Hukuncin Allah Ne Complete Book

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Page 22

"Don't turn away. Stay and tell me why you lied in court, why you refused to state the truth and claimed you didn't know who violated you, even though I am certain you knew everything."

He finished speaking as he turned her to face him directly. She remained silent as if she hadn't heard him. Yusuf closed his eyes tightly and said: "So, despite your maturity, you haven't dropped this habit of lying?"

She lowered her head, resting it against his arm, and spoke in a very low voice: "What else could I do if I hadn't lied? I didn't want to disgrace my brother, I didn't want to ruin the dignity of someone who fought to protect my honor before I even knew myself. I didn't want the value of a noble person to plummet, I didn't want to make his loved ones cry. I wanted to cover up for him at least once in my life history, even though I knew I was the source of everything happening. I was the one who dug the pit of wickedness that I fell into. The Hausa proverb says that if you dig a pit of wickedness, you should dig it to your own height because it is no surprise if you fall into it yourself. Well, Zahra, that is exactly how it turned out for me."

From the moment she began stringing her words together, he fell completely silent, feeling goosebumps rise across his body. He felt he had never heard words that penetrated his heart quite like these, and he began to suspect there was something that only she knew. However, he felt her tears dropping onto his hand, which made him pull her tighter against his body. Placing his chin against his sideburns, he wiped her tears away and said in a broken voice: "Why would you cover up for me when I was the one who exposed your secrets? I violated you, I oppressed you, I destroyed your honor, and brought upon you insults, hatred, rejection, mockery, disgrace, and harassment. I was a tyrant to you."

He pulled her closer with intense compassion and continued: "I am interrogating myself. I couldn't find the root cause of why I felt such a torturous, burning desire on that day. By Allah, I have never committed adultery despite my strong desires, but as long as I have lived, I have never felt a desire that threw me completely out of my mind, that drove me crazy, and made me attack you when I found you in the bathroom. To this day, I want to remember why I felt that desire, but I have failed to understand the reason. That is why I left it at the thought that Allah destined Aryan to come through that means; my feelings overpowered me until I committed an injustice against you."

Slowly, she placed the palm of her hand over his mouth. This made him fall silent while she closed her eyes, feeling his soft lips pressed against her palm. She shook her head and whispered: "You are not a tyrant, and I know you are not a corrupt person. It was my fault for feeding you something that drove you out of your mind. My foolishness caused me to hurt myself. I know you have good upbringing. What I know is that no servant of Allah is above destiny. You are a believer with a pure heart and body, and indeed, Allah tests His servant to see the strength of his faith and his trust in Him. You are a person of white intentions, a noble person who speaks of his own sin with his own mouth, no matter how grave it is, even if it destroys your honor in the eyes of the world. You chose to face the judgment of Allah so that it could serve as a deterrent to the rest of society; you chose worldly shame over the shame of the hereafter."

In a state of overwhelming emotion, he pressed a soft kiss onto the palm of her hand, which she was using to cover his mouth. Wanting desperately to know what she was hiding, he asked: "How did it become your fault? Why did you cover up for me?"

In a state of shyness and modesty, she tightly shut her eyes, then opened them slowly. The room was surrounded by darkness, accompanied by pouring rain, so neither of them could see each other's faces clearly. Softly and with a hint of fear, she began telling him the story: "On the day you returned, in the evening, we went to the market with Salima, Aunty Shuwa’s daughter. When we returned, we stopped by their house because there were items Aunty Raihana had prepared for me to take to her first thing in the morning."

Calmly, he asked: "What kind of items were those?"

She fell silent out of shyness to tell him, but with gentle wisdom, he pinned her with questions, forcing her to continue her story.

What happened that day was that when they returned, they went to Aunty Shuwa's house and met her in the parlor. After drinking water and sitting down, Zahra looked at Aunty Shuwa with a deep breath and said: "Aunty, please give me the rest of Aunt Raihana's tsumi [traditional libido-boosting tonic], because, God willing, I will take it to her early tomorrow."

