But Zainab would say, ‘May God’s name guard you; your sister protects you.’
This ‘sister’ was an invisible twin who lived underground and intervened to protect a child if he was ever in harm’s way. But Farida was like a big sister, and she included Medhat in her gang of children. She was their eldest and bravest, and she was also the most skilled at certain activities, the leader in games, and would referee competitions and contests. She had many other qualities that Medhat noticed, because she would pay him special attention and sometimes play with him alone, introducing him to the facts of life he didn’t know.
***
A delegation of Qassimis approached the seera one day: Sheikh Hamed; Salama’s father, Sheikh Sayyid; his mother, Nawal; and his uncle, Shabana. Each offered their opinion on
