Two wives are a source of continual strife in the fellah home. The position of a barren wife is not enviable; barrenness is often the cause of second marriage. Ethman Jibrin, a man in Artas, had two wives, the first had three children, the second was barren. He had to divorce his first wife, Sarah Chaleel, who had been given him in marriage in exchange for his sister Sa'ada, who was given to Sleman Chaleel. But Sleman murdered Ethman, Sa'ada's uncle. After seven or eight years Sleman was released from prison, and, as a consequence of the fright he experienced when he saw the blood gushing out from his victim's throat, he the murderer, being of a scrofulous family, became afflicted with leprosy. Sa'ada, hating her husband as her uncle's murderer, and fearing the leprosy would extend to her, insisted on remaining at the house of her brother. Ethman loved his wife Sarah, but owing to these circumstances a double divorce was pronounced by instigation of Sarah, after I had done my utmost to hinder it. The murder took place on the 17th November, 1875, and the divorce on the 3rd February, 1883. Ethman Jibrin, with his people, and Sarah Chaleel, with her people, assembled in a room, all squatting around. Ethman repeated three times:—
عليى الطلاق بالتلاثه منك با ساره خليل تروحى طالقه بالثلاثه لا يررديك شرع ولا فرع
"Allei il talâk-bi-thalath'e Ya Sarah Khaleel, tawihi Tâlka bil-thalath'e la yarradik shar'e wala far'e."
"May the divorce be sworn three times on you, Sarah, daughter of Chaleel, that thou mayst be divorced by three swearings, and that thou mayst nut be brought back, either by law or by ascendency." This done, Sarah left the room, cursing Ethman: "May God spoil your house— and cut off your children (i.e., her own)—may He never show you mercy." She continued weeping and shouting curses until the very mountains re-echoed. Not long after she went into compact with Ethman's mortal enemy, married him, and had four children up to 1889. Though Ethman tried to get her back before she re-married, he could not. The other couple, Sa'ada and Sleman, also were divorced the same day. But the curses of Sa'ada to her husband were only feigned. A few months later she married her cousin, a young man of about 17, she being 26 or 27. She had had a child at the age of 13 by Sleman, her first husband.
Question 10. What relations are forbidden to marry each other?
Answer. A man may not marry his sister, mother, or grandmother, aunt (father's sister), brother's or sister's daughter, wife's sister, so long as the wife is alive and still married to him; after the wife's divorce he may take her sister. He may not marry a woman and her daughter as this would be considered incest. He may marry his uncle's (father's
