Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel

Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel

Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel is a touching Hausa story about family life, patience, jealousy, hardship, and the painful trials that can change a person’s destiny. This English translation keeps the emotional meaning of the original Hausa novel while making it easy to read for a wider audience.

Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel – Episode 1

The village of Katsalle was a small settlement within Bunkure village in Kano State. Malam Mukhtar and his family were among the people who lived in that village.

Malam Mukhtar had two wives. Lami was the senior wife, while Aysha was the younger wife.

For ten years after Malam Mukhtar married Lami, Allah did not bless them with a child. She had never even experienced a miscarriage. This situation troubled Malam Mukhtar deeply because he longed to have children.

Because of this, he decided to marry another wife.

Allah brought him together with Aysha, a young lady from their neighborhood, and he married her. Lami was thrown into serious distress when she heard that her husband was going to take another wife, especially because the new wife was a young girl who could almost be like her daughter.

Because of this, Lami did everything she could to stop the marriage. She went from one cleric to another, looking for a way to prevent it, but every cleric told her the same thing: Malam Mukhtar had the right to marry another wife.

When she finally realized that she could not stop the marriage, Lami gave up going from place to place. Instead, she prepared herself to make life difficult for Malam Mukhtar and Aysha. She started treating them with disrespect and hostility. She denied them peace and comfort, always looking for trouble every day.

Nine months after Aysha married Malam Mukhtar, Allah blessed them with a beautiful baby girl. The child looked exactly like Aysha, who herself was very beautiful, almost like an Arab woman.

Aysha’s delivery increased Lami’s anger and jealousy. On the day the baby was born, Lami washed her feet and went straight to the house of her close friend, Delo. She told Delo everything that was in her heart.

Without wasting time, Delo picked up her veil, and together they went to the house of their herbalist.

When they arrived, they explained their request to him. He gave Lami different charms. One was to be used as incense, another was for cleansing, and another was to be put into Malam Mukhtar’s food so that he would hate Aysha and her daughter.

After the herbalist finished explaining everything to them, Lami untied the corner of her wrapper, brought out money, and gave it to him. They thanked him and left, their hearts filled with joy.

From that day onward, Malam Mukhtar turned his back on Aysha. He no longer entered her room. He did not even speak to her unless Lami provoked him and pushed him to go and shout at Aysha.

Even the name of the baby girl was given by Aysha herself. She named her Hibbatullah, which means Gift of Allah.

In a short time, life changed completely for Aysha and her daughter. When Hibbah was one year old, Allah blessed Lami with a baby girl too. Malam Mukhtar and Lami were overjoyed. From the moment Lami gave birth, Aysha became like a housemaid in the home. She did everything, including washing dirty clothes and taking care of almost every household chore.

On the naming day, Lami’s daughter was named after Lami’s mother, Rahmatu. The naming ceremony was celebrated with plenty of food and excitement. Even though they lived in a village, Malam Mukhtar spent a lot of money on the event.

Rahmatu grew up with pampering, pride, and excessive attention. Hibbah, on the other hand, grew up with hardship, rejection, insults, and the hatred her father openly showed toward her.

Hibbah’s Daily Struggle

“Hibbah! Hibbah, where are you? Can’t you hear me calling you?” Lami shouted from the compound as she arranged the food she wanted Hibbah to sell on a tray. Rahmatu was helping her.

“Yes, Inna, I am coming,” Hibbah answered as she came out of a small room, holding her hijab in her hand and trying to wear it properly.

She gently walked over and squatted in front of Lami.

“I am here, Inna,” she said softly.

Lami struck her with the lid she was holding and said angrily, “What were you doing inside the room? I kept calling you loudly, but you ignored me and refused to answer, right? Is it because you now disrespect me?”

Her voice was full of rage.

In a calm and low voice, Hibbah replied, “Please, Inna, forgive me. I was memorizing my lesson. Tomorrow, the teacher will listen to our recitation, and he will beat me if I do not know it.”

Lami cut her off harshly. “Are you telling me about school because I am your father? Or because it was not that useless mother of yours calling you?”

Hibbah lowered her head and said again, “Please forgive me, Inna.”

“I will not forgive you, you wicked hypocrite! Every time someone talks, you say forgive me. How much charity have you given for forgiveness? Tell me, how much charity have you given?”

Lami continued speaking without even pausing to breathe.

“And I swear, you are very close to stopping that school completely. It is not possible for you to keep disturbing my business. Stand up, carry this food, and go sell it for me. And if you return with leftovers, you will see what I will do to you in this house.”

Hibbah moved closer to the tray, lifted it, and placed it on her head. As she began to walk away, she heard Rahmatu speaking.

“Inna, I swear Hibbah is only trying to make you lose profit. Every day, Sale the driver tells her to bring the food to him, but she refuses. Since the day he said he wanted to buy everything, she refused to sell to him.”

Lami held her mouth in shock as she listened to Rahmatu. Then she shouted in anger.

“Hibbah, come back here, you child of bitterness!”

Hibbah’s body began to tremble. She turned back in fear and squatted in front of Lami.

