(Chapter One)
I woke up in the morning, at seven o'clock, on one of the days of the month of March in the year 2004 CE. I turned on the computer to check my email; as usual, deleting most of the messages of a strange character is the routine task I perform, then keeping the ordinary messages through which the sender's identity and the subject of the message are clear, so as not to be afflicted with a virus that wrecks the computer and what is in it, as happened to me once..
.
I began opening the messages one after another, as I was about to sip a cup of hot tea..
Click..
The message opened..
Sender: Umm Muhammad..
Subject: A request for a religious ruling.
Text of the message:
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
And blessings and peace be upon the master of the messengers, Muhammad
and his Household, the good and the pure
Your Eminence Sayed Al-Mosawi .....
I am a Muslim girl who married a person living in a European country, and because of the difficulty of my traveling to the country in which my husband lives, I lived with my relatives, who live in another European country..
Through living with him for intermittent months, I discovered his bad character, and that he had been transformed into a Western man who cares nothing for religion or morals, consorting with Western women in fornication, and paying no heed to religion..
The first thing I asked of him was divorce.. because I cannot bear to live with such a person. He was glad of that and the matter did not concern him, because he wanted to be rid of me so that I would not spoil his new life for him, and so that I would not remind him of religion..
I was divorced from him, and both he and I were assured of the validity of the divorce, because he relied on my relative, who claimed to us that he was well versed in religious matters; and this is what he was reputed for, that is, known for (I mean my relative): that he is a believing man with knowledge of such matters..
Since my ex-husband was not versed in or concerned with religious matters, that is, he was ignorant, and I too was ignorant and knew only a little about matters of divorce, and although the divorce took place by telephone, because my ex-husband lives in one country and I in another, as I said before, my relative nevertheless took it upon himself to make my former husband understand the divorce formula, and the divorce took place by telephone, as I said.
A year later I married a second man, a believer, who changed my life after I had been living on sedatives; during the two years I spent with him I was transformed into a woman who seeks the religion of Allah in full and asks His forgiveness, obedient, performing the obligatory and the recommended acts, assiduous in listening to lectures..
And here the catastrophe happened..
When I listened to one of the lectures, I came to have doubts about the matter of the divorce from the first husband, because I understood from the lecture that the two witnesses must be at the same time and place; and what I learned from my relative is that my ex-husband called him and recited the divorce formula to him in the presence of my relative's wife, meaning that the witness here was a man and a woman; then my ex-husband called again a minute later so that another man would witness the divorce... and here the time and place of the two witnesses differed.
Now, after my thinking became confused and I came to doubt the validity of the first divorce, my second husband and I came to an understanding and a temporary separation, so we no longer live as a married couple..
I have learned that this relationship, if the first divorce was not valid, counts as intercourse by mistake (waṭʾ shubha), in which there is no sin, because of my ignorance and the first husband's ignorance of the correct divorce formula..
The problem now is with the second husband: what must be done??
For I am greatly attached to him and love him deeply, and I cannot part from him; and you know the difficult circumstances of life in Europe, and also I have no provider at all here.
My question:
Do I have the right to return to the second husband, who had intercourse with me by mistake, ignorant of the matter, just as I too was ignorant of the matter??
I beg you, help me, because I am going through circumstances of life or death, since the matter of forbidding my return to my second husband is like depriving me of life, given the impossibility of my returning to my family, because I now reside in a European country, and I have no one but Allah and this man..
Help me! I adjure you by Allah and His Messenger to rescue me, for I have no door to knock on other than yours. May Allah prolong your presence, and may the Master, Almighty, protect you.
Your servant
Umm Muhammad
*************
I stood up on my feet in a state of tension.. and of compassion at the same time, for I know that the sharʿi ruling in such a case, if it is accurate, is that the second husband is permanently forbidden to her.. merely by his having contracted marriage with her.. because she is considered a married woman, since the divorce from her first husband did not take place validly.. that is, she is still bound in marriage to him..
and she is permanently forbidden to him, meaning that it is not permissible for her to marry him at all, for her whole life.. I was much moved by her situation, for she has no one in a foreign land, and she fell victim to the ignorance of someone ignorant of the rulings of Allah the Exalted..
