Shari’a, Haƙƙi, da Alhaki
Chapter Overview
Chapter 11 opens Unit III by turning from Unit II’s public-information domains toward law, rights, and responsibility. Learners will discuss legal and civic vocabulary, personal and community rights, obligations, and the kind of careful, qualified claims that legal and civic discussion requires. This chapter introduces three new systems at the Introduced level: expanded TAM/aspect and negation (dependent, conditional, and prohibitive forms building on the imperfective, habitual, and negative frames consolidated in Chapter 10), prepositions and relational nouns (for expressing relationships such as “according to,” “on behalf of,” and “in accordance with”), and focus and contrast in answers (for distinguishing what is a right from what is an obligation, or what one party claims from what another party claims). These three systems develop across Chapters 11–14 and reach full consolidation and assessment at Chapter 15, the Unit III assessment.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name and briefly describe a basic personal or civic right and a basic civic obligation, using accurate vocabulary.
- State a condition under which a right or obligation applies, using a newly introduced dependent/conditional TAM form.
- Express a prohibition or a required action, using a newly introduced imperative/prohibitive TAM form appropriate to a legal or civic context.
- Use a small set of relational nouns and prepositions, such as those meaning “according to,” “on behalf of,” and “in accordance with,” to introduce a source, an authority, or a standard.
- Use a focus/contrast pattern to distinguish a right from an obligation, or one party’s claim from another’s, in a short answer.
- Record the gender and plural of new legal and civic nouns as part of active vocabulary learning.
- Discuss, carefully and without overstating certainty, a simple legal or civic situation, in speech and in writing.
Communication Scenario
Following the special radio program prepared in Chapter 10, a listener named Ibrahim calls the station with a question about his rights as a tenant after a dispute with his landlord over a repair. Sani, now hosting a call-in segment, brings in a community legal-aid volunteer, Malam Bello, to explain, in plain terms, what a tenant’s rights and a landlord’s obligations generally are, what conditions change the answer, and what Ibrahim should and should not do next. Malam Bello is careful throughout to distinguish a general legal principle from advice about Ibrahim’s specific case, and to state conditions clearly rather than giving an unqualified answer.
- Domain: discussing legal and civic vocabulary, rights, obligations, and careful, appropriately qualified claims in a call-in or community-advice setting.
- Developed skill: naming a right and an obligation, stating a condition, expressing a prohibition or requirement, introducing a source or standard with a relational noun/preposition, and contrasting a right with an obligation using a focus pattern.
- New grammar introduced: expanded TAM/aspect and negation (dependent/conditional and imperative/prohibitive forms, Introduced), prepositions and relational nouns (Introduced), and focus/contrast in answers (Introduced). All three develop through Chapters 12–14 and are consolidated and assessed at Chapter 15.
- No unscheduled grammar beyond the Introduced level for these three systems, no invented legal rule, no dialect mixture, and no productive Ajami writing is introduced in this chapter. Legal information is presented as general community knowledge, not as professional legal advice.
Core Vocabulary
The following items are active (productive) for this chapter. Gender and plural are recorded for each noun, consistent with the Chapter 11 Noun Gender/Plural Formation Matrix status of Consolidated.
| Boko | Gender | Plural | Meaning in Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| shari’a | f. | shari’o’i | law, legal system, justice |
| haƙƙi | m. | haƙƙoƙi | right, entitlement |
| alhaki | m. | alhakoki | responsibility, obligation, liability |
| mai gida | m./f. | masu gida | landlord, householder |
| mai haya | m./f. | masu haya | tenant, renter |
| yarjejeniya | f. | yarjejeniyoyi | agreement, contract |
| ƙara | m. | ƙarace-ƙarace | complaint, legal claim, dispute |
| lauya | m./f. | lauyoyi | lawyer |
| mai ba da shawarar shari’a | m./f. | masu ba da shawarar shari’a | legal-aid or legal-advice volunteer |
| sharaɗi | m. | sharuɗɗa | condition, stipulation |
Kumulative recycling: Vocabulary from Chapters 1–10 (aiki, gwamnati, doka, hidima, mataki, rahoto, labari, tsokaci, kuɗi, bashi, riba, hasara, lafiya, cuta, gwaji, sakamako) remains active and returns in this chapter’s dialogue and reading, since doka (law, rule) and haƙƙi were first introduced receptively in Chapter 7 and now become fully active alongside new legal vocabulary.
