Veiled Women · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Veiled Women by Marmaduke Pickthall.
Chapter 1
I
On a rooftop in Cairo, a group of women perform a ritual addressing a crow, believing it carries a petition from women to God for equal marriage rights. The Circassian slave Gulbeyzah learns the story from Hind. Below, tensions rise over Yûsuf Bey's infatuation with the English governess, which Fitnah Khânum opposes. The Pasha decides to consult the English Consul, and the little slave Fatûmah reports that the governess has converted to Islam and will marry Yûsuf.
Chapter 2
II
Muhammad Pasha Sâlih, deeply worried about his son Yûsuf's love for the English governess, visits the English Consul to discuss the situation. He reveals that the governess has converted to Islam and wishes to marry Yûsuf, but faces opposition from his wife Fitnah Khânum. The Consul is angered by the conversion and demands to see the governess, while the Pasha hopes to protect her.
Chapter 3
III
Muhammad Pasha returns home and faces Fitnah's furious opposition to Barakah's marriage to Yûsuf. He seeks counsel from his first wife, Murjânah Khânum, who advises him to beat Fitnah. He follows her advice, then prepares Barakah for the Consul's arguments.
Chapter 4
IV
The English governess, now engaged to Yûsuf Bey, experiences a newfound pride and rebellion against her past. She visits the English Consul and Mrs. Cameron, who try to dissuade her from converting to Islam and marrying Yûsuf, but she remains resolute, embracing her new life and identity.
Chapter 5
V
Muhammad Pasha Sâlih, after securing the English governess's agreement to marry his son Yûsuf, faces external pressures from the English Consul and the Grand Qadi to ensure the marriage is conducted honorably. He is deeply offended by the insinuations that he might mistreat her. To protect her, he arranges a substantial dowry of three thousand pounds and a trousseau, and he asks her to write a letter to the Consul to reassure him. He also plans for her to integrate into the harem, assigning Gulbeyzah as her interpreter and promising a European-style wedding, though she prefers native customs.
Chapter 6
VI
Barakah navigates her new life in the harem, receiving visits from Mrs. Cameron who reproaches her for assimilating, and from a mysterious old woman who attempts to lead her to Yûsuf but is intercepted by eunuchs. Gulbeyzah explains the incident as a plot by Fitnah. Barakah engages in conversations about the philosophy of seclusion, participates in trousseau preparations, and learns about Gulbeyzah's secret romantic fantasy with a man on a distant roof. The chapter explores Barakah's growing entanglement in harem customs and her internal conflict between her English upbringing and her new reality.
Chapter 7
VII
Barakah undergoes the traditional wedding bath ceremony at a public bath, experiencing initial shock and humiliation at the unfamiliar rituals, but eventually joining in the play and feeling a sense of belonging and bliss.
Chapter 8
VIII
Fitnah Khânum, anguished by the impending marriage of her son Yûsuf to Barakah, whom she believes to be a barren and bewitching foreigner, consults the sorcerer Abu Sumûm to procure a deadly potion. Despite his warnings and insistence on a three-month delay, Fitnah resolves to use poison sooner, driven by her conviction that Barakah threatens her son and their noble lineage.
Chapter 9
IX
Barakah undergoes the wedding ceremony and is dressed as an Eastern bride. She endures the harem's scrutiny, music, and dance, then meets Yûsuf Bey who is horrified by her painted appearance. Later, she is poisoned by sherbet from Fitnah, but survives after pouring it on a jasmine plant, which dies.
Chapter 10
X
Yûsuf Bey, believing his English bride has been poisoned by his mother Fitnah Khânum, erupts in grief and rage before his father Muhammad Pasha. After learning the attempt failed, he remains inconsolable, torn between love for his mother and his wife. The Pasha and Murjânah Khânum counsel forgiveness and arrange for the couple to move to a garden-house to avoid further conflict. The bride, bewildered by the emotional turmoil, feels isolated and frightened.
Chapter 11
XI
Barakah and Yûsuf honeymoon at the pleasure-house, where Barakah begins studying Islam under Yûsuf's guidance. She visits grand harems, meets Princess Amînah Khânum, and hears the story of a European officer who was poisoned. Mrs. Cameron visits and offers knitting wool. Barakah grows restless, talks to Ghandûr at a window, and eventually goes out alone in a carriage with Ghandûr as escort.
Chapter 12
XII
Barakah attends a reception at the Camerons' against her better judgment, feels alienated by the English women's prejudice, and retaliates by mocking harem life. After leaving, she walks home alone, is attacked by a mob, and is rescued by Ghandûr. Upon arriving home, Yûsuf is furious and raises his hand to strike her, causing her to faint.
Chapter 13
XIII
Barakah faces the consequences of her solo outing, enduring Yûsuf's rage and accusations of dishonor, then falls ill with typhoid. After recovering, she is confined to her room, but a visit from the Pasha offers a diplomatic explanation of local customs, leaving her humbled and resigned.