What is to be done?
Thoughts roam in my mind and collide with one another.. and it occurred to me to make myself another cup of tea..
In the kitchen.. I was about to take the kettle to put it on the fire.. The hands of Umm Sayed Hashim took over the task from me, and she finished preparing the tea.. and added fresh mint leaves to it..
and served it to me in the study..
Thank you, bless your hands..
Ah.. this is the best thing I need now, tea with mint..
Despite the thoughts crowding into my mind in a disorderly way.. I decided that a quick reply would be of no use.. One must be completely sure of what actually happened; perhaps there is some flaw, or a glimmer of hope that could make the ruling different, for jurisprudential rulings are very precise.. and religion has not left us any event without laying down for it a ruling that we ought to comply with..
Moreover, the issue is critical and delicate, and it has great consequences.. so caution is necessary..
I took a sip of the tea.. and pressed the (Reply) button on the message, so that it would be sent back to where it came from..
To the virtuous / Umm Muhammad, may Allah the Exalted protect you
We have received your message, and it has our attention; but before answering, I would like to know more details, especially concerning the witnesses, because the witnesses must be two men, present in the same session.. and you mentioned that the witness on the first side was a man and his wife..
And I await your clarification..
Wishing you success.
Mahmoud Al-Mosawi
Click.. (Send) the message..
Meanwhile I turned to reviewing the issue in all its details, and tried to survey the opinions of the various marajiʿ on it. I found that the manuals of practical law are almost unanimous that if the issue is in the form I understood—that is, the divorce was not validly effected—then she is permanently forbidden to him..
I searched for the case of ignorance of the ruling.. or ignorance of the subject matter; I found only affirmation with some, while with other jurists this supposition was not mentioned in the issue..
What is to be done??
It is better that I wait for the clarification from Umm Muhammad, so that we may see what I can do..
Six hours later on the same day I received Umm Muhammad's clarification, and it was as follows:
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings
Your Eminence Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi..
Our master, thank you for your quick reply to your servant... My virtuous master, you asked about the matter of the two witnesses...
The two witnesses exist: they are my relative (the first witness), whom the man who divorced me called, and I heard the divorce formula along with him after my relative turned on the telephone's loudspeaker... then moments later the man who divorced me called a second witness in the area where I live and informed him of the divorce, and the second witness called us at the same time to confirm that the man who divorced me had called him and informed him of the divorce too.
That means the two witnesses were not together in one place and time when the divorce took place, but the second witness confirmed to us that the divorcing husband had called him and informed him that the divorce had taken place..
And here lies the problem..
For most scholars, as far as I have learned, insist on the two witnesses being together in one session while the divorce takes place.
I am among the followers of .........., and you know the difficulty of reaching the country in which he resides, because I live in Europe and the procedures are difficult in the country I live in, just as they are in my own country too..
I have sent several letters to the offices of the marjaʿ we follow, and I have not received a reply until now; some of them came back because of an error in the address. When I contacted some of the representatives, they did not give me an answer on it, because this is among the newly arising matters; so I wrote to many scholars, Your Eminence among them..
We await your kind reply to us so that we may be reassured, for we want nothing but the Face of Allah the Exalted, and a flash of hope that would bring life back to a happy family..
If there is any ambiguity, I am ready to contact you by telephone...
because every minute that passes is hell for us. If we were judged to be under permanent prohibition, where would I go? I have no provider in my country, just as I have no one abroad. I am a person who has suffered for three years from difficulty in sleeping and breathing, and my condition did not improve until after my second marriage to this believing person, who planted true faith within me. Will I lose him.. when he is all I own of the debris of this world..
