My Marriage, the Islamic Rite


The year 1963 ended by me getting my Bachelor degree and being appointed as a teacher in a girls’ school in Luxor, Upper Egypt. Early in 1964, I got a phone call from my father from Cairo informing me of three important events in the family: (1) My sister Siham was expecting her first baby to arrive any time, (2) Some one came and asked to marry me and (3) Another person also came to ask to marry my sister Nadia. I felt very happy and I prayed to Allah that the person who wanted to marry me would be as kind as my father. In June 1964, I packed my luggage and returned to Cairo. The first task for me was to visit my sister Siham who was expecting the birth of her baby early in July 1964.


My father informed me that my fiancé was going to visit us the next day. I was so happy and as usual, I was contemplating. Will my married life be as happy as that of my sisters Siham and Kadria? My mother assured me that my fiancé was from a good family and wished me all the happiness in my future life. I knew that my future husband’s name was Mahmoud Hosny Shahin and he was appointed an administrative officer in the office of the Military Attaché in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. As I heard that I started to weep as I did not like to be that far from my own family.