Aunty Shuwa stood up herself, went to her room, brought back a small container of the tsumi, and returned to the parlor. She handed it to Zahra and said: "Here it is, completely mixed. Tell Raihana to handle it with care because it is an extremely potent tsumi. She should take three spoons at a time in her tea or peanut gruel (kunun gyada). Once it exceeds three spoons, by Allah, she will be the one chasing after her husband. Tell her it works for both men and women; even a man can drink it to service himself. However, tell her a man should take only two spoons in the morning and afternoon in tea or gruel, unlike women who take three, because men cannot easily suppress their desires. Any man who drinks this concoction—unless he doesn't have a wife—by Allah, will weep tears rolling down his face. So tell her to handle it with care."

She nodded her head, accepted the container, and walked out while marveling at the potency of the tsumi.

When she returned home, she found Mama in the parlor. Mama told her that the next day she should wake up early and prepare Hamma Yusuf's breakfast, and she listed the things she should prepare. Respectfully, Zahra answered that it was no problem. Just as Mama was heading to her bedroom upon hearing the call to prayer, she turned back, looked at Zahra with a smiling face, and said: "Oh Zahra, you will also prepare peanut gruel with honey for him. You know he loves peanut gruel with honey, so add plenty of honey because he loves sweetness."

She stood up and said: "No problem, my Mama. Let me go perform my prayer, and then I will come back and start some of the chores, even right now."

Happily, Mama said: "Good, my good daughter."

She laughed, and everyone went to their rooms. Mama went to perform ablution, while Zahra jumped onto her bed, kicked her legs in the air, and laughed mischievously, saying: "Hahaha Hamma Yusuf, you will learn your lesson! By oath, I will make you drink this tsumi. Through this, I will avenge the injustice you did to me. You too will weep rolling tears with your cries. If you feel heat, you can rub yourself against a wall or circumcise yourself again! Tomorrow and the day after, sleep will be far from you, you stubborn troublemaker!"

She laughed a mischievous laugh, feeling she had successfully exacted her revenge. She spent the night feeling very happy. When morning came and prayer was concluded, she came out and started her work. When Mama came to help her, she refused, saying she could handle it. This gave her the opportunity to do everything alone, working while grumbling playfully as if he were right there, even saying that if she didn't hate wasting things, she would have added salt instead of sugar.

When she finished mixing the gruel, she went to her room and brought out the tsumi. She took the portion meant for Abba, added real honey to it, and then poured the tsumi into it instead of honey. After mixing it into the flask, she poured it back, added even more tsumi, stirred it thoroughly, and poured it into the flask that was to be taken to Hamma Yusuf. When everything was ready, Sulaiman came and took it to them.

If the reader remembers, on that day, Jafar and Affan only drank a small amount of the gruel, while the main person, Yusuf, drank a large quantity of it. As the Hausa saying goes: "If a hyena is well in the bush, how much more when it goes mad?" Even Affan and Jafar suffered that day, let alone Yusuf, who drank the gruel throughout the day and even drank more at night.

The next day, even before going to Raihana’s wedding venue, he was feeling such a torturous, burning desire that it felt as if he wanted to scream. By evening, he had completely lost his mind.

Realizing she had finished her explanation, he shifted upward, covered her with his chest, and collapsed completely on top of her, placing his full weight upon her. Panting, she said: "Oh Hamma Yusuf, I repent! By Allah, the weight and my breath—my chest is going to burst!"

He pressed his chest harder against hers, feeling how her heartbeat was driving him crazy, but he brushed it off and said with a trembling voice: "What did you say? That if I wanted, I could rub myself against a wall?"

She shook her head while panting, placing the palm of her hand on his chest as if trying to push him off. Finding she couldn't, she opened her mouth in fear and said: "No, Hamma, forgive me! By Allah, I won't say it again!"