Lami slapped her hard across the face and said, “So you are trying to make me suffer loss? You want me to return with full bowls of unsold food? I swear, if you bring back even one bowl of food today, you will see your match in this house, you wicked child who looks like a spirit. Get up and leave my presence!”

Hibbah stood up, tears flowing down her cheeks, and walked toward the entrance of the house. As she was about to leave, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

She already knew who it was. Quickly, she wiped away her tears, forced a smile, and turned around.

It was her mother, Umma. She had witnessed everything that happened.

With a gentle smile on her face, Umma said, “Be patient, Hibbatullah. One day, all of this will become a story. Keep being patient. Life changes. One day, we may not even be in this world anymore.”

Hibbah smiled and replied, “Umma, there is nothing in my heart. I know this is how Allah has destined my own life.”

Umma touched the side of her face and said, “That is good, Hibbah. May Allah bless you.”

“Ameen,” Hibbah said as she prepared to leave the house.

“Hibbah,” Umma called, moving closer to her.

Hibbah turned and answered, “Yes, Umma?”

Umma placed her hand on her shoulder and said, “Please, Hibbah…”

But Hibbah interrupted her gently.

Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel – Episode 2

“I should take care of myself. I should avoid useless friends. I should not follow any man or sit and chat with him. I should behave with dignity and calmness while doing my business. I should respect people. And anyone who comes to me with improper talk, I should not pay attention to him. Is that not what you wanted to tell me, Umma?” Hibbah said, repeating the words her mother often advised her with.

Umma stood still, amazed that her daughter already knew exactly what she wanted to say.

With surprise on her face, Umma asked, “How did you know that was what I wanted to tell you, Hibbah?”

Hibbah smiled and replied, “Umma, every day before I leave the house, you give me the same advice. That is why I have memorized it.”

Umma felt happy when she heard her daughter’s words.

“Then please, make use of the advice I have given you, Hibbah. Go now. May Allah bless you, protect you from every evil, and grant you success.”

Immediately, happiness filled Hibbah’s heart. For a moment, she forgot all her worries and said, “Ameen, my dear Umma. I will return soon.”

Then she left the house.

Umma said after her, “May Allah bring you back to me safely.”

Lami’s Accusation Against Umma

Umma returned to the compound and went to the fireplace, where she was cooking. She began to fan the fire.

Suddenly, she heard Lami’s voice close to her.

“You hypocrite and gossip! I knew it. Everything Hibbah does in this house is planned by you. I swear, you had better stop teaching her your bad behavior early enough. If not…”

Lami hissed and continued, “You already know the rest. That is why I always see you calling her whenever she wants to go out, filling her head with evil words. But I swear, I have suffered enough.”

She pointed at Umma angrily, shaking her body in rage.

Umma did not reply. She was a patient and enduring woman. All she said was, “May Allah give you patience, Yaya.”

Lami exploded with more anger.

“That is how you always behave. You will first plan your hypocrisy, then come and tell people to be patient. I swear, when Malam comes back, I am tired of seeing you in this house. He should just divorce you.”

Umma became deeply frightened by her words because she knew Lami could truly influence Malam Mukhtar to divorce her.

With a shaking voice, she said, “Yaya, please forgive me. I only prayed for her. I did not say anything else to her.”

Lami curled her lips and turned away, saying, “That is your problem. Your stay in this house is almost over. You had better pack your things and leave.”

Umma squatted in front of the fireplace, wondering about the kind of life they were living in that house. They were being treated as if they were servants or strangers.

She raised her hands to the sky and prayed for Allah to come to their aid.

Rahmatu’s Pampered Life

Lami went to sit at the entrance of her room, shaking her leg angrily. Rahmatu came out of the room with marks all over her face. She came and lay on Lami’s lap in a spoiled manner.

“Inna, I am hungry,” she said, pouting her lips.

Lami replied, “Rahmatu, I kept food for you. It is there in the container. Go and eat.”

Rahmatu pouted again and said, “I swear I will not eat that food.”

She pressed herself closer to Lami, acting spoiled.

Lami said angrily, “Then do not eat it. Whose stomach is it?”

Rahmatu started throwing herself around and said, “I swear I will not eat that food.”

Lami knew Rahmatu more than anyone. Quickly, she lifted her up and said, “Come on, Rahmatu. Why are you making such a fuss over food?”

In a spoiled voice, Rahmatu said, “Then give me money. I want to buy alala from Abu. I will not eat that food.”

Lami softened her voice and said, “Is that all? That is easy.”

She untied money from the edge of her wrapper and gave it to Rahmatu.

“Here, go and buy it,” she said.

Rahmatu collected the money and ran out of the house.

About Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel

Rayuwa Book One Complete Hausa Novel reveals the painful difference between two children raised under the same roof but treated in completely different ways. Hibbah’s life is filled with hardship, insults, and rejection, while Rahmatu enjoys comfort and attention.

The story shows how jealousy, favoritism, and household conflict can destroy peace in a family. It also reminds readers that patience, prayer, and good character can become a person’s strongest weapons during difficult times.

Rayuwa means life, and this novel shows that life can change at any moment. The suffering of today may become a story tomorrow.