Tame Gari Littafi Na Daya Complete Hausa Novels

The Attack on the Road

“Oh no!” she exclaimed when she saw the car trying to drive in. The man inside didn’t even realize what he had done. She quickly picked up the stone in her hand, aimed at the car window, and threw it. Luckily, it hit the driver’s side window and then struck Habeeb in the mouth just as he had finished saying “Ameen.”

The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes and cried out, “Ya Allah!” because what had happened felt like a dream. He looked at Habeeb and immediately saw that his mouth had swollen up like a baboon’s, with blood pouring out. He almost laughed, honestly, but restrained himself and instead said “Subhanallah.” He hurriedly tried to open the car door to go around to Habeeb, still not understanding how it all happened—he had only seen something flying toward them.

She stood there with one hand on her waist, holding an even bigger stone than the first in her other hand. When he looked at her face and saw her makeup, his heart skipped a beat. By Allah, he had no doubt she was a jinn. She was extremely fair in complexion like a porcelain doll, with heavy dark lipstick smeared on her lips and thick eyeliner that had mixed with what looked like lover’s tears.

Terrified, he began reciting, “Wa innahu Sulaimanu wa innahu bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,” convinced she was a jinn. His body trembled, while she (Dije) stood firmly, realizing what he was thinking. In her heart she said, Now we’ve got them.

She kept glaring and rolling her eyes at them, which only frightened him more. Shaking, Nasir went to Habeeb and lowered his head in shame because the stone had hit him hard—one of his teeth had fallen out and his lips were swollen like a balloon. Trembling, Nasir opened the car door while reciting every prayer he could remember. When Habeeb raised his head and heard him praying continuously, he too realized they were in serious trouble. He saw the “jinn” standing there, rolling her eyes with her big stone. Even though he was in pain, fear overtook him. He quickly got out of the car, and the two of them clung to each other, even shedding tears—especially since they noticed the area was deserted, surrounded by thick trees they didn’t recognize, some of which looked frightening. In their minds, such places were the homes of jinn.

In a strange, heavy voice, Dije asked, “You humans, where are you from?”

Nasir almost wet himself, and Habeeb felt like fainting.

“Can’t you hear me? I’m asking you!”

Stammering, Nasir replied, “Ha… ha… ha… we’re from Abuja, wallahi!”

“So because you came from the city, you can drive over my children while they were playing? Is it because you look down on us?”

“No, no! Wallahi, that’s not it! You are the ones who see us; we don’t see you. For Allah’s sake, forgive us—we didn’t know!”

“Fine, I’ll forgive you. But leave your vehicle here and continue on foot to wherever you’re going—or should I carry you myself?”

“No, no! Thank you, we’ll walk!” they both answered quickly.

She burst into laughter and said, “I am Dije, mother of the jinn. Go—but I won’t let you off easily. You have injured my children; they are now at the healer’s place at the edge of the world. I must first see how they are before deciding your punishment.”

Nasir screamed, “Please forgive us! We didn’t know!”

“Go. Come back tomorrow to take your car—not today.”

“Okay, okay! We agree!”

Habeeb could barely walk, so Nasir struggled to support him on his shoulder as they hurried away without looking back, even breaking into a run.

As soon as Dije saw them disappear, she collapsed on the ground laughing until tears streamed down her face. Soon her friends arrived and asked if she had really fooled them. She confirmed it—they hadn’t even dared to move because she looked fierce and stronger than all of them combined.

After laughing to her heart’s content, she stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

Hafsi finally gathered the courage to ask, “Where did you get that groundnut from?”

“I don’t know,” she replied sharply, glaring at her.

They continued walking, and she remembered Habeeb’s swollen mouth and Nasir almost urinating in fear. She burst into laughter again. Her friends stared at her but didn’t dare ask questions unless she chose to tell them herself.

Meanwhile, Nasir walked home sweating, with Habeeb in terrible condition. With Allah’s help and the assistance of some young men they knew at Baba Malam’s house, they finally got him home.

Panic at Home

Baba Malam was deeply alarmed when he saw the state they were in. Confused, he kept asking whether they were fine or if they had been in an accident.

Nasir was still shaken. The only thing he could say was, “We encountered something, Malam—a jinn! Wallahi, it was a jinn!”

“Subhanallah!” Malam exclaimed. He quickly sent for Muntari the chemist to examine Habeeb, who appeared to be in serious pain.

After treating him properly, including giving him an injection, Malam wrote protective verses for them and blew prayers over them, as both were badly frightened. Later, they finally fell asleep, still wondering in shock where on earth they had seen a jinn.

Meanwhile, Dije entered the house singing loudly without even greeting. Inna, who was sitting and preparing fura, scolded her, “Kai kai, Dije! I wonder when you will become sensible. At your age you still behave like a little girl. As for your Qur’anic school, are you even attending when I send you?”

She pouted and replied, “Of course I go! Haven’t I learned how to recite the prayer? But honestly, sometimes after Mairo’s class, I sneak to the village head’s house to watch them teaching Western education.”

“Inna Saudiyya held her and said, ‘Oh Saude, I have met a stubborn girl! So after all my warnings, you still kept going? May Allah guide you!’”