Martabar Mu Book One Complete Hausa Novel

Martabar Mu Book One Complete Hausa Novel continues the emotional family drama between Ahmadi, Maimuna, and Maryama. The house is now divided by jealousy, suspicion, pain, and the struggle for dignity inside a polygamous marriage.

In this English translation, Maimuna’s jealousy reaches a dangerous level when she sees Maryama near her baby, Rayyan. Maryama, who has tried to remain patient for Ahmadi’s sake, begins to feel the weight of living in a house where her presence is treated like a threat. Meanwhile, Ahmadi continues trying to hold love, fairness, and peace together between two women whose hearts are not ready to accept each other.

Maimuna Hears Rayyan Crying

Truly, parents often say that the cry of a child can disturb the heart more than anything else.

Deep inside her soul, Maimuna felt Rayyan’s cry. She hurried to finish bathing. Usually, whenever she bathed, she would tie her wrapper, wear her hijab, and then come out properly dressed, just as she had entered the bathroom.

But this time, she came out in a hurry. She even left the hijab inside the bathroom.

She had thought Rayyan had fallen asleep properly before she entered the bathroom. She had only washed quickly because she believed his sleep would last a little. But clearly, his sleep had not gone deep.

As soon as she lifted the curtain, her heart dropped terribly.

She saw Maryama stretching her hand as if she was about to carry Rayyan.

Maimuna rushed forward and shouted:

“What are you trying to rub on him?”

Before Maryama could answer, Maimuna pushed her away from where she stood.

Maryama’s Life In The House

Maryama had finished praying Asr and had been seated quietly, moving her prayer beads as she often did. Sometimes she spent her free time reading books she believed could benefit her life since she entered the house.

She had completed primary school and then attended boarding school up to Junior Secondary School Three. In fact, the marriage discussion between her and Ahmadi had already begun while she was in that class.

Maryama had not expected a perfect welcome from Maimuna, but she was still shocked by the level of hatred Maimuna showed her.

It was as if Maryama was the first woman in the world to ever enter a marriage as a second wife.

She could never forget the day she was taken into Maimuna’s room three months earlier, according to tradition, to honor Maimuna as the senior wife.

Maryama did not see Maimuna’s face clearly that day because her own head was covered as a bride.

But she heard Iya Asabe speaking:

“Everyone in this room knows your situation. This matter of co-wife has happened to many of us, some of us even more than once. Patience is necessary. Even though there is not much age difference between you and Maryama, she is still your younger sister in marriage. So here is her trust…”

Iya Asabe did not finish speaking before Maimuna cut her off.

“Iya, please reduce your words. If it is Maryama’s trust, I have not accepted it. Do not put a burden on me that I cannot carry.”

From where Maryama sat, she heard the surprised murmurs of everyone in the room.

Maimuna continued:

“If it was truly trust, you would not have brought Maryama into my room. By Allah, you would not have taken her and attached her to Ahmadi.”

Maryama could not forget the sound of people leaving the room one after another.

Iya held her and led her out because Maimuna refused to listen to the advice Iya wanted to give her.

Before leaving, Iya only said:

“May Allah make it easy.”

Maimuna Rejects Peace

Maimuna did not change her words even after Ahmadi later gathered both women to advise them.

She said:

“Take your wife and remove her from my room, Ahmadi. Leave. You do not need to show me how you will spend the night together. By Allah, my patience is almost finished.”

Her voice shook, showing that she was trying to hold back tears.

Maryama felt that the fear she experienced that day was even greater than the fear many brides feel on their wedding night.

From that day until now, no meaningful conversation had taken place between her and Maimuna. The only things Maimuna gave her were harsh looks and cold treatment whenever they crossed paths.

Maryama had heard stories about jealousy, but Maimuna’s own was different.

It was made worse by the way some of Maimuna’s relatives supported her during Rayyan’s naming and postpartum period.

Maryama Chooses Patience

Maryama was not afraid of Maimuna’s daily provocation because she could not defend herself. What held her back were Ahmadi’s words.

Ahmadi had once told her:

“If I did not love you, I would not have married you, Maryama. Just as love made me marry Maimuna, love also made me marry you. If I have any respect in your eyes, help me avoid trouble with Maimuna. Please ignore her matters as much as you can, and help me preserve peace between you two according to your ability.”

