39 stories
פרשת אלנבי | Allenby Affair
On gritty Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, a sex shop owner and a religious customer explore forbidden territories together.
בלוז בן יהודה | Ben Yehuda Blues
A street musician on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda Street falls for a religious woman who stops to listen every day—but never speaks.
Medina Moonlight
Salma teaches calligraphy in the holy city. When divorced imam Hamza seeks to commission Quranic art for his mosque, their sessions become sacred in unexpected ways. 'Al hubb ibada' (الحب عبادة) - Love is worship.
חצות במקווה | Mikveh Midnight
A secular woman goes to the mikveh before her wedding—and discovers the mikveh attendant has secrets of her own.
לילות נתיבות | Netivot Nights
In the holy city of Netivot, a Baba Sali devotee finds her faith tested when she falls for a secular teacher.
התעוררות בבני ברק | Orthodox Awakening
A married Haredi woman discovers desires she was taught to suppress when a secular repairman enters her Bnei Brak home.
סוד השבת | Shabbat Secret
A secular man invited to his girlfriend's religious family for Shabbat finds himself drawn to her observant mother.
מתיקות שבועות | Shavuot Sweetness
On the night of Shavuot, studying Torah becomes studying each other when two students share more than sacred texts.
געגוע ביבנה | Yavne Yearning
In the religious city of Yavne, a widow finds unexpected comfort with the man who studies Talmud with her late husband's old chavruta.
ישיבה בירושלים | Yerushalayim Yeshiva
A yeshiva student questions everything he believes when he falls for his study partner—another man.
The Somali Mosque Caretaker
She cleans the mosque on Franklin Avenue—a thick ebony widow who's been caring for the community space for decades. When he volunteers to help, she shows him corners of the mosque no one else sees. Some devotion happens in private.
The Somali Quran Teacher
She teaches Quran to children in Cedar-Riverside—a thick ebony widow who memorized the entire holy book. When he signs up for adult lessons, she offers private instruction. Some knowledge requires intimate study.
The Friday Prayer
After Jummah prayers, the mosque empties. But the thick widow who organizes the women's section stays to clean. He stays to help. In the empty prayer hall, they find a different kind of devotion. Some worship requires privacy.
The Madrasa Mother
She's the head of the PTA at the Somali madrasa—a thick widow who organizes everything. When he volunteers to help with the fundraiser, she shows him how she thanks dedicated helpers. Some gratitude is best expressed behind closed doors.
The Ramadan Revelation
During Ramadan, he helps serve iftar at the community center. The thick widow who runs the kitchen has been fasting from more than food. After the final prayers of the month, she breaks her longest fast—with him.
The Mosque Caretaker's Daughter
She grew up in the apartment above the mosque in Whitechapel. He's the new assistant her father hired. They shouldn't meet at night in the empty prayer hall. They do anyway.
The Masjid Maintenance
He volunteers to maintain the mosque on weekends. The thick widow who cleans the women's section has been there even longer. When they're both working late one Friday night, she shows him a room the congregation doesn't use—and what happens there.
Sunday Service
She's the pastor's wife. He's the new youth leader. What happens in the church basement is anything but holy.
Behind the Mosque
During Jummah prayers, while the men worship inside, his aunt leads him to the storeroom behind the mosque. Some sins are sweeter near sacred ground.
Madrasa Nights
He teaches Quran to children by day. The thick headmistress calls him to her office after hours. Her lessons aren't in any holy book.
Baada ya Jumu'ah
The old mosque caretaker dies, leaving his thick widow in the quarters. He volunteers to help. What happens after Friday prayers stays between them and Allah.
Mke wa Imam
The imam is old, pious, consumed by his duties. His wife is thick, forty, invisible to the congregation. He tutors their children after school. She watches. She waits. Then she teaches him.
Confession Booth: Part 2
Word spread about the young priest who truly listens. Now Margaret isn't the only widow in the congregation who needs his special brand of absolution. Tonight, three more are waiting—and they've agreed to share.
Hajj Preparations
The pilgrimage guide leaves for Mecca, trusting him to help his thick wife prepare the home for his return. Forty days alone with her. The preparations become something else entirely.
Mother Superior
A young priest is sent to investigate rumors of impropriety at St. Catherine's Convent. What he finds isn't heresy—it's a sisterhood that takes vows of devotion very seriously. And they've been waiting for him.
The Quran Teacher
She teaches Quran to the children of Zanzibar's elite. When a grown man comes to her for lessons, she teaches him things not found in any holy book.
Dugsi Dilemma
He volunteers at the local dugsi—the Somali Quran school—to help with administration. The thick divorced teacher who runs the evening classes has been eyeing him for months. One night, after the children leave, she teaches him a lesson not found in any holy book.
Mwalimu
The new Quran teacher is a thick, widowed woman who covers everything but her eyes. Her lessons are private. She teaches him surahs. Then she teaches him what the texts never mention.
Confession
She's 58, widowed, hasn't been touched in years. He's 26, newly ordained, hearing confessions alone. She tells him things no priest should hear. He knows he'll be damned. He goes anyway.
Baada ya Isha
His father remarries a devout Swahili widow. She's always in her buibui, always at the mosque. But after Isha prayer, when his father travels, she comes to his room with needs her piety cannot contain.
The Sheikh's Mother
His best friend is the most respected religious leader in Mombasa. His mother is the most forbidden woman he's ever wanted. Some friendships come with complications.
Verses and Vows
She wants to improve her Qur'an recitation before Ramadan. He's the teacher her mother recommended—patient, knowledgeable, and too handsome for tajweed lessons. Between verses, they find a different kind of connection.
Confession
He came to confess his sins. She gave him a different kind of penance.
The Mosque Cleaner
She cleans the mosque after everyone leaves. He stays late for prayer. In the empty halls of the holy place, they find something unholy together.
Tarawih Break
Ramadan nights are for prayer. But between the long tarawih sessions, there are breaks. His neighbor uses those breaks to teach him something other than Quran.
The Imam's Wife
While the imam preaches to his congregation, his wife preaches something different to their houseguest. Some sermons happen behind closed doors.
The Madrasa Teacher
She taught him Quran when he was seven. Now he's twenty-five, and Mwalimu Khadija has lessons of a different kind. Some teachers never stop educating.
Iddah
Islamic law says a widow must wait four months and ten days before remarrying. She's been waiting three weeks. Her stepson has been waiting longer. Some rules are meant to be broken.
Pilgrimage Sins
The night before his aunt leaves for Hajj, she asks him for one final sin. She wants to arrive in Mecca with something worth repenting.