He pressed his lips against hers, caught her lower lip, and bit it lightly. She jerked powerfully and cried out: "Ouch, Hamma Yusuf, it hurts!"

He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered with a frenzy of desire and heavy breath: "Does it hurt as much as the pain you felt when I rubbed it against your body instead of a wall?"

In fear, she said: "No, not quite."

He closed his eyes to remember the state he was in that day, and with a distraught voice, he said: "And you said if I wanted, I should do what to myself again? What did you say?"

With shyness, she whispered: "Circumcise yourself."

Every goosebump on his body rose. He smiled, realizing that Zahra was still as mischievous as ever, yet in some ways foolish too. He adjusted his position on top of her, placed his hand on her neck, ran his finger along her sideburns, and said in a low voice: "So you see, I have found somewhere to rub it now. As for the circumcision, you will have to prepare it for me since you are the source of everything."

He slid his hand inside her blouse, slightly lifted his weight off her, and spoke deep from his throat: "Zahra."

Feeling the wave of lethargy wash over her, she replied: "Uhm-hm."

He brought his mouth to her ear, blew a soft breath, and said in a choked voice: "Will you do it for me?"

In extreme fatigue, she reached her hand into his hair, used her other hand to pull his hand out from inside her blouse, and said with a shaking voice: "Wh-what should I make?"

He hugged her tightly and said: "Circumcision!"

In fear and shyness, she said: "I don't know how to do it."

He pulled her hand, placed it on his chin, and said in a low voice: "I will teach you."

She brushed off the topic by saying: "So tell me, Hamma Yusuf, through which way did you enter the house that day and leave without anyone seeing you?"

He pressed his lips to hers, used his tongue to gently trace her lips, and began softly telling her how he managed to enter the house.

That evening, Yusuf was consumed by intense desire, and the urge to break away and answer the call of his master, M. Jabeer, was compelling. When he went out, while he was near the filling station at AS Butu, he felt like rubbing his body against a pole because of the burning desire; he felt as if he could eat raw meat. This made him come back home so he could administer the injection to himself. Since the filling station was very close to Aryan’s house—separated only by a street—he crossed over and hurried back.

When he reached the lane leading to the front gate, he found it impassable due to the crowd of wedding guests. Therefore, he went through the back gate where their horses were kept—a door to which only he and Aryan had the keys. Once inside, he went straight into his private quarters and headed toward his bedroom. Feeling the torture overwhelming him, he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the bathroom with the intention of pouring cold water on his body to find relief from the torment he was experiencing.

However, he encountered a woman inside, naked and taking a bath. This further inflamed his condition. Completely out of his mind, he pounced on her. While she cried and he cried, he kept saying: "I am not an adulterer, please forgive me, by Allah, I will die if I don't approach you!"

She was crying, saying: "By Allah, I am not a bad girl!"

He was too far gone to hear any pleas until he violated her, repeating: "I am ruined, I, Yusuf! My life is destroyed, I have committed the gravest sin. Oh Allah, You know I am a weak servant, Oh Lord, guide me."

Then he added: "That is it, mother of Yusuf. Your Yusuf has committed adultery. In addition to the anger of my Abba, there is also the anger of Allah."

It was this statement that made Zahra realize that the man was indeed Hamma Yusuf. As for Zahra, feeling the agonizing pain tearing through her combined with his words, she began banging her head against the bathroom wall while crying until she passed out, while he completely had no idea who she was.

He did not regain his sanity until he saw that she had passed out and collapsed. That was when his senses returned to him. Intense fear, panic, and shock gripped him; his entire body shook uncontrollably. He lost control of himself and, without even washing the blood off his body, he put on his white clothes, which resulted in his trousers getting stained with blood.

Trembling with remorse, he went out, returned to the filling station, got into his car, and locked himself inside, weeping as if his life was about to end. Meanwhile, back at the filling station before he returned, Jafar had peeked into his car, confirmed he wasn't there, and later saw him return. Affan also saw the blood on his trousers and noticed how he was still in a desperate state of arousal. Consequently, at that moment, Yusuf didn't pay attention to what papers Affan handed him, signing them blindly because he was consumed by memories of what he had done, wondering who she was, whose daughter she was, and what took her to his bathroom. He wished he could make it all turn out to be a dream, but alas, it was a harsh reality.