Even before marriage placed her under the same roof with Ahmadi, Maryama had already believed in his goodness.

She thought she understood love during the period before their marriage. But now, after becoming his wife, she began to see the difference.

The way Ahmadi cared for her, the way he avoided anything that would hurt her, and the way he treated her with tenderness increased his value in her heart.

Because of him, she would continue to ignore Maimuna’s behavior until Allah made Maimuna understand that both of them were married to Ahmadi, and Maryama had entered the house with the intention of staying until death separated them.

She was not going anywhere.

A Divided Household

Maryama tried not to interfere in Maimuna’s affairs.

She had never seen a household with co-wives where each wife cooked her own food separately from the other. But in this house, that had become the situation.

She had cooked twice after entering the house. She could not clearly say what happened, but afterward Ahmadi told her that each woman would prepare her own food separately.

Even now, the arrangement still felt strange to Maryama.

Maimuna’s children touched her heart deeply, especially Zubaida. Because Maryama loved Ahmadi, she naturally felt affection for his children.

But Maimuna openly blocked her from getting close to them.

The children did not come to Maryama’s section. Even her water pot was forbidden to them. If they ever came close to her, it was only when Ahmadi was home and it was Maryama’s turn with him.

Even then, whenever she tried to give them anything, they would shake their heads in fear.

Maryama Helps Rayyan

That day, Rayyan’s cry had disturbed Maryama’s heart.

At first, she wanted to ignore it. But she heard Maimuna enter the bathroom, and she knew the older children were at school.

A thought entered her mind: perhaps Rayyan had been placed in a dangerous position and that was why he was crying in such distress.

No matter how badly Maimuna treated her, the baby did not know anything about the world. He did not understand jealousy or the bitterness in his mother’s heart.

So Maryama stood and entered Maimuna’s side.

When she got there, she found that the small child had pulled the bedspread over himself and it had covered his face.

Maryama quickly removed it and adjusted him.

She was about to carry him when Maimuna entered and pushed her. If there had not been a wall close by, Maryama might have fallen.

Maimuna carried Rayyan and pressed him to her body, shaking him gently while glaring at Maryama.

“Were you trying to kill him, Maryama? What brought you into my room?”

Those words reached Maryama’s heart and hurt her deeply.

“What kind of statement is that?” Maryama asked. “I heard him crying too much, and I also heard you enter the bathroom. That is why I came to check on him.”

Maimuna’s Suspicion

Maimuna looked at her with complete distrust.

Gwaggo Bare had warned her never to allow Maryama close to her children. According to Gwaggo, Maryama might touch them with something that would either harm their lives or make them submissive to her.

Maimuna believed Maryama had already succeeded in capturing Ahmadi’s attention, and she was determined not to allow her to capture her children too.

The poor understanding between Maimuna and Ahmadi had increased since Maryama entered the house. Now, whenever even a small issue happened, Ahmadi seemed to see Maimuna as the one at fault.

The day Ahmadi married Maryama remained the worst and most painful day of Maimuna’s life.

She could never forget what happened after Ahmadi and Maryama left her room that night. She had held her stomach, feeling as if the child inside her would come out because of the distress in her heart.

She lay on the floor, crying painfully as if her heart would fall out of her chest.

That was how Ahmadi entered and found her.

Ahmadi Tries To Calm Maimuna

Ahmadi rushed to her and held her.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. Maimuna, what are you doing like this? Please protect my dignity. You know you are not alone in this condition. Please be patient. Calm your heart. If I had known your jealousy was this serious, by Allah, I would have stopped this marriage. Oh Allah.”

He held her closer when he saw how her breathing had become heavy from crying.

Maimuna spoke as if she was no longer fully in control of herself.

“You will share yourself with another woman, Ahmadi. Another woman will taste your love today. Please do not go. Do not take the body that belongs to me to her. Do not mix my love with the love of another woman. Ahmadi, I will die if I know you are sleeping in another woman’s room.”

Even now, Maimuna could not say exactly how Ahmadi managed to slip away and leave the room.

She could not even remember whether she slept that night or not.

That first week was extremely painful for her.

