Marainiya Ce Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Mariya’s Mischievous School Days
She was walking home in her school uniform with her schoolbag hanging on her back, singing, “Oh teacher, let me go, the time is over.” It was something they were used to doing in their school whenever closing time came and they were dismissed.
As she walked along, she saw a young man pushing a wheelbarrow. She stopped, got ready to run, and shouted at him teasingly, “Na ta’ala, the one with lips like tobacco juice!” He acted as if he did not hear her, so she said it again. At once, he dropped the wheelbarrow and made as if to chase her. She ran off laughing, and he too was laughing, because they were already familiar with each other. Whenever she saw him, she always found a way to tease him.
When she had gone some distance, she stopped and continued walking, panting. Soon she saw a girl carrying a tray of goods for sale. In a loud voice she called out, “A’i, the one with legs like lumps of sugar!” A’i quickly turned around, and the moment their eyes met, Mariya made a mocking face at her. A’i hissed and said, “Wallahi, Mariya, the day I catch you, you’ll regret it!” Mariya answered, “Back to sender, it’s your own father!” then twisted her mouth and walked away. Another girl named Sa’a, who had been watching, said, “Mariya, don’t you hear? If A’i catches you, can you really handle her? You’re still small, yet you love provoking older people.” Mariya replied, “And what is that to you? Your head is like a watermelon,” then she twisted her mouth again and went on her way.
When she reached the house gate, she saw a car parked outside. She stopped, covered her mouth, and said, “Oh, so my uncles from the city have come today!” Then she hurried inside.
As she entered, her grandmother, whom she called Nenne, threw her a sharp look, so she quickly turned away.
“Assalamu alaikum,” she greeted.
They all answered, including the visitor. Smiling, she said, “My dear Nenne, why are you frowning like this?”
Nenne replied, “If I am frowning, is it because I forbade you to greet before entering and you refused to listen?”
Mariya said, “Sorry, old lady. I saw the car outside, so I rushed in because I thought my uncle had come.”
“No, it isn’t him,” Nenne answered.
Only then did Mariya really look at the guest, who had been staring at her since she entered. He was a handsome young man, dark and shining, with medium height and build.
“Welcome,” she said to him.
“Thank you,” he replied. She greeted him properly and then went into the room.
After changing out of her school uniform into home clothes, she came back and asked, “Nenne, where is my food?”
“Don’t you know where it is?” Nenne asked.
“I’m tired, Nenne, please bring it for me.”
“I won’t bring it for you, stubborn girl. Of course you should be tired after walking around teasing people.”
She widened her eyes and said, “Me?”
“Yes, you! Shameless girl.”
Mariya burst into laughter and called out fondly, “Nenneres!”
She went into the kitchen and brought out her food flask, asking, “What did you cook, Nenne?” Nenne, who was still talking with the visitor, ignored her. Mariya opened the flask and immediately cried out in protest, “Nenne, what is this?”
Nenne came out and asked, “What happened?”
“I found only tuwo with okra soup!”
“So what? Won’t you eat it?”
“If I eat this now, what will I eat tonight?”
“What else, if not that same food?”
Mariya said, “Then you should at least give me money so I can go and buy rice and beans cake, or alele, from Uwale’s house.”
Later, after the afternoon prayer, she was told to escort the visitor so he could greet her relatives. As they walked, she kept talking nonstop while he simply listened. On the way, she saw a girl standing with her boyfriend and smiled mischievously. She said to the young man, Salim, “Come, let’s pass through here.”
Since he did not know the area, he simply followed her. When they got close to the couple, Mariya said loudly, “People without shame!” The girl turned and asked, “Who are you talking to, Mariya?” Mariya replied, “Girls with no manners who stand on the road with boys.” The girl warned her, “Mariya, be careful with me, shameless girl!” But Mariya only twisted her mouth. Salim was amazed. So this is how much she loves teasing people, he thought to himself.
He held Mariya’s hand and scolded her, “That’s enough, let’s go.” After they had gone a little distance, she burst out laughing and even held her stomach.
