by The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman- The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma (retail) (epub)
Several days later, Fatima was sitting outside her tent when Ahmed approached her with the elders of Bani Tayy. As soon as she saw them, she stood to receive them and ordered that a meal be prepared for them.
When they had finished eating, Fatima asked, “Men of Bani Tayy, is there something that you came to discuss?”
Ahmed turned to her. “Bani Tayy has long been disturbed by the Bani Kilab clan. They slaughtered our best men, and we could do nothing about it. Now they have heard of your deeds, and the time has come for us to act. You have restored our reputation. Now we want you to focus your efforts on Bani Kilab. Avenge our lost kinsmen, and remove our shame.”
“By all means! Even if I owned the sun and the moon, I would still support you. From this day on, you will see that I am taking action against Bani Kilab.” The elders of Bani Tayy thanked Fatima and returned to their homes for the night.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Fatima prepared her sword and mounted her horse. She had already called her men to ride with her, and together they set out toward the lands of Bani Kilab. Crossing the hills, they arrived to see thousands of well-fed mare camels. It so happened that these belonged to Fatima’s father, Mazlum. Without a moment’s hesitation, Fatima signaled to her men and moved forward toward the herds. They drove the herds back with them toward Bani Tayy. It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting. Mazlum was waiting in his camp, and when his herdsmen arrived without the herds, he shouted, “What is wrong with you? Where are all the camels?!”
“The Fiend of Bani Tayy has captured them.”
At this Mazlum roared in anger, calling for his men. By the time they were mounted and riding, it was night. Mazlum had no idea which route to take, and he and his men eventually had to admit defeat and return home for the night.
Fatima and her vast herds continued until they reached the lands of Bani Tayy, where everyone from the youngest child to the oldest adult came out to meet her. They welcomed her and praised her, and in return, Fatima hosted a great feast.
Several days later, Fatima led another raid on her father’s camp. Again, no one was able to pursue her or find her tracks. For her father, Mazlum, his world was spinning. Suʿda looked on as Fatima returned multiple times with loot from the Bani Kilab lands. She thought to herself, How ironic that it is Mazlum’s own daughter who is his undoing. She who could be the glory of his people! If only the girl knew . . . If I told her that Mazlum is her father, and Bani Kilab is her own clan, then she would ask me why I did not inform her earlier. She might even turn on Bani Tayy. Suