Rayuwa Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Rayuwa Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel begins in a small village where family jealousy, hardship, patience, and destiny shape the life of a young girl named Hibbatullah. Her story is one of pain, endurance, motherly love, and the belief that life can change at any moment.

The Village Of Katsalle

Katsalle was a small village located within the larger village area of Bunkure in Kano State.

Malam Mukhtar and his family were among the people living in the village. Malam Mukhtar had two wives. Lami was the first wife, while Aysha was the younger wife.

For ten years after Malam Mukhtar married Lami, Allah had not blessed them with a child. In fact, Lami had never even experienced a miscarriage. This troubled Malam Mukhtar deeply because he desired children and worried greatly about not having any.

Because of this, he decided to marry another wife.

Allah brought him together with Aysha, the daughter of one of their neighbors, and he married her.

When Lami heard that her husband was going to marry again, she entered a terrible state of distress. What hurt her even more was that he was going to marry a young girl who was almost young enough to be her own daughter.

Lami tried everything she could to stop the marriage. She went from one religious scholar to another, seeking help and advice, but every place she went, she received almost the same answer: Malam Mukhtar had the right to marry again.

When she realized that nothing would stop the marriage, Lami gave up going to scholars. Instead, she made up her mind to make life difficult for Malam Mukhtar and Aysha.

From that time onward, she began treating them with hostility and disrespect. She refused to give them peace. Every day, she looked for one problem or another.

The Birth Of Hibbatullah

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

The birth of Aysha’s daughter increased Lami’s anger and bitterness.

On the very day Aysha gave birth, Lami washed her feet, left the house, and went to her close friend Delo. She told Delo everything that was inside her heart.

Without wasting time, Delo picked up her veil, and the two of them headed to the house of their traditional charm man.

When they reached there, they explained what they wanted. He gave Lami different items: one to use as incense, one for purification, and another to put inside Malam Mukhtar’s food so that he would turn against Aysha and her daughter.

After he explained everything to them, Lami untied the edge of her wrapper, brought out money, and gave it to him. They thanked him and left happily.

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

Even the baby’s name was chosen by Aysha herself.

She named her daughter Hibbatullah, meaning gift of Allah.

Aysha’s Life Changes

In a short time, life changed completely for Aysha and her daughter.

When Hibbah was one year old, Allah blessed Lami with a daughter. Malam Mukhtar and Lami became extremely excited, proud, and full of celebration.

After Lami gave birth, Aysha’s position in the house changed even more. She became almost like a servant. She did everything in the house, including washing, cleaning, and handling all difficult chores.

On the naming day, Lami’s daughter was named after Lami’s mother. Her name was Rahmatu.

The naming ceremony was celebrated with joy. Even though they lived in a village, Malam Mukhtar spent a lot of money for the occasion.

Rahmatu grew up spoiled, pampered, and protected. Hibbah, on the other hand, grew up under hardship, rejection, and constant dislike. Her own father showed her hatred, while Lami treated her harshly at every opportunity.

Hibbah Is Called

“Hibbah! Hibbah, where are you? Can you hear me calling you?”

Lami was sitting in the middle of the compound, arranging the food she sold on a tray. Rahmatu was helping her.

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

Slowly, she came out and squatted in front of Lami.

“I am here, Inna.”

Lami hit her with the lid in her hand and shouted:

“What were you doing in the room while I kept calling you? You heard me calling, but you ignored me, right? Is it because you have lost respect for me?”

Her voice was filled with anger.

In a calm voice, Hibbah said:

“Please, Inna, forgive me. Wallahi, I was memorizing. Tomorrow, the teacher will ask us to recite, and he will beat me if I do not know it.”

Lami cut her off angrily.

“Are you telling me about study because of your father? Or because it is not that useless mother of yours who called you?”

Hibbah lowered her head and said again:

“Please forgive me, Inna.”

Lami became even angrier.

“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?”

She continued without even pausing for breath.

“And by Allah, you are very close to stopping that school. It will not be possible for you to keep disturbing my business because of school. Stand up, carry this tray, and go sell the food 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 walking away, she heard Rahmatu say:

“Wallahi, Inna, Hibbah is only trying to upset you. Every day, Sale the driver asks her to bring food to him, but she refuses. Since that day he said he wanted to buy everything, she refused to sell to him.”

Lami Threatens Hibbah

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

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

Hibbah’s body began trembling. She turned back in fear and squatted before Lami.

Lami slapped her face and said:

“So you are trying to make me suffer losses? You do not want people to buy from me? By Allah, if you return with food in this tray today, you will see someone worse than you in this house, you wicked girl who looks like a spirit. Get out of my sight.”

Hibbah stood up with tears flowing down her cheeks. She began walking toward the entrance of the house.

Just as she was about to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew who it was. Quickly, she wiped her tears and forced a smile before turning around.

It was Umma, her mother, standing before her. Umma had seen everything that happened.

With a gentle smile, Umma said:

“Be patient, Hibbatullah. One day, all of this will become a story. Keep enduring. Life changes. One day, we may not even be in this world anymore.”

Hibbah smiled softly.

“Wallahi, Umma, there is nothing in my heart. I know this is what Allah has written for my life.”

Umma touched the side of her face lovingly.

“Good, Hibbah. May Allah bless you.”

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

Umma’s Advice

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

Hibbah turned back.

“Yes, Umma?”

Umma placed her hand on Hibbah’s shoulder and said:

“Please, Hibbah…”

Hibbah interrupted her gently:

“I should take care of myself. I should not look at useless things. I should not follow any man into conversation. I should behave with dignity and calmness while selling. I should respect people. If anyone comes to me with inappropriate talk, I should ignore him. Is that not what you want to tell me, Umma?”

