Marriage for the sake of inheritance [Archives:2002/13/Last Page]

Written by Abdulrahman Mutahhar
Translated by Janet Watson
Ma Honestly, Musid, Im really concerned about my sisters daughter. Its awful that she has to stay up until all hours bent over her sewing machine, just in order to make ends meet.
M May God help her. They say that having a skill with your hands protects you from poverty.
Ma God gave her the skill to sew, otherwise youd really see how things were. The husband has been really cruel to her; hes abandoned all responsibility and disappeared without trace.
M Thats incredible! What on earth brought the father to renounce all sense of responsibility towards his children and throw it on to the mothers shoulders.
Ma The reason, my darling husband, is that my sisters daughters husband had his eye on his wifes inheritance. He made all sort of promises and pretended to be nice to her and played the real Romeo.
M Go on!
Ma So when her father died, she was clever and wanted to keep hold of her inheritance. As she said, so that she could keep her children secure when times got bad, particularly once she came to realise how useless and selfish her husband was, and how he was only concerned about his own good.
M God bless her. I can see how clever she was.
Ma Let me tell you the rest of the story. When he found out that she was going to hang on to her share of the inheritance, the husband came out in his true colours and showed that any love and affection hed shown her in the past was simply a pretence. And thats where the trouble started: he began to treat her badly and said that she was not a good, loyal wife to him, simply in order to annoy her and frighten her children. The only thing left to do was for him to get the court to order her to hand over her inheritance. Come on, Musid, tell me what you think of all this.
M What I think is that this person is a good-for-nothing who probably has no confidence in himself. His wife, on the other hand, has every right to her money, and he has no right whatsoever to take what is hers without her agreement, nor has he any right to treat her badly because shes not prepared to hand over her money. Do you see, Musida?
Ma Exactly! If only he would pull himself together, provide for his family, take full responsibility for his wife and children, and stop irritating and upsetting his wife! Without going on too much, my sweetest, he became her legal adversary. Then got up and left her and the children, with no money and with all the responsibility.
M This person is absolutely unbelievable! He starts off wanting to take something that isnt his, and that is greed. And this greed made him pretend to be really loving and affectionate towards his wife just in order to get what he wanted. When his plan failed, he came out in his true colours a weak person who was cruel to his wife and children. He then stopped carrying out the most basic of his religious and parental duties, duties that God has said all parents and guardians should fulfill so that children can be brought up with a set of values and morals within a responsible family that offers them safety and security. It is said, It is better for you to bring up your children properly than to give voluntary alms.

——
[archive-e:13-v:2002-y:2002-d:2002-03-25-p:./2002/iss13/lastpage.htm]