“What is it now?” he asked.
She said, “This isn’t even the road, we already passed the correct path earlier.”
He stared at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Putting on a pitiful face, she said, “I only brought us this way because I saw those lovers standing there.”
He pulled her along and said, “Come on, my friend, let’s go before I beat you right now.”
She answered, “Brother Salim, don’t hurt me.”
He said, “Then keep moving.”
She protested, “Let go of my hand. If people see us, they’ll say I too have no shame, allowing a boy to hold my hand.”
He asked, “Who is the boy?”
She replied, “You of course. In our Islamiyya school we were taught that such things are forbidden.”
He said, “But I’m your elder brother.”
She answered, “Even so, stop holding my hand like we are some shameless people.”
In his heart, he said, Subhanallah. Then he asked her, “What class are you in?”
“Class six,” she answered.
He was impressed and thought that if only this clever girl continued her education, she would go very far in life.
A Visit from the City and the Question of Education
They eventually returned home. Salim kept thinking about how intelligent Mariya was and how much better she could become if she had the opportunity to study in the city.
After the Asr prayer, he prepared to leave. Nenne gave him gifts of soup ingredients such as kuka, kubewa, pepper, and other things. They escorted him to the gate, where Mariya told him, “Greet Mami for me, greet Sadiq, greet Sagir, and also Hafsa.”
He laughed and said, “What about Fa’iza?”
Mariya pouted and replied, “I have nothing to do with her.”
He got into the car and said, “That’s between the two of you.”
Time passed. Mariya wrote her common entrance examination and was now waiting for her certificate. But her teasing habit had only grown worse. Nenne had scolded her many times and was already tired of warning her.
One day, as usual, Mariya went out on an errand. On her way back, she met a girl walking by. She stopped and looked at her carefully, then began chanting mockingly:
“Ahayye Atika, with hands like lumps of sugar,
Kanwan Bawuro, with legs like lumps of sugar,
daughter of Kaltume, with eyes like a monkey.”
Atika immediately chased after her in anger, and Mariya ran straight home.
Nenne was trimming her nails when she suddenly heard someone rush in as if the roof was about to collapse. She stood up at once and said, “Subhanallah! What happened?” Atika then told her everything that had happened, speaking while panting, her anger very obvious in her eyes. Nenne exclaimed in shock and clapped her hands, about to speak, when they suddenly heard someone greeting from outside.
In another visit, Mariya’s uncle from the city arrived. The moment she saw him, she shouted joyfully, “Oyoyo! Oyoyo! My uncle from the city!” and ran to hug him, laughing.
He answered warmly, “Oyoyo, Mariyar Kawu.”
Then she turned and jumped happily around Mami as well.
Sadiq, teasing her, said, “So we too won’t get any oyoyo?” and dragged her away from Mami.
“Leave me alone,” she said.
“Who said I should leave you?” Sadiq asked as he peered into her face.
“Mami, did you see him?” she complained in a spoiled tone.
When she turned around, she realized everyone else had moved away, leaving only Sadiq near her.
“Why are you quiet now?” he asked.
She began, “Brother Sadiq, I am not shameless and I am not one of those—”
He covered her mouth and said, “You, stop calling me names the moment I arrive. So in short, I am the shameless one?”
She muttered, “I didn’t say that,” while twisting her mouth.
Smiling slightly, he entered the house.
Nenne told them all about Mariya’s latest act of teasing, and they asked people to be patient with her. Her uncle even gave her two hundred naira. After greetings were over, they were served drinks and food.
Later, after eating, drinking, and praying, her uncle suggested that they should take Mariya back to the city with them. Nenne replied, “You know I am not the one who has authority over Mariya, Ali. You must ask her father. If he agrees, I will not stop her.” Her uncle promised, “That is what we will do.”
Still, when the issue came up again, Mariya broke down crying. She insisted she would not go with them. Even Nenne felt troubled in her heart. One side of her wanted to keep Mariya close, but another part told her that it would be better for the girl to go and receive a proper education, and perhaps even leave behind some of her troublesome habits.
