From the entrance of the ward, one could hear the faint groans of a woman who seemed to be in pain.
It sounded like the noise was coming from the bathroom, so I moved closer to see what was happening.
Ayaman!
Indeed, it was Ayaman sitting in the bathroom, surrounded by blood—clearly in labor.
She let out another painful groan and suddenly a baby girl fell out, crying loudly.
“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un,” Ayaman repeated over and over again.
She looked at the baby and suddenly burst into tears. The cold floor of the bathroom made the baby cry even louder.
Ayaman stayed there for almost ten minutes before Anas’s mother entered.
“Hasbunallahu wa ni‘imal wakeel,” she said angrily before leaving the room in frustration.
Ayaman cried again before slowly standing up and dragging herself to the kitchen.
She took a knife and cut the umbilical cord of the baby. Then she took a flask from the room and warmed some water. Despite the pain in her stomach, she washed the baby and then washed herself.
She entered the room slowly and looked for a wrapper to cover the baby.
Then she lay down on the bed, feeling intense pain in her stomach.
Suddenly she felt something warm flowing down her leg.
Blood.
Yes, it was blood.
Hot tears flowed from her eyes.
Indeed, this was the worst day of her life — a day she would never forget. It was the most painful day since the day her mother died.
She heard Anas’s voice above her as she closed her eyes.
“Ayaman….”
He stopped speaking because tears overwhelmed him.
He knelt down, calling the name of Allah.
Ayaman felt uncomfortable because she had never seen a man cry like that before.
Slowly he stood up again. When he reached the door, he said:
“Ayaman, I never expected this betrayal from you. I showed you love, care, and affection. My mother and I welcomed you with open arms, but you have humiliated us.”
He wiped his tears and continued:
“Ayaman, you have betrayed me. You did not deserve your good name. Allah will judge between us for what you have done to me. Our marriage is over. May Allah give each of us our destined partner. I divorce you with one divorce.”
Ayaman quickly covered her ears because the words were too heavy for her to bear. Her mind could not even understand them.
The last words shook her the most.
“La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.”
These were the only words she could utter.
In Islam, if a woman gives birth six months after marriage, people assume the child belongs to the husband. But if it happens earlier, it causes suspicion.
Ayaman counted the days — today made it five months and three days since their marriage.
Yet she had just given birth to a healthy baby girl, which meant the pregnancy had lasted nine months.
---
She later carried the baby on her back even though she did not have even a small cloth for the child.
She wore her large hijab and slowly walked out of the house.
She went to Anas’s mother’s hut and greeted her.
The woman looked at her with disgust and spat on the ground.
“Inna, please listen to me,” Ayaman cried.
“I swear I did not do what you are accusing me of. I could never do such a thing. Even I do not understand how this happened.”
But the woman turned away.
Ayaman eventually left the house.
She walked as if she was not even in this world.
She wished that when death came for her mother, it had taken her along too.
Eventually she reached her father’s house but hesitated at the door, knowing Ladiyo would not spare her.
“Assalamu Alaikum,” she said softly.
Ladiyo was sitting in the courtyard and responded.
Ayaman knelt down crying bitterly.
“So the rumors are true?” Ladiyo asked angrily.
“They say you got pregnant out of wedlock and have now given birth?”
The baby began crying loudly due to hunger and discomfort.
Ladiyo dropped the bowl in her hand.
“So it is true,” she said mockingly.
“You brought shame upon us!”
She hit Ayaman’s head, causing her to fall.
Ayaman cried while feeling pity for her baby.
Then Ladiyo began shouting to the neighbors:
“People! Come and see! Ayaman has given birth to an illegitimate child!”
Within minutes the compound filled with people.
Children and adults gathered to look at Ayaman.
One neighbor said:
“This illegitimate child will bring disaster to our town. The punishment should be death!”
Everyone began giving their opinions until Ayaman’s father, Malam Isyaku, arrived.
He looked at her angrily and simply pointed at the door.
“Get out of my house!”
Ayaman crouched down crying.
“Baba…”
“Get out!” he shouted again.
She slowly dragged her feet away as people insulted her.
Children threw stones at her and shouted:
“Mother of a bastard!”
No adult stopped them.
Finally, Tsahare’s mother chased the children away and took Ayaman into her house.
“Give me the baby,” she said.
Ayaman handed the baby to her.
The baby was covered in blood and birth fluids.
The woman washed the baby, dressed her in old but clean baby clothes, and applied oil to her body.
Soon the baby looked beautiful and radiant — clearly inheriting her mother’s beauty.
After that, she also bathed Ayaman in the traditional way.
---
Flashback
Before all this happened, Ayaman noticed changes in her body.
Her stomach began to swell and her feet slightly became swollen.
She thought it was just weight gain.
One day a visitor told Anas’s mother:
“Your daughter-in-law is pregnant.”
The woman was shocked.
“But she has only been married for one month and nineteen days!”
Still, the visitor insisted that Ayaman was about five months pregnant.
Ayaman overheard the conversation from the kitchen and was terrified.
“How can that be possible?” she thought.
She even checked her stomach and felt it had become hard.
Yet she was still seeing her monthly menstruation, so she ignored the suspicion.
Until one morning she woke up with severe stomach pain…
After Five Months
Ayaman
From the entrance of the ward, one could hear the faint groans of a woman who seemed to be in pain.