She wondered how women could say labor pain was the worst pain in life. To her, she would choose to give birth ten times in a row if only life could go back and remove Maryama from Ahmadi’s life.

Even the long and difficult labor she experienced while giving birth to Zubaida did not feel as painful as what she felt in her heart whenever Ahmadi spent the night in Maryama’s room.

Food Becomes A Problem

During the first seven days, Maimuna did not care what Ahmadi and Maryama ate.

When Ahmadi came to her room the next morning as if he had not spent the night with another woman, she told him plainly:

“If you are waiting for breakfast, then you and she will stay hungry. By Allah, I will choose death before I cook food that Maryama will eat.”

After the first seven days, she took her own turn with Ahmadi even though she was not fully healthy.

When she saw Maryama enter the kitchen the next day to cook, she went to Ahmadi and told him:

“I will not eat anything that comes from your wife’s hands. My children will not eat it either, not when I do not know what may be mixed inside for us.”

Ahmadi looked at her angrily.

“Maimuna, when will you calm down over this matter of Maryama? When you grew up in your father’s house, did you see food being divided between co-wives? Why must I be the first to start this kind of habit simply because you have chosen to carry hot jealousy inside your heart?”

Maimuna did not know whether it was because he indirectly compared her to her mother, Yayya, who had endured life with a co-wife, or whether it was because he spoke angrily to her because of Maryama.

Whatever the reason, tears fell from her eyes.

“I have told you. If food is wasted, then it is your loss. By Allah, I will not eat it.”

Ahmadi closed his eyes and opened them again.

“If I allow each of you to cook separately, will you be satisfied?”

She nodded.

He said nothing more. He left the room.

Even if he was angry, she did not care. She knew she would never eat anything from Maryama’s side.

She also warned Khalifa and Zubaida strongly about Maryama, especially when she noticed how Maryama tried to draw them close.

She even frightened Zubaida by telling her that Maryama became a monster at night and would come to eat her if she collected anything from her.

The children believed their mother completely.

Maimuna Warns Maryama

Holding Rayyan, Maimuna glared at Maryama.

“I do not want it. Do not ever enter my room again. Even if you hear him choking, I did not ask you to help him. If you want to impress me, Maryama, then for Allah’s sake, do not even breathe near me.”

Maryama smiled, but it was a painful smile.

A part of her heart felt tired of Maimuna’s behavior.

She said:

“No matter how much you dislike seeing me, Ahmadi has brought us together.”

Maimuna stared at her with wide eyes.

“You are now talking back to me? You came into my room and now you are answering me?”

Maryama smiled again, and the smile annoyed Maimuna so much that she felt like slapping her.

Maryama placed her hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently. For some reason, that day she wanted to hurt Maimuna back, even if only a little.

She said:

“In sha Allah, in a few months, I will also have mine in my arms.”

After saying this, she turned to leave the room.

She heard Maimuna hiss loudly behind her.

“Useless work. Even if you give birth to three children at once, that is when you will know whether you are equal to me in this house.”

Maryama lifted the curtain and left.

Maimuna Is Shaken

Rayyan had become quiet in Maimuna’s arms. She moved him to her back and tied him with a wrapper.

She would be lying if she said Maryama’s pregnancy did not shake her.

Even though she had not been watching Maryama’s affairs closely, she had not seen any obvious sign of pregnancy. She had not even seen her vomit.

She could not understand why the news affected her so deeply.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and for a moment, the whole world became silent around her.

Three children were no small matter.

Even if Maryama gave birth to three children in Ahmadi’s house, they would not be as old as Maimuna’s children. For now, Maimuna still enjoyed the help of her children. One could carry this for her, another could bring that.

But that was not the main pain.

She did not want Ahmadi’s seed inside another woman.

She did not want him to raise his eyes and look at children in that house who did not come from her.

Maimuna Remembers The Spiritual Help

Had Malamin Khadi not assured her?

He had told her:

“Calm your heart. She will not last long in this house. Ahmadi does not truly love her. Next week, the spirits the malam sent to Egypt will return with the perfume mixture that will break her influence.”

They had even brought Maimuna a perfume to sprinkle on her bed so Ahmadi would sleep on it.

