Chapter 1
"The sun rises overhead, my son. When the sun rises, it sweeps away all the darkness. So is the soul of man. There is a difference, of course. If you succumb to your ego, a dark life surrounds your life. If you stand against your nafs, you will always keep the sun at the top of your life. Be on the path of Allah. Do not covet haram. Appreciate what you have. Only Allah knows what will happen tomorrow. Let the Holy Quran be your guide."
The elders of the house were up before sunrise. It was time for prayer. Everyone prayed and went to their rooms. An hour later the sun was overhead. The family members retreated to their rooms and began to get ready. While the little girls were baking bread, their mother was busy setting the table. "The bread is baked, mom. Can you take it?" one of the girls asked. Her mother patted her daughter on the head and kissed her cheeks. Then she carried the bread and put some on the table. At that moment, the men of the family started to arrive one by one. Everyone slowly settled down. When the men arrived, she asked them one last time if they had one more request. When they found out that everything was in place, they went to the kitchen. They took their children with them and ate in the kitchen. In Mardin, it was something like a shame for women to eat with men. It was not welcome. So they would prepare and eat their meals in a separate place from the men. They considered this as a sign of respect.
The eldest was Hasan. The youngest was Melikşah. He was called the little scholar of the house. By the age of 7, he had finished the Koran. He was smarter than his peers. His father wanted him to be educated by a scholar. While he was studying at the madrasah, he was traveling around the cities with his teacher. His age was growing with the knowledge he accumulated.
He liked going to Damascus and staying with his great grandfather the most. It was his great grandfather who cared for him the most. He was disciplined in everything. "Look Melikşah. You can go wherever you want, you can travel, you can buy whatever you want. But this house has certain rules. When it is ten o'clock, everyone sits down for breakfast. This never fails. Lunch is eaten after the noon prayer and dinner after the evening prayer. Make sure you are home at these times. As long as you stay in this house, you are obliged to follow the rules." Melikşah never objected. He would do as his grandfather wanted.
One day he went to visit a house with his grandfather. He was going to meet another scholar. They bought some treats and went to their house. A boy of the house met them at the door. He was wearing black robes and a thin white hat. Guided by him, they went to the guest room of the house. The guest room had no door. Instead of a door, a black cloth was hanging. When everyone was seated and chatting, tea was prepared to be served. A woman passed a tray with cups and a tea cozy under the cover. The boy of the house picked it up and placed it on a white table off to the side. Then he poured a cup of tea for everyone. Melikshah watched in amazement at what was happening. The women here were not visible to the guest in any way.
The visit was short. Maliksah conveyed to the members of the household that he was very pleased and grateful for the visit. He left the house led by his grandfather. Two hours after arriving home, his grandfather called Melikşah to his room. He told him that he should immediately pack his belongings and go to Mardin. Melikşah approved his grandfather's request and immediately packed his belongings and prepared for the journey.
It was late at night. He was deeply tired. He had to go to sleep and get up early. He set the alarm clock and went to bed. When the clock struck five in the morning, he got up and prayed. Then he took his belongings and went to the bus station with his grandfather.
As he left his grandfather, he could not hold back his tears. It was as if he would not see him for a long time. He still couldn't understand why he had to leave in such a hurry. She would find out all she wanted to know when she got home.
After a day of traveling, she arrived home.
Her father greeted her at the door. She missed his smiling face. She hugged him tightly and tried to make him miss her. When she passed through the door of the house, there was an air of sadness. His mother was sitting in the courtyard of the house with her head tied up in a bow. Obviously something had happened. He looked at everyone. They were not much different from her. After giving what she had to her sister, she went to her mother. Her mother was staring at the ground, crying, shaking her head. She looked at everyone again, as if waiting for an answer. No one was making a sound. After this silence, she realized something. Her brother and sister were missing. He asked his mother. Her mother did not answer any of her questions as if she had surrendered her soul. He ran to his father this time. He waited for an answer from him. His father took him by the hand and took him to his room. He told him one by one what had happened.
His brother broke his promise with the girl he was promised to and married a girl from the city. The girl's family was very angry and said, "Either blood will clear this up or we will take their honor." So they kidnapped the middle daughter and took her away." She was only nine years old." said her father. His smile had faded and his face was wet with tears. "I have one more piece of news for you. They said they wanted a dowry. Another girl for that girl. After kidnapping the girl, they came to the house with a gun. They told them the girl was married. They said, "Either we shed blood or we take a daughter." One girl was given for one girl. His father said sadly, "You will marry this girl." Melikşah never said no to his father. Whatever he said, he said yes. But this was a very heavy burden. How could he marry a girl he did not love? He was only twelve years old...
His father forced a religious marriage. But Melikşah tried to stay as far away from everyone as possible. His friends started making fun of him for getting married at such a young age. Over time, she became lonely. He could not bear to go to madrasa and have his friends make fun of him. So she dropped out of her education. She didn't talk to anyone much and always hid her body in a corner. One day she would have to face this reality. Maybe she would even have children from this marriage.
