Kahit.
She decided to name him Karma,
which means ‘fate.' She believed in reincarnation and decided that fate had
sent this sweet baby to their tent.
Almost a year passed by, and little
Karma learned to walk on the small stones and the hardened earth. Everyone
knew that he was an orphaned child without lineage, but persistent rumors floated
among the tent dwellers. Talk and rumors abounded as to the identity of the
dead woman, who had held on to him and wore a garment made of an embroidered
fabric that attested to her elevated status.
When
Karma turned one-year-old, Abdul traveled to the big city, with the embroidered
clothing under his arm. He wandered around the market places, showed it in the
stalls and went back home with a story. It was the tale of a beautiful young
woman called Naziah, the daughter of a distinguished family in the city of Wan.
She had born a son to a celebrated and respected merchant by the name of Sallah
the Great.
*
* *
Sallah was a great and prosperous
merchant whose abundant wealth included herds of sheep and cattle. He cared for
his many employees and paid them generously. Sallah owned a large home in
Istanbul, where he also housed his workers in a building he erected especially
for them. He lived with his family in a two-storey house, with his beautiful
wife whom he had married according to Sharia Law and the Qadi’s ruling. She bore
his five sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Sallah, was fifteen years old
and already considered joining his father on his business travels.
Sallah, the father, would journey to
faraway cities in the course of conducting his business ventures. After
contracting and finalizing his deals, he would return home and send his workers
to execute the transactions. They would transfer the herds that Sallah purchased
and paid for in advance and bring equipment and fodder for the flocks he raised
and nurtured in the large pen on his land.
Occasionally he was compelled to
lengthen his stay in a distant place for several days, and there were times when
he even had to remain for several weeks. Then Sallah would arrange and find
himself a woman for his enjoyment and pleasure. He would wed her in a
deceptive celebration of the temporary marriage with a Qadi’s blessing. Some
unmarried women agreed to such an arrangement and everything was done according
to the custom and laws of the place. He would leave them and return to his
home and family, compensating them according to what their agreement dictated.
There was one incident when he traveled
to a large city, to Bushehr, and remained there for five whole months. Here,
he married one of the women who pleased him so that she would take care of him
and pamper him. And he compensated her with more than double the amount that
had been agreed on because she had pleased him greatly.
His wife never knew about the temporary
wives and Sallah did not think it was a matter that concerned her. Only,
Mustapha, his major Domo, who handled all his workers, was involved and knew
where to locate his boss, when he departed and when he was expected to return.
Sometimes, he even made the purchase of the agreed compensation between Sallah
and his temporary spouse for him.
One day, Sallah came to the city of Wan,
where he had arranged to meet another wealthy dealer called Akai. They met
three times to settle an unusually large transaction. When they concluded the
deal, they shook hands and Akai invited Sallah to join his family for the
evening meal at his home.
At the table, he saw the man’s beautiful
young daughter and was unable to resist her charms. She glanced at him briefly
over the line of her veil and immediately lowered her gaze. Enthralled, Sallah
felt he was drowning in her enormous amber colored eyes. He knew that it was
not polite to approach her directly, especially as no one had introduced them,
so he turned to her mother
She decided to name him Karma,
which means ‘fate.' She believed in reincarnation and decided that fate had
sent this sweet baby to their tent.
Almost a year passed by, and little
Karma learned to walk on the small stones and the hardened earth. Everyone
knew that he was an orphaned child without lineage, but persistent rumors floated
among the tent dwellers. Talk and rumors abounded as to the identity of the
dead woman, who had held on to him and wore a garment made of an embroidered
fabric that attested to her elevated status.
When
Karma turned one-year-old, Abdul traveled to the big city, with the embroidered
clothing under his arm. He wandered around the market places, showed it in the
stalls and went back home with a story. It was the tale of a beautiful young
woman called Naziah, the daughter of a distinguished family in the city of Wan.
She had born a son to a celebrated and respected merchant by the name of Sallah
the Great.
*
* *
Sallah was a great and prosperous
merchant whose abundant wealth included herds of sheep and cattle. He cared for
his many employees and paid them generously. Sallah owned a large home in
Istanbul, where he also housed his workers in a building he erected especially
for them. He lived with his family in a two-storey house, with his beautiful
wife whom he had married according to Sharia Law and the Qadi’s ruling. She bore
his five sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Sallah, was fifteen years old
and already considered joining his father on his business travels.
Sallah, the father, would journey to
faraway cities in the course of conducting his business ventures. After
contracting and finalizing his deals, he would return home and send his workers
to execute the transactions. They would transfer the herds that Sallah purchased
and paid for in advance and bring equipment and fodder for the flocks he raised
and nurtured in the large pen on his land.
Occasionally he was compelled to
lengthen his stay in a distant place for several days, and there were times when
he even had to remain for several weeks. Then Sallah would arrange and find
himself a woman for his enjoyment and pleasure. He would wed her in a
deceptive celebration of the temporary marriage with a Qadi’s blessing. Some
unmarried women agreed to such an arrangement and everything was done according
to the custom and laws of the place. He would leave them and return to his
home and family, compensating them according to what their agreement dictated.
There was one incident when he traveled
to a large city, to Bushehr, and remained there for five whole months. Here,
he married one of the women who pleased him so that she would take care of him
and pamper him. And he compensated her with more than double the amount that
had been agreed on because she had pleased him greatly.
His wife never knew about the temporary
wives and Sallah did not think it was a matter that concerned her. Only,
Mustapha, his major Domo, who handled all his workers, was involved and knew
where to locate his boss, when he departed and when he was expected to return.
Sometimes, he even made the purchase of the agreed compensation between Sallah
and his temporary spouse for him.
One day, Sallah came to the city of Wan,
where he had arranged to meet another wealthy dealer called Akai. They met
three times to settle an unusually large transaction. When they concluded the
deal, they shook hands and Akai invited Sallah to join his family for the
evening meal at his home.
At the table, he saw the man’s beautiful
young daughter and was unable to resist her charms. She glanced at him briefly
over the line of her veil and immediately lowered her gaze. Enthralled, Sallah
felt he was drowning in her enormous amber colored eyes. He knew that it was
not polite to approach her directly, especially as no one had introduced them,
so he turned to her mother
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