I beg your pardon if I say that I love him, am attached to him and cannot bear separation. I have reached the age of 35, and I swear by Allah that I was ignorant of the issues of divorce, including the necessity of the two witnesses being in the same session, just as my first ex-husband was ignorant of that, and we relied on my relative, who claimed learning and knowledge.
I married a year after the divorce, fully reassured, just as my ex-husband married a foreign woman, also reassured.
And of course, as I said in my previous message, my second husband was ignorant of that and knew me to be a divorced woman, were it not that I recalled through hearing the jurisprudential lecture and came to doubt the matter; so my husband and I separated from each other as soon as the doubt arose...
I have explained the rest of the circumstances to you in the previous message, and I do not want to go on at length to Your Eminence; forgive me if I have repeated myself, for I am living in a whirlpool that only Allah knows. I hope that you will help me with my affliction—may Allah not show you any affliction or ordeal, by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
May the Master, Almighty, protect you and prolong your life.
Servant of the Ahl al-Bayt and your servant
Umm Muhammad
*******
The message arrived.. and the issue became clear, in its initial form.. The two witnesses were not in one place.. He called one of them and performed the divorce formula, put down the receiver, called the other, and performed another divorce formula with him.. This undoubtedly does not effect the divorce.. so she is still, up to this moment, the wife of the first man. Praise be to Allah the Exalted that the second man, through his religiosity, understood this situation and did not approach her, and no longer lived his life with her as a husband..
I checked the issue according to the view of the marjaʿ they follow.. and found that he holds the permanent prohibition for the second husband, but by obligatory precaution.. meaning that he holds it permissible to follow another marjaʿ in this issue.. and this is the thread of hope that I found..
So the issue may be one disputed among the jurists.. We must research well..
I sent a message to sister Umm Muhammad, telling her that I was following up the issue around the clock, and that I would make my calls and correspondence with a number of the great marajiʿ to obtain a different fatwa.. I also attached to the message the telephone number they had asked for.. perhaps she would want to add something..
Meanwhile, I began with the first step, which was to make sure that her marjaʿ permits her to refer to someone else, and whether they knew of someone who permits this matter and does not rule permanent prohibition..
I sent two emails to two different offices of the marjaʿ.. and telephoned one of their most senior representatives, who was in a Western country at the time..
The phone rang.. Hello.. Peace be upon you
And upon you be peace..
Your Eminence al-.. may Allah protect you..
Yes, go ahead..
I have an important question, if you would be so kind.. and I mentioned it to him quickly, while hearing various voices and noise in the place..
He said: I will call you back in an hour, for we have a Husayni majlis now, and I will look into the issue more precisely..
Very well.. thank you
In Allah's safekeeping..
It was the beginning of maghrib time..
I had arranged with some young men to go to the International Book Fair at the Exhibition Center, and indeed we went. At the entrance.. my phone rang.. and there was an international number from a foreign country.. I said to the young men: Go in now, and I will take the call, because inside there is noise and I cannot hear clearly..
Hello.. Peace be upon you
And upon you be peace..
Who is this.
I am Abu Muhammad (the second husband of Umm Muhammad), the woman who wrote to you over the internet..
And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.. Welcome.. how are you..
He thanked me and expressed his appreciation; then I said to him that it was good that I could verify the issue in some of its details, and also that I would like to tell you about the matter of partial following (tabʿīḍ), and my steps in the issue..
And indeed we began the call in detail, he speaking and I listening.. then I speaking about my steps and what they ought to do, and he listening..
Half an hour passed, and after it another quarter of an hour.. The young men came out of the fair, having finished their tour.. and I was still with Abu Muhammad on the phone call at the door of the fair.. and we went back to the car..
Meanwhile, I asked him how sister Umm Muhammad was..
I stretched out my hand to open the car door, and my hand stopped.. I stayed outside the car to listen to the answer..
He said: She sends you her greetings and apologizes because she could not speak with you, for she is now lying in the hospital, because she has suffered a nervous breakdown..
