Because the ceremony itself lasted three days and was very costly, families had to partake in lengthy negotiations.
Furthermore, Shaheen was a Shiite Muslim while Ali was Sunni. Both were Muslims indeed, but the misunderstanding and potential animosity between the two communities was far too great. Fate made Shaheen fall in love with Ali, her husband, who shared a common name with the prophet’s cousin, abandoned by the faithful, thus resulting in a new branch of Islam. Their love would need to be strong in order to blossom in spite of the families’ mutual skepticism. An old cousin had told Ali: “Marrying someone out of love always brings disasters. Passion is not meant to last. It will consume you both.” He had turned a deaf ear to her pleading. His own cousin was married to a man she had
