# The Howdaj of Falsehood explained — The Book of Khalid

> Chapter companion for The Book of Khalid by Ameen Rihani.

## What happens

Khalid and Najma's marriage plans are thwarted by the Church's ban on cousin marriage, which can only be lifted by paying alms. Khalid challenges the priest's logic, arguing that the Church's prohibitions are merely a means to collect money. Meanwhile, the Jesuits, led by the Adjutant-Bird, conspire to have Khalid excommunicated, delivering a bull that is publicly burned by Khalid, leading to a riot and his imprisonment in Damascus. While Khalid is in prison, the Jesuits attempt to arrange a marriage for Najma with a wealthy, decorated official, but she rejects him. Khalid remains silent in prison, and Shakib's efforts to free him are futile.

## Themes in this chapter

### Individual vs. Institution

Khalid's personal beliefs and desires clash with the institutional authority of the Church, which uses its power to control marriage and enforce conformity.

### Critique of Modernity

The chapter critiques the Church's mercenary practices and the corruption of Ottoman officialdom, suggesting a broader decay in social and religious institutions.

### Suffering and Transcendence

Khalid's imprisonment and silence represent a form of suffering that may lead to a deeper spiritual or philosophical understanding.

## Character check-ins

### Khalid

Confronts the priest over the Church's marriage ban, is excommunicated, burns the Patriarchal Bull, and is imprisoned in Damascus where he remains silent.

### Najma

Pleads with the priest for mercy, weeps when the ban is announced, and rejects the suitor brought by the Jesuits.

### Shakib

Attempts to use his connections and money to free Khalid from prison but is unsuccessful.

### Im Hanna

Pleads with the priest for justice and mercy for her son, and publicly laments his excommunication.

### Father Farouche

Acts as a matrimonial broker for the Jesuits, attempting to persuade Najma's father to marry her to a wealthy official.

## Key lines

> An alm of a few gold pieces, says he, will remove the obstacle; the unlawfulness of your marriage resulting from consanguinity will cease on payment of five hundred piasters.

The priest tells Khalid that the church's objection to his marriage can be resolved by paying a fee of five hundred piasters.

_This highlights the church's practice of selling dispensations, which Khalid sees as corrupt._

> It seems to me that these prohibitions of the Church are only made for the purpose of collecting alms. In other words, you bind for the sake of loosening, when a good bait is on the hook, do you not?

Khalid accuses the priest of creating rules solely to profit from their removal, comparing the church to a fisherman baiting a hook.

_This is a direct critique of the church's motives and integrity._

> And it came to pass, when the Bull is burned in the town-square of Baalbek, in the last year of the reign of Abdul Hamid, some among the multitudes shout loud shouts of joy, and some cast stones.

When Khalid burns the church's decree in the town square, the crowd reacts with both cheers and stones, showing a divided community.

_This event marks a public act of defiance that leads to a riot and Khalid's arrest._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_khalid_se/chapters/vii-the-howdaj-of-falsehood
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_khalid_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_khalid_se/chapters