As for Affan, he had already realized at that moment that Yusuf had definitely done something. Yusuf, seeing Affan looking at him with suspicion and interrogation while noticing blood on him, glared at Affan. Affan just laughed and walked away because he himself felt like he could devour the female manager of the filling station, so he didn't have the luxury of digging deep into what Yusuf had done.

As for Yusuf, when Aryan called him and informed him of what had happened to Zahra, his panic, fear, shock, and distress intensified when he learned that he had raped his own younger sister—Zahra. His entire body started shaking from the moment he sped off in his car, completely out of his mind, until he and Jafar arrived home. Seeing the condition she was in drove him even further to madness, leaving him speechless—what could he even say?

He fell silent, then sat up, raised his voice filled with vulnerability, and said: "Forgive me, Zahra, pardon me! By Allah, I was out of my mind, and it was the destiny of Aryan's arrival."

She moved closer to him, lay down on his thighs while weeping softly, her head resting on his lap. He too shed hot tears. Softly, she said: "I have forgiven you, Hamma. I told our Aryan that I forgave you before he died with the happiness of knowing I forgave his Abeeh [father]."

He used his hand to straighten her hair, intertwining their hands together. Zahra, crying, said: "Daddy refused to believe it was you until the verdict was passed; he thought it was Idi all along."

Shedding tears, he said: "If it had been Idi, I would have burst his bladder so he would never feel sexual desire again for the rest of his life! How could I allow my sanity to accept taking the blame for a crime I didn't commit, just to be subjected to the judgment of Allah? Idi himself wanted to take the blame, but how could I agree to oppress him? There was a day Aryan approached me along with Hajja Kaka, Adda Zulaihat, and Affan. Aryan leaned over me and whispered softly: 'Yusuf, do not let Idi be killed for a crime that you committed. I know you hear me, and I know you are compassionate and faithful. Idi is his mother's only child, he has no one else in the world, and he was once married. So please, do not let him be killed.'"

He held her hand tighter and continued: "I knew very well that Aryan didn't bring up that petition for nothing; he definitely had a reason, even though to this day I don't know what it was, other than the fear of Idi being killed. I knew there had to be more to it because I know my friend is not ungrateful. I realize you are angry with him, but you better stop because he spoke the truth, even though it resulted in your Hamma getting flogged."

She closed her eyes as tears flowed, remembering the torture he endured during the flogging. Softly, she said: "Ya Jafar told me the night it was discovered I was pregnant with Aryan. He came to me in Mama’s room—he didn't know about the bathroom incident. He said: 'Zahra, I know Hamma Yusuf committed the rape, and he knows that I know. But please, do not disgrace him in the eyes of the world. Let him be judged in secret, and I beg you by Allah, do not expose this secret of yours.' He added: 'By Allah, something was given to us to drink that day, because I too spent the day in agony. I am certain something was added to our peanut gruel, because Ya Affan also told me that day how distressed he was. That is why Ya Affan and I wanted it kept secret—not because we are hiding his sin from Allah, but because we are hiding it from people. We prefer that he be tried and judged in secret.'

That was how Ya Jafar sat me down, advising me and crying. I didn't say a word to him until he finished, and then I told him that everything that happened was my fault because I was the one who poured the tsumi into your gruel instead of honey. His mood soured; he scolded me, offered advice, and pointed out that my action was the root cause. He also warned me not to tell Daddy or Abba. That was why Daddy never harbored any anger toward you, because at the time, he suspected Idi. When Daddy came to know the truth and you accepted the blame, facing the judgment of Allah and the hardships of life, anyone with faith felt compassion for you at that time.

