Bakar Taada Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

My Name and Background
My name is Asiya Sani Toro.
But most people call me Yabi, because my mother performed Hajj while she was pregnant with me. Only my mother calls me Asiya, because she dislikes the name Yabi since it implies that I am also a Hajiya.
Our house is a very famous compound in the town of Toro. Even a small child, if you ask about Marina’s house, will show you the way. This is because of our grandfather who originally came from Kano and established this family trade in the town. It has been more than seventy years now, and the trade is still practiced, although it has been modernized. It is no longer done inside the compound because of its smell.
Our house is truly a very large compound.
When I say large, I mean a compound with many different families living together.
At my father’s section, Alhaji Sani (Marina’s father), who is the senior brother, he has three wives.
Hajiya Habiba is the senior wife. She is a cunning and troublesome woman. Almost every conflict that happens in our section or in the compound has her involvement. She hates to see the progress of other people’s children and prefers only her own children to succeed.
She does everything with cleverness and dignity, so not everyone understands the schemes she plans. Only those of us who live with her daily know.
She controls almost everything, and whatever she decides is usually what everyone follows — except on rare days when Father gets angry and opposes her.
She has five children:
Musa
Hadiza
Salamatu
Indo
And her youngest child Nazira, whom she had after many years without children. Nazira is my age-mate and is three months older than me.
Then there is my mother, Hajiya Asma’u, whom we call Goggo. Not just because she is my mother, but she is a very gentle and extremely patient woman. When I say patient, I mean extraordinary patience — the kind that can make others take advantage of a person’s rights.
She has exactly eight children:
Salisu
Rabi’u
Ummi
Adnan
Ali
Myself (Yabi) — though I am not directly after Ali; there was another child who died
Anas
And our youngest, Ikilima
Because of the many children my mother has — especially boys — Mama constantly attacks her with insults and schemes. Almost everyone in the compound dislikes my mother, and not many people associate with her.
Everyone in the compound speaks badly about her, and Mama is the one who ruined her reputation. She even opposes anyone who tries to be friendly with her.
Because of this, even we her children are not respected, not even by our grandmother Dada, who also lives in the compound in her own section.
Other Families in the Compound
Then there is Hajiya Sahura, whom we call Innah. She has five children:
Ubaid
Ubaida
Abida
Hajara
Ismail
And the youngest of us all, Saliha
Despite Mama’s attempts to divide us, she failed in separating Nazira and me. Even though she does not treat me warmly, it never stopped me from visiting her room because of Nazira.
Nazira even sleeps in our mother Goggo’s room.
Innah is far better than Mama. Innah would never falsely accuse Goggo or deliberately provoke her. However, she does not respect Goggo much because Mama poisoned her mind by telling her that Goggo would control the household after Alhaji dies since all her children are boys.
When I became old enough to think, I started asking myself: what exactly does our father own that people are waiting for him to die for?
In the past, he was very wealthy. He built most of our compound and even paid for many relatives to perform Hajj.
But the year I was born, he fell into the hands of fraudsters and lost his wealth. Even now, fifteen years later, he has not recovered.
His relatives only watch him with pity.
Yet Mama still claims Goggo will inherit everything.
That is that.
Then there is the section of Alhaji Badamasi (the middle father). He has two wives and twelve children.
The senior wife Hajiya has seven children:
Jabir
Zakiya
Jamila
Hauwa
Firdausi (my age-mate)
Aisha
And the youngest Basira
The younger wife Momi has five children:
Nasiru
Naziru
Sararu
Rumanatu
Kubrah
Saratu is also my age-mate.
Then the last section is Alhaji Iliya (the market father).
He has one wife and six children:
Amina
Aminu
Maijidda (my age-mate)
Kaltume
Abba
Aliya
Grandmother and Extended Family
Then there is our grandmother Hajiya Binta, whom everyone calls Dada.
She is a very difficult old woman. Even in her old age, she creates many conflicts and does not care about unity in the family.
Apart from our fathers, she also has two daughters.
Her section of the house has two floors, and behind her main entrance there is another inner section with a locked gate that leads outside. That place is used only for storing farm tools and other items.
Babar Bulkachuwa (Hauwa) is the sister who comes after the middle father. She is married in Bulkachuwa. Her husband, Alhaji Yusufu, is a big trader in the Muda Lawal spice market in Bauchi.
She is the junior wife, but for a long time she was the only one having children because the senior wife had difficulty conceiving.
Her children are:
Tijjani
Aliyu
Nasir
After Nasir was born, the senior wife finally had Maryam and Hafsa.
Later Babar Bulkachuwa gave birth to Ihisan.
So she has four children while the senior wife has two.
Tijjani grew up receiving excessive pampering from his father because of the long period without children.
Unfortunately, that pampering spoiled him completely. From childhood he caused many troubles, such as stealing chickens and goats and selling them. He refused to accept discipline because all his friends were bad influences.
Despite all the efforts of his mother and father to correct him, they failed.