It’s a piece of the soil of Karbala blessed by al-Husayn’s martyrdom there. It’s just a belief.”
I said, “Do you see how people touch this sundial? It has dwindled with the passage of time and now has the same stature as a human body. Thank God for the spread of scientific knowledge, otherwise we’d wake up one day and find ourselves worshiping idols again.”
We performed a prayer as a greeting to the mosque and toured the place honoring Sayyidna Ali, his majlis, and his life. Then we went downtown where we chose an inexpensive restaurant serving tikka with rice and freshly baked bread. We sat down to eat, pleased with our work so far. Then we started snapping photos and talking with people again until we got tired. Time passed quickly and we didn’t have a chance to visit Karbala, site of the famous battle around which much lore has been spun and which ended with the killing of Sayyidna al-Husayn, may God be pleased with him. We decided to visit it at some point in the future. We hired a car to take us back to Baghdad. I remembered Abd al-Wahab al-Bayyati’s lines of poetry: “For more than a thousand years people have been weeping for the martyr of Karbala whose shed blood still colors the water and the palm trees in the evening.”
I didn’t find Hatim at home and when he came home later he told me that he had to go to the bank to transfer money to his brother Imad. I was tired and did not want to go into a discussion that would spoil my day. I went to bed in silence. He followed me, saying, “Why are you angry? I’ve told you before that I have to share what money I make with my brother.”
I said, “You don’t have that right any more since we were blessed with Yasir.”
He said, “When my father died leaving behind five young children, my brother took the responsibility all by himself because I went to Germany, as you know.”
I said, “And your father left them enough and then some. And you gave up your inheritance so they could continue their education and so that your mother would feel that she was still in control of things. And I have no objection to that at all.”
He said, “My brother could have gone to work in any Arab country and abandoned my siblings, but he has chosen to stay in Egypt for their sake. Therefore he is entitled to share what money I make here.”
I said, “But you don’t share his profit from the business he set up thanks to your father’s properties and you don’t have a share in the income of his wife the doctor nor a share in his good health and progeny. Only God can distribute his bounty, not you.”
He said, “Nora, you are a reasonable woman and I have never deceived you. Ever since we came to Baghdad I have decided to split our savings and give him his share. So, why are you upset now?”
I said, “You and I and our son are already paying a price by being away from home and family and being separated from each other, while they are taking the fruit of our labor without sharing in the labor. You want to give him a large sum as a gift? That’s fine. But to take a share of our livelihood for life? That won’t happen.”
He said, “Well then you’ll have to accept my going back to Egypt to look after my siblings and reverse roles, and he and his wife can go to work abroad.”
I said, “I am tired. Let me go to sleep.”
He said, “You will not sleep and I won’t let you alone.”
The stewardess finished explaining and demonstrating safety procedures. I don’t think any of the passengers were capable of following the instructions in case of an emergency. The sign to unfasten the seatbelts was lit. I got up to wash my face. On my way back to the seat I asked the stewardess for a glass of water. Nursing makes me thirsty and increases my craving for sweets. I noticed that everyone was busy talking among themselves. The aisles were filled with chatter, reminding me of school bus trips. I picked upthe Egypt Air magazine and turned its pages. My
I said, “Do you see how people touch this sundial? It has dwindled with the passage of time and now has the same stature as a human body. Thank God for the spread of scientific knowledge, otherwise we’d wake up one day and find ourselves worshiping idols again.”
We performed a prayer as a greeting to the mosque and toured the place honoring Sayyidna Ali, his majlis, and his life. Then we went downtown where we chose an inexpensive restaurant serving tikka with rice and freshly baked bread. We sat down to eat, pleased with our work so far. Then we started snapping photos and talking with people again until we got tired. Time passed quickly and we didn’t have a chance to visit Karbala, site of the famous battle around which much lore has been spun and which ended with the killing of Sayyidna al-Husayn, may God be pleased with him. We decided to visit it at some point in the future. We hired a car to take us back to Baghdad. I remembered Abd al-Wahab al-Bayyati’s lines of poetry: “For more than a thousand years people have been weeping for the martyr of Karbala whose shed blood still colors the water and the palm trees in the evening.”
I didn’t find Hatim at home and when he came home later he told me that he had to go to the bank to transfer money to his brother Imad. I was tired and did not want to go into a discussion that would spoil my day. I went to bed in silence. He followed me, saying, “Why are you angry? I’ve told you before that I have to share what money I make with my brother.”
I said, “You don’t have that right any more since we were blessed with Yasir.”
He said, “When my father died leaving behind five young children, my brother took the responsibility all by himself because I went to Germany, as you know.”
I said, “And your father left them enough and then some. And you gave up your inheritance so they could continue their education and so that your mother would feel that she was still in control of things. And I have no objection to that at all.”
He said, “My brother could have gone to work in any Arab country and abandoned my siblings, but he has chosen to stay in Egypt for their sake. Therefore he is entitled to share what money I make here.”
I said, “But you don’t share his profit from the business he set up thanks to your father’s properties and you don’t have a share in the income of his wife the doctor nor a share in his good health and progeny. Only God can distribute his bounty, not you.”
He said, “Nora, you are a reasonable woman and I have never deceived you. Ever since we came to Baghdad I have decided to split our savings and give him his share. So, why are you upset now?”
I said, “You and I and our son are already paying a price by being away from home and family and being separated from each other, while they are taking the fruit of our labor without sharing in the labor. You want to give him a large sum as a gift? That’s fine. But to take a share of our livelihood for life? That won’t happen.”
He said, “Well then you’ll have to accept my going back to Egypt to look after my siblings and reverse roles, and he and his wife can go to work abroad.”
I said, “I am tired. Let me go to sleep.”
He said, “You will not sleep and I won’t let you alone.”
The stewardess finished explaining and demonstrating safety procedures. I don’t think any of the passengers were capable of following the instructions in case of an emergency. The sign to unfasten the seatbelts was lit. I got up to wash my face. On my way back to the seat I asked the stewardess for a glass of water. Nursing makes me thirsty and increases my craving for sweets. I noticed that everyone was busy talking among themselves. The aisles were filled with chatter, reminding me of school bus trips. I picked upthe Egypt Air magazine and turned its pages. My
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