Chapter 14
XIV
Barakah's illness and recovery deepen Fitnah Khânum's love for her, while Yûsuf and Muhammad Pasha's attempt to appease the English Consul backfires. Ghandûr's grief over Barakah's condition leads to a harem uproar when the ladies are denied access to her sickroom by the Frankish doctor's orders, highlighting the tension between traditional female care and modern medical authority.
Chapter 15
XV
Barakah observes Gulbeyzah's inspection by three Circassian women for a polygamous marriage, reflecting on the joy and acceptance of harem life. She writes a letter to her friend Julia Long extolling Islam and Egyptian customs, but receives a harsh rejection. Barakah's emotional turmoil deepens as she begins to question her own conversion and the loss of her former friendship.
Chapter 16
XVI
The group travels to Paris, where the women experience culture shock and confinement while the men explore the city. Barakah navigates her role as a cultural intermediary, and tensions arise between the sexes, culminating in a jealous fight between Yûsuf and Hâfiz. Bedr-ul-Budûr and Barakah form a bond, and the chapter explores the clash between Eastern and Western customs.
Chapter 17
XVII
In Paris, Barakah and the other women feel increasingly isolated and despondent as their husbands indulge in dissipation. Barakah protests Yûsuf's behavior, leading to his tearful confession and a decision to leave Paris for Switzerland. After a scandalous incident involving the men and the police, the exiled Prince secures their release. The group quickly returns to Egypt, celebrating their escape from the corrupting influence of Europe. Later, the Prince visits, advocating for selective Western reforms while defending the harem system, leaving Barakah conflicted.
Chapter 18
XVIII
Barakah returns from Paris to Cairo, re-embraces harem life, and reveals her pregnancy to the household, leading to widespread celebration and her eventual delivery of a son.
Chapter 19
XIX
Barakah recovers from childbirth while her son is subjected to traditional protective rituals. She invites Mrs. Cameron to visit, but the encounter leaves Barakah humiliated and angry, believing Mrs. Cameron scorned her baby for not being white enough. Fitnah Khânum, convinced Barakah is afflicted by an evil spirit, secretly performs a terrifying zâr exorcism ceremony involving animal sacrifice, which traumatizes Barakah and leaves her ill for weeks.
Chapter 20
XX
During the summer heat, part of the harem stays at a farm near Benha. Barakah gives lessons, Hamdi causes trouble, and the month of Ramadan brings tension. The famous singer Tâhir visits and performs, captivating everyone. Hamdi begs to join him but is refused. After Ramadan, the party returns to Cairo, where Barakah receives a letter from Mrs. Cameron that she tears up in annoyance.
Chapter 21
XXI
Barakah reflects on the differences between Eastern and Western views on love, marriage, and motherhood. She witnesses the death of a baby and the consolation offered by the harem women, observes Hamdi Bey's reluctant wedding that quickly turns happy, and grapples with her own fears and yearnings centered on her son Muhammad.
Chapter 22
XXII
Barakah joins the women of the household on a pilgrimage to the cemeteries during the Bairam and Ragab observances. In the mausoleum, she encounters Umm ed-Dahak, the old woman who once lured her from Muhammad Pasha's house. Umm ed-Dahak offers her patronage and companionship, and Barakah feels a new sense of relief and sympathy.
Chapter 23
XXIII
Barakah settles into her new home with Yûsuf Bey, finding contentment in domestic life and her deepening friendship with Umm ed-Dahak, who becomes her confidante and entertainer. However, her happiness is shaken when Murjânah Khânum criticizes her for neglecting higher pursuits and associating with inferiors, prompting Barakah to reflect on her identity and choices.
Chapter 24
XXIV
Barakah gives birth to a daughter, disappointing the household, and later loses the child to typhoid fever. Umm ed-Dahak tries to accustom Barakah to local customs, including blood sacrifices and the presence of the diseased, but Barakah remains repulsed. Amînah Khânum attempts to integrate Barakah with other European women married to Muslims, but Barakah rejects them out of English pride. Barakah also struggles with fears of ophthalmia and plague for her son Muhammad, and takes preventive measures.
Chapter 25
XXV
Barakah's fierce devotion to her son Muhammad is central, as she defends his spoiled behavior against criticism from friends and Turkish ladies. She grapples with her identity, instructing Muhammad to hate the English yet remember his English heritage. Her friendships with Gulbeyzah and Bedr-ul-Budûr deepen, and a wedding feast ends in tragedy when the bride and groom suffocate. The singer Tâhir, devastated by his daughter's death, vows never to sing again but is eventually released from his oath by the Qadi.
Chapter 26
XXVI
The family matriarchs, led by Murjânah and Fitnah, decide that Barakah is unfit to raise her son Muhammad due to his lack of discipline and respect. They convince the Pasha to intervene, and he confronts Barakah, warning that the boy will be taken from her if she does not enforce proper behavior. Barakah resists, leading to a violent confrontation with Fitnah, who ultimately insists the child must be removed.