*******
(Chapter Two)
The situation is very urgent.. so quick action is needed to obtain the opinions of the marajiʿ on this issue, so that we may see whether there is an opinion that says she is not permanently forbidden to him..
I called one of my friends among the religious scholars, who has a direct telephone connection with two marajiʿ, one of them in Iran and the other in Iraq.. and told him to call the two marajiʿ that night to see their opinion..
About an hour later.. my friend called..
Peace be upon you. What are the answers?
He said: Both of them say that she is permanently forbidden to him.. and they both give a fatwa on this issue; they do not hold it by way of precaution either..
Here the issue became complicated, for I feared that their own marjaʿ was the only one who holds the precaution, in which case there would be no benefit.. unless we obtained an opinion from one of the great marajiʿ saying that she is not forbidden to him..
I turned to the websites of many of the marajiʿ, sent them the question in detail, and titled it (A request for a ruling of the utmost importance)..
And awaiting their replies..
This night is very long.. I do not think anyone will answer the request for a ruling, because I sent it at night.. and it is also an issue that may need review.. There was nothing in my hands but waiting.. and supplication..
Twelve o'clock at night.. I check the email again.. to see whether there is anything new? .. I got nothing.. I thought of sending more messages, but this time to the offices of the marjaʿ they follow, to ask them whether they knew of one of the marajiʿ who permits that..
I shut down the computer.. and went to sleep..
I woke to the ringing of the telephone.. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.. I turned to the clock, and it was two at night.. O Allah, make it good..
The call was from abroad, from a Western country.. I picked up the receiver.. Peace be upon you.. And upon you be peace..
You called us at the beginning of this night, and we were at a Husayni majlis..
I realized that he was the marjaʿ's representative; I welcomed him and asked him what had become of our question..
He said: His Eminence the marjaʿ holds that she is permanently forbidden to him, but by way of precaution..
Yes, this is in the manual of practical law; and with ignorance of the issue?
The ruling does not differ.. and she can partially follow another marjaʿ..
And do you know of a marjaʿ who holds that there is no prohibition?
There is a marjaʿ in Qom who holds that.. make sure of it.
Good, if Allah wills. Thank you for kindly answering us..
The representative gave me a general piece of information, that there is a marjaʿ who holds that; but who is he?
I went back to sleep..
In the afternoon of the second day, I received several messages from other marajiʿ..
The answer: In the case supposed in the question, the wife is forbidden to the second husband with a permanent prohibition. And peace.
The second message: the same answer in terms of content..
The issue is getting harder, and that marjaʿ who holds it permissible may not exist..
There are two other messages..
and they are from the offices of the marjaʿ whom the two of them refer to,
The first: it affirms that it is permissible to refer to another marjaʿ in this issue..
And here there is nothing new..
The second message: it affirms that.. and says: Sayed So-and-so, among the marajiʿ, holds that there is no permanent prohibition; she can refer to him in this issue..
Ma shaʾ Allah, this is the flash of hope, and the beginning of the road..
I gathered information about that marjaʿ, and whether he was approved by their marjaʿ, and I obtained good, positive information, praise be to Allah.. So now it is permissible for them to marry each other again..
The first step I took was to let the family live this hope with me, and after that we would work on increasing certainty.. so I sent the two of them a message with this content..
*******
In another part of this world, in that Western country.. at a house set in the middle of a beautiful garden, a taxi stopped at its gate, and Mrs. Umm Muhammad got out of it with her pale, gloomy face, after spending two days in the hospital..
She stopped for a moment, staring at this house which she used to call her home; as for now, she does not know what to call it..
She considers herself a guest in it..
She recalls her happy memories that changed the course of her life for the better: in this place she came to know her new self, and here she came to know life in all its horizons, and religion and its sweetness.. here she found her comfort in its most complete form, and this warm house with its happy family, though she had not borne children.. and in it she bade farewell to all her illnesses and cast them into the sea of oblivion..
She looks with eyes brimming with tears..
A voice from behind pierces her thoughts.. Please come in, for this house is your house.. and I am the guest in it..
