

5. Conclusions

The chapter concludes on a poignant note of tragedy and resilience. Although Zara's wedding dreams are shattered by malicious interference and emotional blackmail, the bond between her and her father Malan is solidified as he comforts her, reminding her to trust in divine providence for a better future.

6. Keywords

• Zara (Zahra)
• Malan
• Furai (Umma Furaira)
• Zaem
• Isma'il
• Muktar
• Zulfa
• Muhammad
• Marriage sabotage
• Family conflict

7. Table List