She had used every charm and every mixture they gave her.

Yet, even on her own night with Ahmadi, he still checked on Maryama. When she complained, he showed displeasure.

He told her:

“I also come to check on you during her turn. Why does everything become an issue for you?”

He had said that three days earlier.

Maryama’s turn was the following day, and Ahmadi had spent the whole day outside. Maimuna had expected that he would not take even a minute from her time in the name of checking on Maryama.

But he still did.

“That is men for you,” Maimuna found herself saying.

Maimuna Feels Replaced

So Maryama was pregnant, and Ahmadi had not told her.

He kept quiet as if it was nothing.

Perhaps if Maimuna had not heard it from Maryama’s mouth, she would only discover it when Maryama’s pregnancy began to show.

Ahmadi, who used to tell her everything about his life before anyone else.

Ahmadi, who used to discuss matters with her before telling Yaya Ayuba or Nasiru.

Now, in one day, another woman had entered between them and changed that.

Tears filled Maimuna’s eyes.

“May Allah remove your blessing, Maryama,” she whispered.

Of all the men in the world, why did Maryama choose to set her eyes on Ahmadi?

Ahmadi Returns From Isha Prayer

That night was Maimuna’s turn.

After Ahmadi returned from Isha prayer, he went straight to her room.

He had bought watermelon. He stood up himself, went to the kitchen, brought a tray and knife, then returned and sat down.

“Where are Khalifa and Zubaida? Surely they are not asleep already?”

Maimuna shook her head.

“They will sleep at Yaya’s house again today,” Ahmadi said with a smile before she could even explain.

He liked the closeness that living near his elder brother, Yaya Ayuba, had created between their children.

Even he himself now sometimes stayed outside with Yaya Ayuba until around nine o’clock at night, talking.

Those conversations gave him peace. During the times when Maimuna made things hot for him at home, he often felt his heart cool down after speaking with his brother.

Still, he did not like reducing Maimuna’s respect in Yaya Ayuba’s eyes. That was why he never reported her faults to him, let alone asked him for advice.

No matter how badly he and Maimuna fought, they eventually made peace. He always forgave her, even when she did not ask for forgiveness.

His love for her was still great.

Ahmadi Gives Maryama Watermelon

Ahmadi cut the watermelon into three parts. He took one portion and put it in a nylon bag.

He was very tired that day, and his bones felt heavy. He wished he could simply ask Maimuna to take the watermelon to Maryama.

But he already knew what would happen. She would complain endlessly and might even rudely tell him she would not take it.

So he stood up and took it himself.

Luckily, Maryama had just come out holding a water container in her hand.

She smiled when she saw him.

“Maryama…” he called softly, happy to see her.

He handed her the watermelon. She placed the water container down, bent slightly, and received it with both hands respectfully.

“May Allah reward you. Welcome back. Well done.”

Ahmadi’s smile widened.

“How is the fever? Has it reduced?”

He asked as if he had not already checked on her earlier when he returned.

His care was different.

Maryama nodded shyly.

Since she had missed her monthly period again, she was now certain of her suspicion that she was pregnant.

She did not feel many changes in her body except craving food cooked with palm oil and sometimes sleeping with fever. But overall, she felt healthy. Allah had not placed vomiting or serious nausea on her.

She had wanted to tell Ahmadi what she suspected, but she felt too shy. It was only jealousy that made her mention the pregnancy to Maimuna earlier.

Ahmadi said:

“Good night. Take the medicine I bought if the fever returns. In the morning, we will go to the hospital near my workplace so they can check you.”

Maryama only nodded.

“May Allah ease your tiredness,” she said.

She turned into her room, dropped the watermelon, then came back to pick up the water container.

She felt tired that night. She had only eaten leftover pasta cooked with palm oil earlier. She had been lying down and turning in bed when the call for Isha prayer was made, and only now had Allah given her strength to come out.

She performed ablution and returned to her room.

A Peaceful Moment With Maimuna

Ahmadi returned to Maimuna’s room and collected Rayyan from her. The baby had his thumb in his mouth and was sucking it.

Ahmadi spoke to him playfully:

“You look like a patient child, but you are full of trouble, right?”

He spoke as if the baby understood him.