As for Mama, she only came out after Ya Jafar came out, and she wept bitterly. When Adda Zulaihat came in and found us like that, she was the one who told Adda Zulaihat to go to you and tell you to become my Garkuwa [Shield]—meaning, you should take the blame upon yourself along with the pregnancy in my womb."

He shifted backward and lay flat on his back. Then, he pulled her to his body so she balanced perfectly on him, resting her head comfortably between his neck and shoulder. Softly, he began moving his body slightly so she felt as if she were being gently rocked. He placed his hand on her forehead, using his finger to stroke and smooth her eyebrow hair.

The cool weather of the rainy season and the chill of the AC combined with the serene atmosphere surrounding them. In a low voice, he asked: "Do you want another pregnancy?"

She didn't answer him, but instead melted further into his body.

With lethargy and sleep pulling at him, he said: "Do you want us to have another Aryan, or don't you want to?"

Softly, she said: "I want to."

He smiled happily and said: "I am about to start the expedition of seeking him out. Let us pray that Allah blesses us with righteous children, and I pray you are not lazy."

"Amin," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

Instantly, a deeply peaceful and sweet sleep carried them away.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman returned home, where Daddy gave him a severe tongue-lashing right in the middle of the courtyard, concluding with: "I will not chase you away, nor will I curse you, but I pray that Allah guides you and shields the rest of our children from the consequences of what you do to other people's children!"

Oh, Sulaiman felt shamed beyond words because, throughout his life of secret promiscuity, no one had known, but today everyone knew.

As for Mama, she scolded Daddy for reprimanding him right in the middle of the courtyard, saying he should have handled it in private.

Ummi, on the other hand, wept out of shame and heartbreak as if she would die.

Hajja Inna glared at her and said: "Hypocritical tears, right? Your turn is coming only when the bastard child is brought to you—that’s when you will cry! And, by Allah, you will see retribution. You women’s club leader, you have ruined me and separated me from my grandchildren. Now Yusuf doesn't even care about where I am. You pushed me and kept inciting me. By Allah, if I hadn't seen the negative impact of chasing Yusuf away, I would have had Aliyu chase Sulaiman away too! You wicked, manipulative woman with two faces!"

Then she turned to look at Mama and Aunty Amarya and said: "Please, forgive me, my children, excuse me. Living with a hypocrite brought this upon me. Please, forgive me and speak to your children so they don't hold anything against me, especially Yusuf."

Softly, Mama said: "Hajja Inna, between you and your grandchildren, no one can separate you. They love you just as much as you love them."

Hearing this, Hajja Inna turned back to Daddy and commanded: "I swear by Allah, just as you divorced Maryam at the time of Zahra's rape case, you must divorce her right now too!"

What Hajja Inna didn't know was that Daddy had already wanted to divorce Ummi for a long time, but he had been afraid of her because he knew how much he loved her, and among all his in-laws, she was his favorite. Hearing the command from her, he divorced Ummi right there on the spot.

As for Abba, throughout all of this, he didn't utter a single word.

As for Ummi, her crying intensified.

As for Sulaiman, his divorce from Ummi didn't shake him heavily; his main worries were the anger of his father, Abba, and Yusuf.

Aunty Amarya turned around and left the scene without saying a word.

Mama followed Abba inside.

Sulaiman followed his Daddy, desperately pleading for forgiveness.

Hajja Inna ordered Ummi to pack her things and leave the house immediately because she didn't want Jafar to return and find her there, knowing he would plead for her to be forgiven.

Thus, Ummi had no choice but to pack her belongings and leave for her family home.

Hajja Inna followed her out, saying: "And I swear by Allah, the moment a child is born in your family's house, it will be brought to you to raise, but back to this house? Never!"

So she left, living a life of utter distress.

As for Yusuf and Zahra, they drifted off into a deeply peaceful sleep together.