Pronunciation Focus
Legal and civic explanation often depends on a careful, measured phrase rhythm, since a qualified claim (“this is generally true, but it depends on…”) is easy to misread as an unqualified one if delivered too quickly. Pay attention to a slight pause before and after a conditional clause introduced by idan (“if”), and to level, unhurried tone on words such as haƙƙi and alhaki, which are easily confused if tone and vowel length are rushed. No new consonant or vowel-length contrast is introduced; this chapter continues to apply tone and rhythm control already built across Chapters 1–10 to a legal/civic register that requires visibly marked conditional and contrastive phrasing.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces three systems at the Introduced level, consistent with the Volume IV matrices: expanded TAM/aspect and negation, prepositions and relational nouns, and focus/contrast in answers. All three build directly on the imperfective/progressive/habitual TAM frame and negative TAM pattern consolidated in Chapter 10, and all three develop through Chapters 12–14 before formal consolidation and assessment at Chapter 15.
11.1 Conditional clauses with idan
Use idan (“if”) to introduce a condition under which a right, obligation, or rule applies. This is the first formally taught dependent/conditional TAM form in the series; treat it as an Introduced pattern to be developed further in Chapters 12–14.
11.2 Prohibition and requirement with legal/civic verbs
Use the prohibitive form (kada + verb) to state what someone should not do, and a simple obligation frame (dole or ya kamata + verb) to state what someone is required or expected to do. These forms are Introduced here and developed further across Unit III.
11.3 Prepositions and relational nouns: gwargwadon, bisa, madadin
Use a small set of relational nouns and prepositions to introduce a source, standard, or authority behind a claim: bisa (“according to, based on”), gwargwadon (“in accordance with, to the extent of”), and madadin (“on behalf of, in place of”).
11.4 Focus and contrast: distinguishing a right from an obligation
Use the focus particle ne/ce directly after the contrasted element to state precisely which party has a right and which has an obligation, correcting a possible misunderstanding.
Just as Chapter 9 distinguished a suspected cause from a confirmed one, legal and civic language distinguishes a general principle (“a landlord is generally responsible for structural repairs”) from advice about a specific dispute (“whether that applies to Ibrahim’s situation depends on his agreement”). Use idan-clauses (Section 11.1) to mark conditions, and avoid stating a general principle as if it automatically resolved a specific case.
Common learner error: Do not drop the condition marked by idan when repeating a rule in a new sentence; doing so turns a conditional claim into an unqualified one. Idan mai gida bai gyara ba, mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara (conditional) is not the same claim as the unqualified Mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara (stated as if always true regardless of circumstance).
Model Dialogue
Yanayin hali: Ibrahim ya kira gidan rediyo domin tambaya kan haƙƙinsa a matsayin mai haya, kuma Sani ya gayyaci Malam Bello domin ba da shawara.
(Setting: Ibrahim calls the radio station to ask about his rights as a tenant, and Sani invites Malam Bello to give advice.)
Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:
- What condition does Malam Bello state before a tenant's right to complain applies?
- Who does Malam Bello say is generally responsible for the roof repair, and what qualifies that answer?
- What two things does Malam Bello advise Ibrahim to do, and what does he advise against?
- What relational noun/preposition does Malam Bello use to introduce the agreement as a standard?
Guided Practice
Aikin fahimta — Recognition: Read the Model Dialogue again and mark each instance of a conditional clause, a prohibition/requirement, a preposition/relational noun, and a focus/contrast structure.
Aikin zaɓi — Selection: Choose the correct form (idan-clause, kada, dole/ya kamata, or a focus particle) to complete four short sentences about a legal or civic situation.
Aikin cikawa — Completion: Complete four sentences stating a condition under which a right or obligation applies, using Section 11.1.
Aikin sauyawa — Transformation: Rewrite four unqualified statements about rights or obligations as conditional statements, and then as focus/contrast statements distinguishing one party from another, following Sections 11.1 and 11.4.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud, twice. Answer the questions after listening.