This was Abu Muhammad, as if he knew what she was thinking.. He went ahead of her, carrying her bag to the door of the house.. and Umm Muhammad followed him..
Umm Muhammad had never in her life known steps heavier than these steps.. as she awaited an unknown future..
They entered the house like two strangers.. Umm Muhammad lowering her head to the ground.. and Abu Muhammad as if he were the more bashful..
Rest in your own room..
Abu Muhammad hurried to the computer, to check what was new in their case..
And he found the message..
Sender: Mahmoud Al-Mosawi..
Oh.. O Lord, kindness to Your servants.. I hope there is something of hope in this message..
And indeed they obtained the flash of hope..
For there is a marjaʿ who holds that she is not permanently forbidden to him.. but waiting is better, for the sake of more certainty and reassurance..
Abu Muhammad rushed off in his fastest dash—he, the dignified, calm man—to the door of Umm Muhammad's room.. she who was about to lay her head on her pillow..
Umm Muhammad.. Umm Muhammad.. I want you to see this message. Praise be to Allah, there is hope..
She rushed out, forgetting her situation with Abu Muhammad, since she was no longer his wife.. but the news made her forget everything.. She read the message, and her face shone and grew rosy again.. and a new spirit of vigor filled her.. Praise be to Allah.. praise be to Allah..
And they prayed the prayer of thanksgiving, each separately.. for the happy news that they hope will be confirmed..
But what are they to do??
Abu Muhammad wrote a reply to the last message..
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
And blessings and peace be upon the best of His creation, Muhammad, and upon his pure Household
Praise be to Allah, the First before the bringing into being, and the Last after the passing away of things
To proceed....
His Eminence Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi, may Allah protect him
Peace be upon you, my virtuous master, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. In truth the tongue is unable to thank you, for you are the benefactor after Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.. after you gave our issue your attention, and thereby embodied what the Most Noble Prophet (s) and the Imams (a) enjoined—concern for the affairs of the Muslims, caring for them, and doing all that is possible to help them; so to you is the favor, after Allah, Glorified is He, who has tested us..
We ask Allah that we be worthy of this trial, and that we have been patient in the way He loves and is pleased with; indeed He is all-hearing, responsive. So may Allah protect you, my virtuous master, guide your steps aright, and reward you on our behalf with all good..
We thank you for this great news.. for life has stirred anew in your servant Umm Muhammad.. and in us too..
We await your confirmations on tenterhooks..
My greetings and my prayers for your success..
Your servant Abu Muhammad.
**********
I received the message and sent a reply to it, the content of which was that thanks are due to Allah, and this is nothing but a duty upon us to perform whenever we are able, and it is a success granted by Allah, Almighty.. and that I was awaiting the replies of some other marajiʿ too, and confirmation of the same earlier issue..
The next day, I woke up early.. but there was nothing new in the email from the offices of the marajiʿ; there was, however, a message from Abu Muhammad as well..
In it he says that through one of the forums he became acquainted with one of the scholars, who told him that the marjaʿ he himself refers to, who is another marjaʿ.. also does not hold the permanent prohibition.. So he sent the message asking me how far this marjaʿ could be relied upon..
After I finished reading the message.. I said to myself: Glory be to Allah! This family is truly submissive to Allah the Exalted, and they seek nothing but His good pleasure, Almighty is He.. Despite the affliction that has befallen them, they take care in the minutest of things.. even if it is against their interest and against their feelings.. for the principle is the good pleasure of Allah the Exalted..
And this is the most important thing I learned from this experience..
Praise be to Allah.. I passed on to the two of them information about this marjaʿ, and he is indeed one of our great marajiʿ, by following whom one's religious liability is discharged. And I told him to ask the friend to provide him with the answer in writing from the marjaʿ himself, since he is one of those close to him.. so that we could be more reassured..