Summary of Page 22

Page 22 of Garkuwar Fulani (Hukuncin Allah) by Aysha Aliyu Garkuwa brings significant emotional closure, revelation, and dramatic fallout to the narrative:

1. The Confession and Reconciliation: Yusuf confronts Zahra about why she lied in court to protect him. Zahra confesses her deep love, loyalty, and desire to shield him and his family from disgrace, despite knowing she was the victim. Yusuf breaks down in profound remorse, detailing how a powerful traditional libido-boosting tonic (tsumi) given to him unwittingly drove him out of his mind on the day of the assault.
2. The Origin of the Tragedy Revealed: Zahra reveals how she playfully and vindictively laced Yusuf's peanut gruel with Aunty Raihana's potent tsumi as revenge for his past mistreatment, completely unaware of the devastating, uncontrollable chemical frenzy it would trigger in him.
3. The Court Secret & Solidarity: They discuss the conspiracy of silence orchestrated by Ya Jafar and supported by Affan, who also consumed the tainted gruel and suffered. They recount how Yusuf took the blame upon himself to protect Idi and honor Aryan's dying wish, enduring brutal physical punishment.
4. Family Fallout: Back at the family compound, Sulaiman’s secret misconduct is exposed publicly by Daddy, earning him severe reprimand. Hajja Inna directs her wrath at Ummi (Sulaiman's mother/Jafar's mother), blaming her for hypocrisy and manipulating family dynamics. At Hajja Inna's strict insistence, Daddy abruptly divorces Ummi, forcing her out of the home in disgrace. Meanwhile, Yusuf and Zahra find ultimate peace, reconciliation, and emotional healing together, looking forward to a future free of guilt and secrets.

Description of Analytics

• Emotional Arc: Transitions from high-tension courtroom guilt and dramatic confrontation to deep vulnerability, remorse, comedic irony (the tsumi mix-up), and finally tender romantic reconciliation and harsh family punishment.
• Character Development:
  • Zahra: Transforms from a victim hiding a painful secret into a fiercely loyal, self-sacrificing wife willing to bear the emotional burden to protect her family's honor.
  • Yusuf: Evolves from a hardened, guilt-ridden outcast into a humbled, deeply remorseful man acknowledging his flaws and cherishing his wife.
  • Hajja Inna: Displays unyielding dominance and harshness, orchestrating Ummi's banishment and division within the household.
• Plot Mechanics: Resolves the lingering mystery of why Yusuf lost control (the tsumi plot device) and provides closure to the judicial injustice surrounding Idi versus Yusuf.

Comments and Critical Analysis

• Thematic Exploration of Retribution and Karma: The text brilliantly illustrates the Hausa proverb cited by Zahra: "If you dig a pit of wickedness, dig it to your own height." Zahra's petty act of revenge using the tsumi boomeranged into a catastrophic violation, binding their fates together in trauma and eventual redemption.
• Cultural Realism: The novel deeply embeds Northern Nigerian cultural dynamics—traditional medicine (tsumi), family honor (mutunci), patriarchal authority, and the heavy societal weight of scandal and court verdicts.
• Redemption and Forgiveness: The narrative champions radical forgiveness. Both Yusuf and Zahra navigate unimaginable pain, yet choose mutual grace, proving that true healing requires absolute honesty and emotional surrender.

Conclusions

Page 22 serves as a masterclass in emotional catharsis within contemporary Hausa popular literature. By unraveling the truth behind the tragedy, author Aysha Aliyu Garkuwa successfully humanizes characters who were previously locked in a cycle of blame, guilt, and societal stigma. While healing and love triumph for Yusuf and Zahra, the collateral damage within the extended family—highlighted by Sulaiman’s disgrace and Ummi’s harsh banishment—proves that actions have far-reaching, unavoidable consequences.

Keywords

• Garkuwar Fulani
• Hukuncin Allah
• Aysha Aliyu Garkuwa
• Zahra and Yusuf
• Traditional Tonic (Tsumi)
• Family Honor
• Redemption and Forgiveness
• Northern Nigerian Literature
• Hausa Romance and Drama

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