Aisha stirred the pot of simmering qarabiyat, the rich aroma of tomatoes and lamb filling the air. But the warmth failed to reach the hollowness in her chest. Her husband, Yusuf, sat across the table, his gaze distant.
"Aisha," he finally began, his voice heavy. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
Aisha gripped the ladle tighter, bracing herself. Rumors had swirled in the community for weeks, whispers of a younger woman, a struggling widow with children.
"I know this might come as a shock," Yusuf continued, "but I've been considering..."
He didn't need to finish. The air whooshed out of Aisha's lungs. All these years, their life built on shared prayers, laughter, and the cries of their two young sons, all threatened by a single word: polygamy.
Tears welled up, blurring the familiar lines of their kitchen. "But Yusuf," she choked, "we have each other. We have our family."
Yusuf reached across the table, his hand hovering over hers. "Aisha, you know Islam permits it. And Aaliyah... she needs support. Her husband left her with nothing."
Aisha understood the concept. But the reality felt like a betrayal. Images of a younger woman, sharing their home, their life, their Yusuf, flickered behind her closed eyelids.
"Can't we help her another way?" she pleaded.
Yusuf sighed. "I've thought of that. But Aaliyah needs a husband's protection."
A bitter taste filled Aisha's mouth. Protection? Or a claim on Yusuf's time, his love?
The qarabiyat bubbled over, a hiss that mirrored the turmoil within her. Aisha rose abruptly, the clatter of dishes a stark counterpoint to the suffocating silence.
"I... I need some air," she mumbled, escaping into the cool night.
Under the canopy of stars, so vast and indifferent, Aisha let out a sob. How could something sanctioned by her faith feel so wrong? Was her love for Yusuf not enough? The questions echoed in the stillness, leaving no answers, only a heart heavy with a future she couldn't imagine.
YOU ARE READING
A Divided Heart (Miniseries)
General FictionThis is the first part of a miniseries exploring the emotional turmoil a Muslim wife, Aisha, faces when her husband, Yusuf, expresses his desire to take another wife. Themes: The internal conflict between religious acceptance of polygamy and persona...