In the afternoon, I checked the mail again.. to find a message from the office of another marjaʿ.. saying in it: The wife is not forbidden to him, but she is now the wife of the first, and the divorce formula must be performed anew; then she observes the waiting period (ʿidda) of divorce.. and then marries the second anew.
May Allah grant you success.
Praise be to Allah, this is a second confirmation from another marjaʿ, who is also known to them.. I hastened to send the answer to Abu Muhammad and Umm Muhammad..
And the reply came at night..
After greetings, salutations and thanks..
In truth, your message came together with the arrival of the fatwa of His Eminence the marjaʿ I told you about—may Allah protect him and prolong his shadow—and it was full and satisfying as well.. I will attach it for Your Eminence so that you may look at it.. and praise be to Allah for the confirmations that reassure the heart..
And “many a harmful thing is beneficial,” as they say, for in this ordeal Allah has favored us with getting to know one of the sons of the Messenger of Allah (s); this is honor itself, so we praise Allah for this grace. And forgive me for using the proverb “many a harmful thing is beneficial”—Allah forbid that harm should come from Him, Majestic is His Majesty, to His servants—but proverbs are cited and not measured against..
My virtuous master, it is my honor to remain in contact with Your Eminence if you have no objection, and I am here at your service for anything; and do not forget us in your noble supplication. Perhaps a day will bring us together at the master of the free, our master Abu ʿAbd Allah al-Husayn, after the distress has been lifted from the nation of Muhammad (s) through the relief of our master and our Imam, the Master of the Age and Time (aj), and may He make us among those who fight under his banner and are martyred before him, obedient and not compelled, if Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, wills. In closing, accept the greetings of your sister and servant Umm Muhammad, and my greetings and my prayer for your success..
Your servant
Abu Muhammad
Umm Muhammad, in her turn, sent another message..
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
And in Him we seek help
And blessings and peace be upon the master of the messengers, Muhammad, and upon his Household, the good, the pure, the purified.
May you have from Allah an abundant reward, and may Allah accept from you and from us righteous deeds, by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
Our virtuous master, may Allah protect you and watch over you:
The tongue is unable to describe your kindness and your humanity, and before this and that, your faith and your seeking of what pleases Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.. Through this experience of mine, I was deeply shocked when some of the learned representatives replied to me, in terms of the harshness and coarseness of the reply (O Allah, I do not want to backbite any particular person), but it is the truth; and we praise Allah for knowing you, for your grace, after Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has given back to us the smile—indeed, life—for a family that wants nothing but the good pleasure of Allah and the good pleasure of His Messenger and his most pure Household..
However much I say and elaborate, the tongue is unable to thank you, and I possess nothing but supplication for you after every prayer, especially the night prayer: that He always favor you with a manifest opening, grant you victory, keep you well, protect you from every ill or evil, and protect the noble family, by the right of al-Mustafa and his excellent family.
Please accept from me the warmest greetings and esteem..
Your servant Umm Muhammad.
Praise be to Allah the Exalted.. for this success.. Now important procedures lie before the two of them.. that she be divorced anew from her first husband, who is in another foreign country.. Will she find him? Will he agree to divorce her? And will she be able to marry Abu Muhammad anew??
That is what went through my mind at that moment.
********
(The Third and Final Chapter)
Their problem has been resolved.. They knew that it is permissible for them to marry anew.. but they also knew that they are now strangers to each other.. and there remained steps that they must follow, or else they would not be able to marry a second time..
A state of tension prevails over the house in that Western country, and disordered questions have crowded into Umm Muhammad's thinking in particular, and she does not know what to do..
She enters the room, and hardly has she closed the door when she opens it again to go out to the hall.. She tries to sit on the chair, and hardly has her body touched the chair when she gets up again.. She does not know what to do; the joy of the news meant for her the beginning of another challenge..
On the other hand, Abu Muhammad made light of the matter and was optimistic.. and prayed to Allah the Exalted to ease their affair, and that their happy married life would return.. and he wondered: Where do we begin??