Maimuna had sat on the floor with a knife, finishing the watermelon Ahmadi had cut. She picked a piece and offered it to him.

Ahmadi looked at his hands.

“I have not washed my hands.”

She moved closer, removed the seeds from the watermelon, and held it near his mouth. He opened his mouth, and she put it in.

He chewed and nodded.

“He was right. This one is truly good. If I had known, I would have bought two.”

Maimuna looked at him.

“Really? I thought it was not very red.”

She put a piece in her own mouth too, then prepared another and fed Ahmadi.

“It is very sweet,” she said.

Rayyan began to struggle in Ahmadi’s arms, squeezing his face.

Maimuna said:

“By Allah, do not start disturbing me. I do not know where you got this trouble from.”

Ahmadi laughed.

“What do you mean?”

She looked at him, while he shook his head and moved his mouth forward because she was preparing another piece of watermelon.

This time, she put the piece into her own mouth.

“Go and wash your hands and eat by yourself. You want to say he inherited it from me.”

Ahmadi laughed deeply.

It had been days since she had seen him laugh like that.

He adjusted Rayyan and used his free hand to hold her hand while she tried to pull away, laughing.

He missed this kind of playfulness between them.

He missed his wife.

He looked at her with emotion on his face.

“I missed you.”

She looked directly into his eyes.

She was the only woman who could look into his eyes like that. Even many men said his eyes carried authority. Maryama herself could not look at him that way.

Maimuna often said:

“You are mine. Mine alone, Ahmadi.”

And he believed that he was hers, even if he was no longer hers alone the way she wanted.

She smiled faintly and asked:

“Listen to yourself. We are together in the same house every day. Why are you speaking as if you have not seen me for a long time?”

Ahmadi released a heavy breath.

“Please, let us stop fighting. Stop creating trouble for me. Let us return to the way we used to live.”

She only smiled.

But to Ahmadi, the smile seemed to carry a meaning beyond happiness.

That night, they stayed together peacefully, almost like the early days of their marriage.

A Sound In The Night

It was around two in the morning, and Maimuna was lying against Ahmadi while they slept.

Ahmadi was not a heavy sleeper. Even small movements could wake him.

In his sleep, he heard the sound of someone trying to vomit.

The sound made him open his eyes and listen carefully.

He heard it again clearly.

He tried to gently move Maimuna aside so that he could go and check without waking her, but Maimuna was also not a heavy sleeper.

She opened her eyes and asked:

“Where are you going?”

The Meaning Of Martabar Mu

The title Martabar Mu carries the idea of dignity, honor, and personal worth.

In this household, everyone is fighting to protect their own dignity.

Maimuna believes Maryama’s arrival has reduced her position as the first wife.

Maryama believes she deserves respect as a lawful wife, not rejection and humiliation.

Ahmadi wants to be fair, but fairness becomes difficult when love, jealousy, pregnancy, and suspicion all live under the same roof.

The children are caught in the middle, learning fear where there should have been family love.

And now, with Maryama carrying a possible pregnancy, the emotional battle in the house is about to become even stronger.

Conclusion

Martabar Mu Book One Complete Hausa Novel continues the story of Ahmadi, Maimuna, and Maryama with deep emotional tension.

Maimuna’s jealousy pushes her to suspect Maryama of trying to harm Rayyan, even though Maryama only entered the room to help the crying baby. Maryama continues trying to be patient for Ahmadi’s sake, but Maimuna’s accusations hurt her deeply.

The past pain of Ahmadi’s second marriage still burns inside Maimuna. She remembers the wedding night, the food conflict, the warnings she gave her children, and the charms she used in an attempt to regain control over Ahmadi’s heart.

Maryama’s hint of pregnancy shakes Maimuna even more, while Ahmadi remains unaware of how deeply the information has wounded her.

As the night continues, Ahmadi hears a sound that may lead him back toward Maryama’s side, threatening the fragile peace he had just found with Maimuna.

Can one household survive this level of jealousy?

Can Maryama continue to endure humiliation for love?

Can Maimuna accept that Ahmadi’s heart and home now include another woman?

The journey of Martabar Mu continues with love, pain, jealousy, dignity, and the struggle to keep a family from breaking apart.