It sounded like the noise was coming from the bathroom, so I moved closer to see what was happening.
Ayaman!
Indeed, it was Ayaman sitting in the bathroom, surrounded by blood—clearly in labor.
She let out another painful groan and suddenly a baby girl fell out, crying loudly.
“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un,” Ayaman repeated over and over again.
She looked at the baby and suddenly burst into tears. The cold floor of the bathroom made the baby cry even louder.
Ayaman stayed there for almost ten minutes before Anas’s mother entered.
“Hasbunallahu wa ni‘imal wakeel,” she said angrily before leaving the room in frustration.
Ayaman cried again before slowly standing up and dragging herself to the kitchen.
She took a knife and cut the umbilical cord of the baby. Then she took a flask from the room and warmed some water. Despite the pain in her stomach, she washed the baby and then washed herself.
She entered the room slowly and looked for a wrapper to cover the baby.
Then she lay down on the bed, feeling intense pain in her stomach.
Suddenly she felt something warm flowing down her leg.
Blood.
Yes, it was blood.
Hot tears flowed from her eyes.
Indeed, this was the worst day of her life — a day she would never forget. It was the most painful day since the day her mother died.
She heard Anas’s voice above her as she closed her eyes.
“Ayaman….”
He stopped speaking because tears overwhelmed him.
He knelt down, calling the name of Allah.
Ayaman felt uncomfortable because she had never seen a man cry like that before.
Slowly he stood up again. When he reached the door, he said:
“Ayaman, I never expected this betrayal from you. I showed you love, care, and affection. My mother and I welcomed you with open arms, but you have humiliated us.”
He wiped his tears and continued:
“Ayaman, you have betrayed me. You did not deserve your good name. Allah will judge between us for what you have done to me. Our marriage is over. May Allah give each of us our destined partner. I divorce you with one divorce.”
Ayaman quickly covered her ears because the words were too heavy for her to bear. Her mind could not even understand them.
The last words shook her the most.
“La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.”
These were the only words she could utter.
In Islam, if a woman gives birth six months after marriage, people assume the child belongs to the husband. But if it happens earlier, it causes suspicion.
Ayaman counted the days — today made it five months and three days since their marriage.
Yet she had just given birth to a healthy baby girl, which meant the pregnancy had lasted nine months.
---
She later carried the baby on her back even though she did not have even a small cloth for the child.
She wore her large hijab and slowly walked out of the house.
She went to Anas’s mother’s hut and greeted her.
The woman looked at her with disgust and spat on the ground.
“Inna, please listen to me,” Ayaman cried.
“I swear I did not do what you are accusing me of. I could never do such a thing. Even I do not understand how this happened.”
But the woman turned away.
Ayaman eventually left the house.
She walked as if she was not even in this world.
She wished that when death came for her mother, it had taken her along too.
Eventually she reached her father’s house but hesitated at the door, knowing Ladiyo would not spare her.
“Assalamu Alaikum,” she said softly.
Ladiyo was sitting in the courtyard and responded.
Ayaman knelt down crying bitterly.
“So the rumors are true?” Ladiyo asked angrily.
“They say you got pregnant out of wedlock and have now given birth?”
The baby began crying loudly due to hunger and discomfort.
Ladiyo dropped the bowl in her hand.
“So it is true,” she said mockingly.
“You brought shame upon us!”
She hit Ayaman’s head, causing her to fall.
Ayaman cried while feeling pity for her baby.
Then Ladiyo began shouting to the neighbors:
“People! Come and see! Ayaman has given birth to an illegitimate child!”
Within minutes the compound filled with people.
Children and adults gathered to look at Ayaman.
One neighbor said:
“This illegitimate child will bring disaster to our town. The punishment should be death!”
Everyone began giving their opinions until Ayaman’s father, Malam Isyaku, arrived.
He looked at her angrily and simply pointed at the door.
“Get out of my house!”
Ayaman crouched down crying.
“Baba…”
“Get out!” he shouted again.
She slowly dragged her feet away as people insulted her.
Children threw stones at her and shouted:
“Mother of a bastard!”
No adult stopped them.
Finally, Tsahare’s mother chased the children away and took Ayaman into her house.
“Give me the baby,” she said.
Ayaman handed the baby to her.
The baby was covered in blood and birth fluids.
The woman washed the baby, dressed her in old but clean baby clothes, and applied oil to her body.
Soon the baby looked beautiful and radiant — clearly inheriting her mother’s beauty.
After that, she also bathed Ayaman in the traditional way.
---
Flashback
Before all this happened, Ayaman noticed changes in her body.
Her stomach began to swell and her feet slightly became swollen.
She thought it was just weight gain.
One day a visitor told Anas’s mother:
“Your daughter-in-law is pregnant.”
The woman was shocked.
“But she has only been married for one month and nineteen days!”
Still, the visitor insisted that Ayaman was about five months pregnant.
Ayaman overheard the conversation from the kitchen and was terrified.
“How can that be possible?” she thought.
She even checked her stomach and felt it had become hard.
Yet she was still seeing her monthly menstruation, so she ignored the suspicion.
Until one morning she woke up with severe stomach pain…
And that was when everything began.
---
The Big Question
People now believed the accusation.
But the real question remained:
How did Ayaman become pregnant?
And who is the father of the child?