The calls began to that country where Umm Muhammad's first husband lives; specifically, she called her relative who had conducted the previous contract, and told him the whole story and what happened after that.. He apologized and expressed his regret for what had happened. Umm Muhammad made light of the matter, for she did not want to get into any wrangling or long talk about the matter, as long as it was over; the hard times she had gone through were enough for her..
It's all right..
Now I want my first husband's telephone number, if you have it..
Yes, I have it.. one moment, please.. write it down...
Thank you..
The call was not long, because she wanted to reach her husband to see what fate had in store for her..
She dialed the number..
The telephone: ringing.. and ringing..
and Umm Muhammad pouring with sweat.. and the tension increasing..
On the opposite side, Abu Muhammad watches the scene, fearing that she might collapse.. He is ready for all outcomes, as is his calm personality, which bears responsibility in all circumstances..
The receiver was finally picked up..
Hello.. Peace be upon you..
And upon you be peace.. Who is this?
Are you So-and-so?
Yes: who is this?
I am So-and-so.
The husband recognized her as having once been his wife.. Welcome; what is the matter?
She is in intense fear; she does not know what kind of person he is now.. She fears a reaction that might never set her free.. so that she would remain his captive..
She decided to tell him the story with all its circumstances, and began to recount it to him, in her new manner that she had learned with Abu Muhammad, full of good morals and refined taste..
He was surprised by the news, but he was even more astonished by Umm Muhammad's new personality.. Ma shaʾ Allah, she is a different person; her respectfulness and the eloquence of her tongue dazzled him..
And he made.. one decision..
I apologize for what happened, and this was not by my will, as you know..
Umm Muhammad said: Of course.. as she awaited the answer in a state of apprehension, her heart attached to Allah the Exalted..
He said: I am at your command.. Anything you want me to do, I will do it, to help you get out of this predicament..
Praise and thanks be to Allah the Exalted..
She told him that she wanted the divorce to be performed anew in a sharʿi form.. He agreed to that and cooperated with her fully..
They contacted one of the scholars in that country, and indeed he performed the valid divorce..
Umm Muhammad's face lit up; she is now free and released.. except that she must go through the waiting period (ʿidda) of divorce..
Three periods of purity (ṭuhr).. Her monthly period must pass over her twice and she must then become pure from both, and when she enters the third period of purity, it is permissible for her to marry Abu Muhammad..
It is close to sixty days..
*******************
The next day began with the radiance of a beautiful morning. Umm Muhammad opened the window of her room to let the threads of sunlight steal inside.. It is a new day.. and a beautiful one.. but the greenery and plants in the garden need care; we have forgotten them for a week; I must water them so that life stirs in them.
She was about to go out to the garden, and opened the door of her room.. and remembered that Abu Muhammad was more deserving of attention than the garden; she must prepare breakfast for him, even if she is not now his wife.. for she is in his care, and the two of them are awaiting the marriage..
She passed by the living room..
and there was breakfast, ready.. She approached the table very quietly.. and in surprise.. looking right and left..
Abu Muhammad is not here..
He had left her a note on the table.. on which he had written: You must take care of yourself.. with enjoyment and good health..
Yes, this is Abu Muhammad, and this is his character.. She knows it. It must be after nine o'clock, and he has gone to work..
And indeed it was so..
She sat down.. and ate her breakfast.. as if she had not eaten breakfast for a long time.. thinking about lunch.. I must prepare lunch for him.. Suddenly her eyes became fixed toward the window..
Will I stay like this for two months.. I must ask him that I move to another place, so that he may be at ease, and then decide for himself the matter of marriage.. Yes, I love him, and so does he.. but this is another life and another chance.. and I ought not to impose myself on him..
She decided to tell him about this matter when he came back from work..
Abu Muhammad arrived.. and there was lunch, ready on the table, without anyone at it.. He smiled.. because she had done just as he had done..
After he had bathed.. he sat down to eat his lunch..
Umm Muhammad came in.. greeted him..
and said to him: I want to talk with you about something.. I want to move to another place.. so that you may be at ease..