Sauraro — Shirin Bayar da Shawarar Shari’a (Listening: Legal-Advice Segment)
"A wannan mako, gidan rediyon unguwarmu na ci gaba da shirin bayar da shawarar shari’a ga masu sauraro. Wani mai haya ya kira domin tambaya kan haƙƙinsa bayan mai gidansa bai gyara wani muhimmin lahani ba. Mai ba da shawarar shari’a ya bayyana cewa, bisa ƙa’idar gama-gari, idan an sanar da mai gida amma bai gyara ba bayan wani lokaci, mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara. Duk da haka, ya jaddada cewa amsar ta dogara ne akan abin da yarjejeniyar kowane mutum ta ce, kuma kada mai haya ya daina biyan haya yayin da ake jiran gyara."
Kula na sauraro — Questions: (1) Why did the listener call the program? (2) What condition does the legal-advice volunteer state before the right to complain applies? (3) What does the answer depend on, according to the volunteer? (4) What does the volunteer advise the tenant not to do?
Rubutun sauraro don malami, abokin karatu, ko amfani da rubutun lantarki. Duba amsoshi a sashi na amsoshi.
(Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. See Answer Key for expected responses.)
Speaking Practice
Atisayen ƙa’ida — Controlled substitution
With a partner, take turns producing one conditional (idan) sentence, one prohibition or requirement sentence, and one focus/contrast sentence about a simple legal or civic situation (a tenancy dispute, a workplace obligation, or a community rule).
Tattaunawa — Communicative task
Role-play the Model Dialogue scenario with a partner: one person plays a caller with a legal or civic question, and the other plays a community legal-aid volunteer who states a condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a clear contrast between a right and an obligation, using repair formulas recycled from earlier chapters where needed.
Madadin karatu kai tsaye — Solo alternative
Record yourself explaining a real or invented rights-and-responsibilities situation aloud, including one conditional statement, one prohibition or requirement, and one focus/contrast statement distinguishing a right from an obligation.
Reading Practice
Read the short notice below. Identify the condition, the prohibition or requirement, and the focus/contrast statement.
Karatu — Takaitaccen Bayanin Haƙƙin Haya (Reading: Tenant Rights Summary)
Sanarwa: Haƙƙi da Alhaki Tsakanin Mai Gida da Mai Haya
Bisa ƙa’idar gama-gari, mai gida ne ke da alhakin gyara manyan lahani a gidan haya, ba mai haya ba, sai dai idan yarjejeniyar ta ce akasin haka. Idan mai haya ya sanar da mai gida game da wani lahani amma babu gyara bayan wani lokaci mai ma’ana, mai haya na da haƙƙin nema shawarar ƙungiyar bayar da shawarar shari’a ko na yin ƙara. Kada mai haya ya daina biyan haya ba tare da neman shawara ba, domin hakan na iya raunana haƙƙinsa. Kowace yarjejeniya ta bambanta, don haka a bincika sharuɗɗan kowace yarjejeniya kafin a ɗauki mataki.
Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:
- According to the notice, who is generally responsible for major repairs, and what exception is stated?
- What condition must be met before a tenant's right to complain or seek advice applies?
- What does the notice advise the tenant not to do, and why?
Writing Workshop
- Karanta misalai da hankali. Reread Sections 11.1–11.4 and the Model Dialogue.
- Zaɓi batu. Choose a real or invented legal or civic situation (a tenancy dispute, a workplace obligation, or a community rule).
- Tsara sashi uku. Plan three short parts: a condition under which a right or obligation applies, a prohibition or requirement, and a focus/contrast statement distinguishing one party's right from another's obligation.
- Rubuta taƙaitaccen bayani. Draft an 80–120 word explanation in Boko, using the conditional, prohibitive/requirement, and focus/contrast patterns accurately.
- Duba jerin bincike. Check your draft against the checklist below.
- Rubuta siffa ta ƙarshe. Produce a clean final version suitable for submission.
Jerin binciken gyara — Editing checklist:
- The explanation states at least one condition clearly, using idan.
- At least one prohibition or requirement is stated using kada or dole/ya kamata.
- At least one focus/contrast statement clearly distinguishes a right from an obligation, or one party's claim from another's.
- At least one relational noun or preposition (bisa, gwargwadon, or madadin) is used correctly.