Chapter 27
XXVII
Barakah's son Muhammad stabs a little girl in a fit of revenge, leading Yûsuf Bey to take over his education. After days of separation, Murjânah Khânum brings Muhammad back, reformed and respectful, and Barakah comes to accept the change.
Chapter 28
XXVIII
Barakah grapples with her identity and status as a convert and mother in Cairo, feeling jealousy toward European women and disillusionment with Western culture. Her son Muhammad defends her honor against accusations of conversion, while Umm ed-Dahak spins fantasies of future grandeur and revenge. The chapter also depicts the fall of a Khedive's favorite, prompting superstitious revisions to their visions.
Chapter 29
XXIX
The chapter depicts the political turmoil in Egypt as foreign powers, particularly the English and French, exert control. The harem women react with religious fervor and support for the rebel leader Arâbi, while Barakah's son Muhammad becomes increasingly involved in the nationalist fervor, ultimately seeking to join the army against the English.
Chapter 30
The Gathering Storm
Yûsuf Pasha navigates the political turmoil of the 'Urâbî Revolt, meeting with other notables at his father's house to discuss the crisis. He learns he is marked as a suspected notable by the new Committee for Public Safety and plans to bribe a relative of Ghandûr. Meanwhile, he reluctantly agrees to let his son join the army, and Barakah reacts with distress to the prospect of English conquest.
Chapter 31
XXXI
As Muhammad Pasha Sâlih lies dying, Barakah is summoned to his bedside where he expresses regret over the war with the English and fears for Egypt's future. After his death, Barakah's son Muhammad returns briefly from the army, and she struggles with anxiety over his safety amid the war. The chapter also explores Barakah's growing isolation and Yûsuf's distance, as well as the political tensions surrounding the Arabi revolt.
Chapter 32
XXXII
Muhammad is stationed at Kafr ed-Dowâr drilling conscripts, frustrated by their stupidity and his own menial role while battles rage nearby. His harsh treatment of the recruits leads to a mutiny in which he is killed by the men he abused. The soldiers fabricate a story that he died a martyr at the hands of infidels, and his body is sent back to Cairo.
Chapter 33
XXXIII
Barakah receives the news of her son's death as a martyr. She falls into a state of petrified grief, unable to weep, while the women around her perform traditional mourning rituals. Haunted by memories of her English past and tormented by guilt, she resolves to flee her life in Cairo, don a common habbarah, and escape to France to enter a religious order.
Chapter 34
XXXIV
Barakah attempts to flee Cairo but is thwarted by the aftermath of a battle. She wanders lost, hires a donkey-boy, and learns that the English have defeated Arâbi's forces, closing the railway. Despairing, she plans to visit her son's grave but encounters the English army on the road, which reawakens her awareness of the war.
Chapter 35
XXXV
Barakah, distraught and determined to reach the El Afîfi cemetery to pray and die, wanders through the night with the donkey-boy Selîm. She encounters the bustling, fearful streets of Cairo after the English arrival, a brief rest in Selîm's mother's home, a terrifying encounter with robbers in the cemetery, and finally collapses from exhaustion on the plain below the citadel. She awakens to a mysterious, sweet voice.
Chapter 36
XXXVI
Barakah, distraught with grief, encounters Tâhir in the early morning. He is waiting to call the dawn prayer at the Sultan Hasan mosque, having vowed to do so in the face of the victorious infidels. Barakah listens to his transcendent singing, which brings her a moment of spiritual revelation and peace, before Ghandûr and Selîm arrive to escort her home.
Chapter 37
XXXVII
Barakah returns to the harem after her flight, grieving the loss of her son and struggling with her faith and identity. She is comforted by the women, particularly Murjânah, who urges her to surrender her will to God. Barakah contemplates seeking help from the English to return to Christianity and suggests Yûsuf take another wife.
Chapter 38
XXXVIII
Barakah, longing to escape the harem and convert to Christianity, enlists Umm ed-Dahak's help to secretly contact an English official. After composing a letter, she receives an appointment for the next day. She spends her last hours in the harem reminiscing, saying goodbye to friends and her husband Yûsuf, and preparing to leave.
Chapter 39
XXXIX
Barakah, posing as an Englishwoman named Mary Smith, seeks a private interview with an English official to ask for help escaping the harem and returning to Christianity. The official dismisses her, citing non-interference in local customs. Humiliated, Barakah realizes she is neither fully English nor fully Eastern, and resigns herself to harem life, finding peace in self-annihilation and Islam.
Chapter 40
XL
Barakah has fully embraced harem life with resignation, taking up the old Muslim standpoint and denouncing European fallacies. She lives in the old Pasha's palace, accepts Yûsuf's other wives, and remains aloof yet benignant. She criticizes young women who adopt Frankish fashions and monogamic ideals without understanding them. The chapter ends with a scene on the roof where Barakah, Gulbeyzah, Na'imah, and Yûsuf's sisters discuss the changelessness of harem life and the crow ritual.
