The Judge's Widow of Kairouan | أَرْمَلَةُ القَاضِي في القَيْرَوَان
"A powerful widow known for her piety by day harbors burning desires fulfilled by a young scholar of sacred law, blurring the lines between sacred and profane."
أَرْمَلَةُ القَاضِي في القَيْرَوَان
The Judge's Widow of Kairouan
الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: الوَرَعُ الظَّاهِر
Chapter One: Outward Piety
كَانَتْ فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ المُغِيرَةِ أَرْمَلَةَ قَاضِي القُضَاةِ فِي القَيْرَوَان، أَعْظَمِ مُدُنِ إِفْرِيقِيَّة. مَاتَ زَوْجُهَا وَتَرَكَهَا غَنِيَّةً مُحْتَرَمَةً، تَقْضِي نَهَارَهَا فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَقِرَاءَةِ القُرْآنِ. لَكِنَّ لَيَالِيهَا كَانَتْ جَحِيمًا مِنَ الوَحْدَةِ وَالرَّغْبَةِ المَكْبُوتَة.
Fatima bint al-Mughira was the widow of the Chief Judge of Kairouan, the greatest city of Ifriqiya. Her husband died leaving her wealthy and respected, spending her days in charity and reciting the Quran. But her nights were a hell of loneliness and suppressed desire.
كَانَتْ فِي الأَرْبَعِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهَا، جَسَدُهَا نَاضِجٌ كَتِينَةٍ فِي ذُرْوَةِ حَلَاوَتِهَا. نَهْدَاهَا ثَقِيلَانِ كَقُبَّتَيِ الجَامِعِ الكَبِيرِ، وَوَرِكَاهَا وَاسِعَتَانِ كَبَابِ المَدِينَةِ. وَكَانَ الرِّجَالُ يَغُضُّونَ أَبْصَارَهُمْ عَنْهَا، لَكِنَّ قُلُوبَهُمْ تَشْتَعِل.
She was forty years of age, her body ripe as a fig at the peak of its sweetness. Her breasts were heavy as the two domes of the Great Mosque, her hips wide as the city gate. Men lowered their gazes before her, but their hearts burned.
الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: الطَّالِبُ المُجِدّ
Chapter Two: The Diligent Student
جَاءَ إِلَى مَجْلِسِهَا طَالِبُ عِلْمٍ شَابٌّ مِنْ قُرْطُبَةَ يُدْعَى سَعِيدُ بنَ يَحْيَى، يَطْلُبُ إِجَازَةً فِي عِلْمِ الفِقْه. كَانَ وَسِيمًا كَالقَمَرِ، وَعَيْنَاهُ تَحْمِلَانِ ذَكَاءً يُشْبِهُ السَّيْف.
To her council came a young student of knowledge from Cordoba named Sa'id ibn Yahya, seeking a license in jurisprudence. He was handsome as the moon, his eyes carrying an intelligence like a sword.
"أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَدْرُسَ كُتُبَ زَوْجِكِ المَرْحُومِ،" قَالَ بِصَوْتٍ جَعَلَ رُكْبَتَيْهَا تَرْتَجِفَان.
"I wish to study the books of your late husband," he said in a voice that made her knees tremble.
وَافَقَتْ فَاطِمَةُ، وَجَعَلَتْهُ يَدْرُسُ فِي مَكْتَبَةِ بَيْتِهَا كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ. وَكَانَتْ تَجْلِسُ وَرَاءَ سِتَارٍ رَقِيقٍ، تُرَاقِبُهُ وَتَشْتَعِل.
Fatima agreed, having him study in her home's library every night. She would sit behind a thin curtain, watching him and burning.
الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: السِّتَارُ المَخْرُوق
Chapter Three: The Torn Curtain
فِي لَيْلَةٍ حَارَّةٍ، سَقَطَ السِّتَارُ بَيْنَهُمَا كَأَنَّ يَدًا غَيْبِيَّةً أَسْقَطَتْه. وَجَدَتْ فَاطِمَةُ نَفْسَهَا وَجْهًا لِوَجْهٍ مَعَ سَعِيدٍ، وَثَوْبُهَا الرَّقِيقُ يَكْشِفُ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَسْتُر.
On a hot night, the curtain fell between them as if an unseen hand had dropped it. Fatima found herself face to face with Sa'id, her thin gown revealing more than it concealed.
"أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ،" قَالَتْ، لَكِنَّهَا لَمْ تَتَحَرَّكْ.
"I seek God's forgiveness," she said, but did not move.
