Dan Marina's father, an Arab who migrated to Kano from 'the east', was hosted by a dyer named Kayaba.
Determined to apprehend the perpetrator, he stayed awake for one night and discovered it was a young Dan Marina playing around the pits before slipping away.
[5]: 27 He was an active scholar and produced a number of works, with his most important being his commentary of the Ishriniyyat of Abdul Rahman bn Yakhftan al-Fazazi.
Another important work of his was a poem he composed to celebrate the victory of Bornu under the leadership of Mai Ali against Kwararafa.
[9]: 308 The burial site of Dan Marina is one of Katsina state's most prominent graveyards, with many who revere him as a wali (saint) choosing to be buried close to him.