- New nouns are recorded with correct gender and plural where relevant.
- Special characters (ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, ƴ) and apostrophe/glottal conventions are used accurately.
- The explanation does not state a general legal principle as if it automatically applied without qualification.
Culture and Communication
Across Hausa-speaking communities, disputes such as the tenancy question in this chapter are addressed through a range of channels, including formal courts, customary or religious dispute-resolution processes, community elders, local government offices, and, increasingly, community radio call-in programs and legal-aid volunteers. Learners should not assume that one process, such as a single call-in program or a single court system, is the only or most authoritative avenue everywhere Hausa is spoken.
Terms for tenancy, agreements, and dispute resolution can vary between Nigeria, Niger, and other Hausa-speaking regions, and legal systems themselves differ by country. The terms used in this chapter represent a common, broadly understandable instructional standard; learners should expect real terminology and procedures to vary by jurisdiction and should not treat this chapter as a substitute for professional legal advice.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying Mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara as an unqualified fact, without the condition that the landlord was notified and given time to respond.
Correction: Keep the idan-clause attached to the claim (Section 11.1), as in Idan mai gida bai gyara ba bayan an sanar da shi, mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara, so the condition is not lost.
Error: Describing the tenant's right to request a repair and the landlord's obligation to make it as if they were the same kind of claim, without distinguishing who holds which.
Correction: Use the focus/contrast pattern (Section 11.4) to state precisely which party has the right and which has the obligation, as Malam Bello does in the Model Dialogue.
Error: Presenting a legal-aid volunteer's general explanation as though it were a binding decision that resolves a specific dispute.
Correction: Distinguish general community legal-aid guidance from a formal legal ruling, and note, as Malam Bello does, that the outcome depends on the specific agreement or case.
Chapter Summary
This chapter opened Unit III by turning to law, rights, and responsibility, teaching learners to name rights and obligations, state conditions, express prohibitions and requirements, introduce a source or standard with a relational noun/preposition, and distinguish a right from an obligation using focus/contrast. It introduced, at the Introduced level, expanded TAM/aspect and negation (conditional and prohibitive/requirement forms), prepositions and relational nouns, and focus/contrast in answers, building directly on the imperfective/habitual/negative TAM system consolidated in Chapter 10. These three systems develop across Chapters 12–14 and are formally consolidated and assessed in Chapter 15.
Chapter Review
Sashi na A — Kalmomi (Vocabulary)
1. Give the gender and plural form of three nouns from this chapter's vocabulary table.
Sashi na B — Nahawu (Grammar)
1. Write two conditional (idan) sentences about a right or obligation.
2. Write two sentences, one using kada and one using dole or ya kamata, about a legal or civic situation.
3. Write two focus/contrast sentences distinguishing a right from an obligation, or one party's claim from another's.
4. Explain, in two or three English sentences, why legal and civic claims are usually stated with conditions rather than as absolute rules.
Sashi na C — Karatu da Rubutu
1. Reread the Reading Practice notice and summarize its structure in two to three English sentences.
2. Write your 80–120-word explanation of a legal or civic situation, following the Writing Workshop instructions.
Sashi na D — Magana
1. Role-play the full Model Dialogue with a partner, following the Speaking Practice instructions.
Practical Performance Task
Aikin Aiwatarwa — Babi na 11
Tattaunawa Kan Haƙƙi da Alhaki — Discussing Rights and Responsibilities
Complete all four components using a real or invented legal or civic situation.
- Listening: Listen to the Shirin Bayar da Shawarar Shari’a passage and answer the comprehension questions.
- Speaking: Explain your chosen legal or civic situation aloud to a partner or instructor, including a condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a focus/contrast statement.
- Reading: Read the tenant-rights summary and answer the comprehension questions.
- Writing: Submit your 80–120-word written explanation.
