Abnal Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel

“Mami, honestly, we need to take him to the hospital. His blood is flowing,” said a young girl, barely 22–24 years old, tears streaming down her face.

“Well, Sameera, where would we even get money for the hospital, for Allah’s sake? You know that your sister Laila was fired from her job, and you’re still in school. The money we earn from the food I sell barely covers your school fees for last week. If we take him now, we must collect the hospital card before they allow us to see the doctor. So what do you want me to do, for heaven’s sake?”

The woman they called Mami, barely 50 years old, though the hardships of life made her look closer to 60, wiped her tears with the scarf she had tied around her head.

The young man lying at their feet was their son, Abnal, and his condition drew all their attention. From all indications, he wanted to speak. Slowly, with difficulty, he said:

“Mami, Sissy (Laila), Sameera… you all know that I love and adore you ladies, but I don’t think I can make it. Only I know how heavy my heart feels—it hurts so much…”

The woman they called Aunty Laila stopped him, saying:

“Abnal, what are you doing, trying to kill yourself? Haven’t you considered the pain you’d cause Sameera? You should think of Mami too! Rukayya is not the last woman on earth. By Allah’s will, nothing will happen to you. Now be quiet and say no more.”

Aunty Laila then looked at Mami:

“Mami, get up. Let’s take him to the general hospital, or at least the first aid center.”

“Okay,” Mami replied, standing up as well.

This was the family of the late Malam Muhammad. His wife, Maryam (Mami), was a simple woman. They lived in a rural part of Keffi, Nasarawa State. Malam Muhammad had died 23 years ago, and at the time, Mami was pregnant with Sameera after he had passed in a car accident on his way back from work.

Malam Muhammad had been a primary school Islamic teacher, not wealthy, but blessed by Allah. After his death, his relatives visited to condole with Mami, but they never really helped her. They assumed she could manage her family herself.

A few days after giving birth, Mami, with the help of her daughter Laila (then under 10 years old), started selling food at the front of their house to survive. Abnal was seven years old at the time. Laila had to drop out of school so that Abnal could continue, because Mami couldn’t afford to send both to school.

There was no hardship Mami and her children didn’t experience—especially Laila. Poverty had hit them harshly, and even the neighbors avoided them, thinking their misfortune might “stain” them. When Laila turned fifteen, she began taking all kinds of jobs just to support Mami and her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Abnal and Sameera attended a government school.

One unique thing about Laila and her siblings was their beauty. All three were strikingly attractive—you couldn’t look at them once without being captivated. Abnal was handsome as a young man; despite their poverty, you wouldn’t guess it just by looking at their appearance. Their fair skin naturally glowed, their hair was soft as silk, and their eyes were blue. Anyone seeing them could swear they weren’t African.

Years later:

Laila was now 33 years old and still unmarried. Her suitors were all the “hit-and-run” type—interested only in her body, unwilling to marry her. Many in their neighborhood considered them “witches” or not normal humans because of their beauty. Most people avoided them like a plague.

But Laila wasn’t bothered by this. Her only goal was to lift her mother and younger siblings out of poverty. She had previously worked as a waiter in an eatery but was fired because she refused the manager’s advances. Now, she helped Mami sell food in their small canteen.

Abnal had recently finished university. Their education had been slow, often interrupted by lack of funds, but Alhamdulillah, he had completed it. Sameera was in Level 2 at university at this point.