A young woman named Balkisu is in severe pain, surrounded by two women and two young girls in a cemented courtyard. An elderly man, referred to as Baba, is praying with a silver cup. Balkisu cries out in agony, lifting her shirt to reveal a swollen abdomen. Her mother and another woman try to comfort her, but she continues to scream for help, mentioning names like Baaba, Muji, and Shato. Baba instructs one of the women, Zainaba, to lift Balkisu, who is then given water to drink. Baba prays over the remaining water and applies it to her swollen area despite her protests. He then leaves to supervise students in a nearby study area. The scene shifts to a courtyard filled with students reciting lessons, overseen by older students with whips. Baba sits on a mat, observing the students, and is approached by an older student named Isyaka, who reports that the lessons have been completed satisfactorily.

She was crying and screaming, "Father, I swear it's torturing me, for God's sake don't touch me, please, for the sake of the Prophet." Her mother, who was holding her, slapped her hand away and gave her a harsh look. This made her father shake his head and pour water on the area, causing her to scream loudly, filling their ears with her cries. Her father stood up, looked at her mother, handed her a cup, and said, "Give her another dose in an hour, Amina. I'm going back to the students in the outer room." She took the cup reluctantly and said, "Okay, teacher." He turned and headed to the outer room, opened the door, and lifted the curtain that separated it from the main room. The outer room was filled with students reciting from their slates, with some older students holding whips to supervise them. The walls were lined with the students' bags and mats where they slept, as the room was quite large. Seeing him, the students increased the volume of their recitations. He left the outer room and went to the front yard, where more students were sitting on the cement, reciting from their slates. A large canopy covered the front yard to protect them from the rain, as some students slept outside. The students' water containers were filled and placed on the ground, ready for them to take a break at 2 PM for prayers and then go out to beg. In a corner of the yard, there was a makeshift bathroom made of mud bricks, where the students bathed and did their other business. There was also a well with a bucket for drawing water. He sat on a mat that was set aside for him, with a soft rug on it, and began to recite prayers while watching the students. An older student, one of those supervising the others, came and sat near him, crossing his legs and bowing his head slightly. "May God help you, teacher. May God forgive you, teacher. May God protect you, teacher," he said. The teacher put down his prayer beads and looked at the boy, asking, "Did they recite well, Isyaka?" "Yes, teacher, they did. Only Muhammadu didn't do well, but I made him repeat it," Isyaka replied. The teacher smiled, leaned against the wall, and said, "Good. Bring me my Qur'an from the outer room and then bring yours so I can listen." The boy looked at