Evaluation criteria: correct identification and use of a condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a focus/contrast statement; accurate introductory use of prepositions/relational nouns; correct gender/plural recording for new nouns; accurate recycled vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1–10 and earlier volumes; correct ordinary Boko spelling and special characters; comprehensible, task-fulfilling spoken and written communication appropriate to the B2–C1 range of Volume IV.
| Criterion | Meets Expectations | Needs Review |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional (idan) use | Condition clearly and accurately stated | Condition missing, unclear, or dropped when restating the claim |
| Prohibition/requirement use | Used accurately with kada or dole/ya kamata | Frequent errors or form misapplied |
| Focus/contrast use | Right and obligation, or two parties' claims, clearly distinguished | Contrast missing, unclear, or roles confused |
| Preposition/relational noun use | At least one used accurately to introduce a source or standard | Missing or used incorrectly |
| Boko spelling and special characters | Accurate and consistent | Frequent spelling or special-character errors |
Independent Study Tools
Self-check: Can you state a condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a clear contrast between a right and an obligation about a simple legal or civic situation in Hausa? If not, review Sections 11.1–11.4 before submitting your Practical Performance Task.
Vocabulary review method: Add this chapter's legal and civic vocabulary to your cumulative flashcard set, recording gender and plural on the back of each card.
Extra practice: If possible, listen to or read a real community legal-advice segment or civic-rights notice, and try to identify a stated condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a contrast between a right and an obligation, noting any new vocabulary as receptive items for continued study.
Answer Key / Amsoshi
Tambayoyin fahimta na tattaunawa (Dialogue comprehension)
- The landlord must have been notified of the defect and must have failed to repair it after a reasonable time has passed.
- Malam Bello says the landlord is generally responsible for roof repairs, unless the agreement states otherwise.
- He advises Ibrahim to notify the landlord in writing and keep a copy, and advises against stopping rent payments.
- He uses bisa (“according to”) and gwargwadon (“depending on, in accordance with”) to introduce the agreement as a standard.
Kula na sauraro (Listening responses)
(1) The listener called because his landlord had not repaired an important defect. (2) The volunteer states that the landlord must have been notified and given time to respond before the right to complain applies. (3) The answer depends on what each person's specific agreement says. (4) The volunteer advises the tenant not to stop paying rent while waiting for the repair.
Tambayoyin karatu (Reading comprehension)
- The landlord is generally responsible for major repairs, unless the agreement states otherwise.
- The tenant must have notified the landlord and allowed a reasonable amount of time to pass without repair.
- The notice advises the tenant not to stop paying rent without seeking advice, because doing so could weaken the tenant's right.
Sashi na B (Grammar)
- Sample: Idan mai gida bai gyara muhimmin lahani ba, mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara. Idan an sanya hannu kan yarjejeniya, bangarorin biyu suna da alhaki.
- Sample: Kada mai gida ya fitar da mai haya ba tare da sanarwa ba. Dole mai haya ya sanar da mai gida a rubuce kafin ya ɗauki mataki.
- Sample: Mai haya ne ke da haƙƙin buƙatar gyara, ba mai gida ba. Mai gida ne ke da alhakin gyaran rufi, ba mai haya ba.
- Sample: Legal and civic claims are usually stated with conditions because the same general rule can apply differently depending on the specific agreement, timing, or circumstances of a case; stating an absolute rule could mislead someone whose situation does not meet the stated condition.
Sashi na C (Sample writing)
A unguwarmu, akwai ƙa’idar cewa idan mai gida bai gyara wani muhimmin lahani ba bayan an sanar da shi, mai haya na da haƙƙin yin ƙara. Duk da haka, kada mai haya ya daina biyan haya yayin da ake jiran gyara, domin hakan na iya raunana haƙƙinsa. Bisa yarjejeniyar kowane mutum, mai gida ne yawanci ke da alhakin gyaran manyan lahani, ba mai haya ba. Idan babu gyara bayan wani lokaci mai ma’ana, mai haya na iya neman shawarar ƙungiyar bayar da shawarar shari’a.
Other accurate, well-organized explanations that correctly use a condition, a prohibition or requirement, and a focus/contrast statement are equally acceptable.
Looking Ahead
Abin da ka/ki koya — What you have learned
This chapter opened Unit III by turning to law, rights, and responsibility, introducing at the Introduced level expanded TAM/aspect and negation (conditional and prohibitive/requirement forms), prepositions and relational nouns, and focus/contrast in answers, all building on the imperfective/habitual/negative TAM system consolidated in Chapter 10, per the Volume IV matrices, while recycling repair formulas in a new legal/civic context.