Page 93 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (3)_Neat

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14 NEGLECTED ARAB I,l

home a new wife. She dressed herself prettily, sat around doing nothing
or entertaining guests while all the work of the household fell upon
Fatuma. This angered the father and. he ordered his son to divorce the
new wife. Abdul Kerim wished to keep her, so retorted, “First divorce
my mother then I will divorce my wife/' never dreaming that his father
would consent to such a thing after all the years his parents had lived
together. But when the father could not prevail otherwise he divorced
Um Abdul Kerim and thus forced Abdul Kerim to divorce his wife, who
was then returned to her people. Abdul Kerim took over the support
of his mother and the old father built another room on the courtyard
and brought home another wife for himself. The mother continuing to
live there but having nothing to do with her former husband or his wife.
Nor did the matter end there. It was not Fatuma who entertained me
and took me to the gardens. It was Nura, a beautiful young girl, Abdul
Kerim’s new bride no older than his and Fatuma's daughter Suftia, who
stayed at home to help her mother prepare the luncheon.
“I have no partner wife," gaily declared Nura. "Fatuma and her
daughter are both my servants.”
In truth it was so for pretty bright-eyed Nura held the heart of her :
huslund. And Fatuma, dull, discouraged and hopeless drags on day by
day, too tired and indifferent to even listen to the message which might :■
bring peace to her heart. \

We had been sitting long but the guests showed no signs of leaving.
Would Subiha dare accept the book in their presence? At the last vi*ii
she had said she wanted it. With a prayer I drew forth an Arabic Bible
and said, “Subiha I did not forget the book you wanted."
Eagerly she took it from me and turned to the others as she opened
it. “It is the book of the prophet Moses and the prophet Jesus, on them
be peace. Our Koran tells many things from them but here it is all
written." j|
“Oh, the tales of the prophets. Read to us from it," they replied. j
”My Word Shall Not Return Unto file Void”

Slowly the bellam was poled up the narrow creek through the dai*
gardens to a little village where my Bible woman and I had not been for
two years. A cordial welcome awaited us and the morning sped quickly
with questions and chatting. But though they examined my bag they
would not let me take out the book. “Wait till after lunch when we will
call in the neighbors and all can hear the reading," they said.
So in the afternoon, by twos and threes they gathered and then come
the invitation to read. What a joy to give Christ's message to such on
• eager group! For a long time they listened, interrupting with question*
to us or explanations to each other.
"Where is the Bible we left with you two years ago?" asked the HiUc
woman of Zakkia, our hostess.
“I haven’t it," she replied. “Mohammed Ali is big now and ha%
learned to read in school. He begged it from me and will not give it
back. But at night he sits and reads from it and sometimes he read*
aloud to us."