And before she could finish what she was saying, he interrupted her.. saying..
Look.. this is a travel ticket I have booked to go to Syria, to visit Lady Zaynab, and from there to Iraq for the Arbaʿin ziyarah.. I will spend the time there.. and when the period is over, I will return..
So he too had thought this way..
And this house is your house, yours.. Take care of yourself.. you have everything you need here..
She tried to spare him the hardships of travel.. and [pointed out] that her moving would be easier.. but he insists, and he wants to visit Imam al-Husayn (a) on the Arbaʿin..
*********
Abu Muhammad's journey began, and the plane landed at the airport of Syria..
He came yearning to visit the Noblewoman of the Hashimites, Lady Zaynab (a).. He held the shrine, addressed her, greeted her, and sought intercession through her..
He stayed there waiting for the time of the Arbaʿin ziyarah to draw near.. He went to one of the travel and tourism offices and booked a ticket to Iraq with it, round trip..
The days passed..
And Abu Muhammad found himself in the middle of the holy city of Karbala..
His soul shone, and he forgot all the worries of this world.. He came forward with a broken heart.. amid countless, innumerable crowds.. all seeking that noble grave..
He walks with the walkers.. his heart with Imam al-Husayn (a).. and his gaze on the end of the road, where the ennobled shrine is..
Allah the Exalted granted him to enter with all ease, and he took hold of the holy shrine with his hands.. and could not restrain himself from weeping.. he burst into abundant tears..
Peace be upon you, O Aba ʿAbd Allah al-Husayn...
He began frequenting the holy shrine at every prayer..
His days passed quickly, because they were full of the remembrance of Allah, of visiting Imam al-Husayn (a), of visiting eminent scholars and cultural and charitable institutions.. and of getting to know people..
*********
Umm Muhammad is occupied with her prayer, her supplication and her thanks to Allah.. but she was living a deadly routine.. trying to distract herself with anything.. She asks time to pass; the sun rises, but it stays a long time.. not as usual..
She wants the sun to set quickly.. but the sunset stays frozen.. without motion..
That beautiful scene that she loves to look at.. which used to go so quickly.. here it is now, motionless..
While she was in this state.. her days passed, and she became pure from her last purity..
She went quickly through the bathroom door.. and performed ghusl, as if she were washing herself of another life, shaking it off herself with the water of sincere intention and of preserving the sanctities of Allah and His rulings..
and put on the garment of the new life.. and went out into a world of freedom from any marital commitment.. with any human being..
These are the days in which it is permissible for her to conclude a marriage contract..
How.. should she tell Abu Muhammad? No.. no.. modesty prevents her from that..
I will not be a burden on him.. and who knows how the world goes; perhaps he prefers not to marry anew.. that is his right.. but it is a thought that tears her heart merely by thinking of it..
I must wait..
One week passed..
And the house telephone rang.. and she hurried to pick up the receiver..
Hello..
Peace be upon you..
And upon you be peace..
May Allah accept your deeds.. an accepted ziyarah, if Allah wills.. What is your news.. are you well..
Yes, praise be to Allah; and you, are you well? Praise be to Allah..
Abu Muhammad asked her: Excuse the question.. have you entered your third period of purity?
It went through her mind.. He knows, but (how many a one asks about his own affair while knowing it).. Umm Muhammad could not utter a single word out of modesty..
He repeated the question..
She repeated the silence..
Abu Muhammad: What?
Umm Muhammad: She pressed her lips together and said (Mm).
Abu Muhammad: Do you accept me as a husband according to the Sunna of Allah and His Messenger?
This whole wide world could not contain her; she needs to soar with her joy into a wider space..
But she kept silent..
Abu Muhammad repeated the request..
Umm Muhammad: She pressed her lips together and said (Mm).
And the warm house returned once again to the world of happy married life.. As long as faith stays with this house, happiness is the foundation in it, and problems in it are something passing, which soon disappears..
(A short story)