"أَفْتَيْتُ نَفْسِي،" قَالَ سَعِيدٌ وَهُوَ يَقْتَرِبُ، "أَنَّ نِكَاحَ المُتْعَةِ جَائِزٌ عِنْدَ الضَّرُورَة."
"I have issued myself a ruling," said Sa'id as he approached, "that temporary marriage is permissible in necessity."
"وَمَا الضَّرُورَة؟" هَمَسَتْ وَقَلْبُهَا يَكَادُ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ صَدْرِهَا.
"And what is the necessity?" she whispered, her heart nearly escaping her chest.
"أَنْتِ،" أَجَابَ، وَيَدُهُ تَلْمِسُ خَدَّهَا. "أَنْتِ ضَرُورَتِي."
"You," he answered, his hand touching her cheek. "You are my necessity."
الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: فِقْهُ اللَّذَّة
Chapter Four: The Jurisprudence of Pleasure
تَزَوَّجَا زَوَاجًا سِرِّيًّا تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ، وَشَاهِدُهُمَا القَمَرُ المُطِلُّ مِنَ النَّافِذَة. وَعَلَّمَتْهُ فَاطِمَةُ فِقْهًا لَمْ يَقْرَأْهُ فِي كُتُبِ زَوْجِهَا: فِقْهَ الجَسَدِ النَّاضِجِ الَّذِي يَعْرِفُ مَا يُرِيد.
They married secretly that night, with the moon peering through the window as their witness. Fatima taught him a jurisprudence he had not read in her husband's books: the jurisprudence of the ripe body that knows what it wants.
"هَذَا بَابُ المُقَدِّمَاتِ،" هَمَسَتْ وَهِيَ تُرْشِدُ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى صَدْرِهَا الثَّقِيل. "لَا تَسْتَعْجِل، فَالحُكْمُ يَحْتَاجُ تَأَمُّلًا."
"This is the chapter of preliminaries," she whispered, guiding his hands to her heavy bosom. "Do not hurry, for judgment requires contemplation."
وَقَضَيَا اللَّيْلَ فِي دِرَاسَةٍ عَمِيقَةٍ، هُوَ يَتَعَلَّمُ وَهِيَ تُعَلِّمُ، حَتَّى أَذَّنَ الفَجْرُ وَهُمَا مُتَعَانِقَانِ عَلَى سَرِيرِهَا الوَاسِع.
They spent the night in deep study, he learning and she teaching, until the dawn call to prayer sounded while they lay entwined on her wide bed.
الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: الفَتْوَى الأَخِيرَة
Chapter Five: The Final Ruling
اسْتَمَرَّتْ دِرَاسَاتُهُمَا اللَّيْلِيَّةُ شُهُورًا. وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يُثْنُونَ عَلَى وَرَعِ فَاطِمَةَ وَاجْتِهَادِ سَعِيدٍ، لَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ المَكْتَبَةَ قَدْ تَحَوَّلَتْ إِلَى مَحْرَابِ لَذَّة.
Their nightly studies continued for months. People praised Fatima's piety and Sa'id's diligence, not knowing the library had become a sanctuary of pleasure.
ثُمَّ حَمَلَتْ فَاطِمَة. وَبَدَلَ أَنْ تَخْجَلَ، أَعْلَنَتْ زَوَاجَهَا أَمَامَ أَهْلِ القَيْرَوَان. "الحَلَالُ بَيِّنٌ،" قَالَتْ، "وَقَدْ تَزَوَّجْتُ كَمَا أَمَرَ اللهُ."
Then Fatima conceived. Instead of shame, she announced her marriage before Kairouan's people. "The lawful is clear," she said, "and I married as God commanded."
الخَاتِمَة
Epilogue
صَارَ سَعِيدٌ قَاضِيًا بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ شَيْخِهِ، وَفَاطِمَةُ زَوْجَتُهُ وَأُمُّ أَطْفَالِه. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ فَتَاوَاهُ كَانَتْ أَرْحَمَ الفَتَاوَى بِالعُشَّاقِ وَالأَرَامِلِ، لِأَنَّهُ تَعَلَّمَ الفِقْهَ مِنْ مُعَلِّمَةٍ عَلَّمَتْهُ أَنَّ الشَّرِيعَةَ رَحْمَة.
Sa'id became a judge after his teacher's death, with Fatima as his wife and mother of his children. It is said his rulings were the most merciful toward lovers and widows, for he learned jurisprudence from a teacher who taught him that sacred law is mercy.