Umma stopped and stared at her daughter in surprise.

“How did you know that was what I wanted to tell you, Hibbah?”

Hibbah smiled.

“Umma, every day before I go out, you advise me like this. That is why I have memorized it.”

Umma became happy with her words.

“Then please, make use of the advice I always give you. Go, and may Allah bless you. May He protect you from every evil and grant you success.”

Immediately, happiness covered Hibbah’s heart. For a moment, she forgot her worries and said:

“Ameen, my Umma. I will return soon.”

She left the house.

Umma said behind her:

“May Allah bring you back to me safely.”

Lami Attacks Umma

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

Then she heard Lami’s voice close to her.

“Hypocrite, gossiper. I already know that everything Hibbah does in this house is planned by you. You are the one teaching her everything. By Allah, it is better you stop teaching her your evil ways early. If not…”

She hissed.

“You already know the rest. That is why I see you calling her every day before she leaves, filling her head with bad words. As for me, I have seen enough. By Allah.”

Lami spoke while pointing at Umma, shaking her body with anger.

Umma did not answer her harshly. She was a woman of patience and endurance.

She only said:

“May Allah give you patience, Yaya.”

Lami became more furious.

“That is how you always behave. You will finish planning your hypocrisy, then come and tell people to be patient. By Allah, when Malam returns, I am tired of seeing you in this house. He should just divorce you.”

Umma became frightened because she knew Lami could easily push Malam Mukhtar into doing it.

With a trembling voice, she said:

“Yaya, please forgive me. Wallahi, I only prayed for her. I did not say anything else to her.”

Lami twisted her mouth and turned away.

“You will hear about it. Your stay in this house is almost over. You had better start packing.”

Umma sat in front of the fireplace, wondering about the kind of life they were living in that house. She and her daughter were treated like servants or strangers.

She raised her hands and prayed to Allah to bring help to them.

Rahmatu The Spoiled Child

Lami went to sit by the door of her room, still shaking her leg angrily.

Rahmatu came out of the room with marks drawn on her face and lay on Lami’s lap in a spoiled manner.

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

Lami replied:

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

Rahmatu pushed her lips out again.

“Wallahi, I will not eat that food.”

Lami became angry.

“Then do not eat. Is it my stomach?”

Rahmatu began rolling on the ground and crying.

“Wallahi, I will not eat that food.”

Lami knew Rahmatu’s behavior more than anyone. Quickly, she lifted her up.

“Rahmatu, why are you rolling on the ground because of food?”

In a pampered voice, Rahmatu said:

“Then give me money so I can buy alala from Abu. I will not eat that food.”

Lami softened immediately.

“Is that all? That is easy.”

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

“Here. Go and buy it.”

Rahmatu collected the money and ran out of the house happily.

Hibbah At The Market

As for Hibbah, after leaving the house, she headed toward the market where she usually sold the food.

When she arrived, she sat in her usual place and arranged the tray properly. Soon, people began coming to buy from her.

Hibbah sold calmly and respectfully, just as her mother always advised her. Even though her heart was still wounded by what had happened at home, she tried to keep her face peaceful.

She knew that crying in the market would not help her. She also knew that returning home with leftover food would bring another storm from Lami.

So she focused on selling everything.

Then Sale the driver arrived.

Sale was one of the people who often came around her while she sold food. Hibbah did not feel comfortable with him because he sometimes spoke in ways she did not like. Her mother’s advice echoed inside her mind.

She reminded herself to be respectful but careful.

She also remembered Lami’s warning that she must not return with leftovers.

Life had placed Hibbah in a difficult corner. At home, she was not safe from insults. Outside, she had to protect herself from people whose intentions she did not fully trust.

Yet she held onto patience.

A Mother’s Pain

Back at home, Umma continued cooking, but her mind was with Hibbah. She could not stop thinking about the way Lami treated her daughter.

Every insult thrown at Hibbah entered Umma’s own heart.

Every slap, every shout, every threat, every humiliation wounded her deeply.

But Umma had no power in the house. Malam Mukhtar had changed, and Lami controlled much of what happened. If Umma spoke too much, she risked being divorced. If she remained silent, Hibbah continued suffering.

So she chose prayer.

She chose patience.

She chose to keep advising Hibbah gently.

Inside her heart, she believed that the same Allah who gave Hibbah as a gift would one day open a door for her.

The Meaning Of Rayuwa

Life is strange.

Sometimes, the one who is innocent suffers the most. Sometimes, the one who is patient is treated like the guilty one. Sometimes, a child grows up under hatred without understanding why she is hated.

Hibbah did not choose the rivalry between Lami and Aysha.

She did not choose the jealousy that entered Lami’s heart.

She did not choose her father’s coldness.

She did not choose to be treated like a burden in her own father’s house.

Yet she lived with all of it.

That was her rayuwa, her life.

But as Umma always reminded her, life changes.

Today may be filled with tears, but tomorrow can come with relief.

Today may be filled with humiliation, but tomorrow can bring honor.

Today, Hibbah may be carrying a tray through the market with tears in her heart, but no one knows what Allah has written ahead of her.

Conclusion

Rayuwa Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel begins with the story of Hibbatullah, a young girl born into a family full of jealousy, injustice, and emotional pain.

Lami’s hatred for Aysha affects Hibbah’s life from childhood. Malam Mukhtar turns away from Aysha and her daughter. Rahmatu grows up spoiled and pampered, while Hibbah grows up under hardship and constant criticism.

But Hibbah has something powerful: a patient mother, a gentle heart, and faith in Allah’s destiny.

Her mother’s words remain the foundation of her strength:

Life changes.

And truly, life does not remain in one condition forever.