Her uncle asked, “Mariya, why don’t you want to come with us?”
She pouted and answered, “It’s because of my studies.”
“What studies?” he asked.
She replied, “My Qur’anic studies. I only have three surahs left before I complete the Qur’an. I don’t want to leave my Islamiyya school. And besides, if I go, who will stay with Nenne?”
Smiling, her uncle said, “If it is because of studies, you will also study there in the city. There is even an Islamiyya there, and you can attend with Hafsa and the others.”
Mariya opened her eyes wide and said, “Wait, there is Islamiyya in the city too? Then why are city people still rude?”
Sagir snapped back, “Who told you that city people are all shameless? Did someone tell you everyone there is bad?”
Mariya answered, “Even if there is Islamiyya there, your teachers do not preach to you the way ours do.”
Sagir hissed and said, “Your own mouth is the only thing making noise. Just say you don’t want to go instead of giving us all this explanation.”
She fired back, “And look at you people, always talking about qabli and ba’adi that are not even part of prayer. We only know the ones that belong to prayer.”
Her uncle cut them short, saying, “Enough. Mariya, go and get ready so we can leave.”
She started crying again, and Nenne, whose heart had already become weak, said, “Ali, I think it is better to leave her until she completes her recitation first. Let her also say goodbye to her relatives. What do you think?”
He replied, “Alright, Nenne, whatever you say. But really, Nenne, you just do not want to be separated from Mariya. Anyway, the day is not broken forever. She will complete it soon, and I will come back to take her.”
Sadiq laughed and said, “That day, we will see whether Nenne is the one crying.”
Mariya responded quickly, “She is your younger sister, Sadiq. You won’t even come. And when they finally come to take me, you will not even know.”
Nenne told Sadiq quietly that when the time came, he should help persuade Mariya to go. But Mariya said, “May Allah prevent that!”
Later, outside the gate, Sadiq asked her privately, “Why don’t you really want to go to the city?”
She answered, “You know why.”
He said, “Because we are all shameless city people?” while holding her hand.
She looked at his hand and replied, “That is the obvious reason. Didn’t they teach you in your school that this is forbidden?”
He smiled and said, “Little girl, you act as if you are giving everyone sermons.”
She pulled her hand away. Then she suddenly stopped and smiled. Sadiq followed her gaze, and before he realized what she had seen, she shouted, “Rabi’u, Mr. Runny Nose!” and turned to run. Sadiq caught her and said, “Come here! Did they teach you in your Islamiyya that teasing people is good?”
Without thinking, she replied, “Yes, na’am.” She had even forgotten he was still standing there. When Rabi’u had gone, she looked back at Sadiq and said, “And what is it to you?”
He answered, “May Allah guide you.”
“Ameen,” she said, twisting her mouth again. To him, everything about her was becoming more amusing than annoying.
Mariya’s Character and the Story’s Direction
Mariya is clearly a lively, stubborn, witty, and fearless village girl whose greatest habit is teasing almost everyone she comes across. She mocks boys, girls, older people, and even those stronger than herself, yet she often escapes punishment because of her speed, innocence, and the affection people have for her. Her grandmother Nenne scolds her constantly, but Mariya’s playful nature remains unchanged.
At the same time, beneath the teasing and childish mischief, Mariya is shown to be intelligent and full of promise. Salim notices how sharp she is and believes that if she is given proper education in the city, she could become something remarkable. Her refusal to go is not just stubbornness; it also comes from attachment to her Qur’anic studies, her Islamiyya school, and especially her deep love for Nenne, whom she cannot bear to leave alone.
This section of the story introduces Mariya as a girl standing between childhood playfulness and a future that may shape her into something greater. Her world is filled with laughter, arguments, village gossip, affection, and the push and pull between tradition and progress. The repeated attempts by her relatives to take her to the city suggest that her life may soon change in a major way. For now, however, Mariya remains exactly who she is: cheeky, clever, difficult, lovable, and unforgettable.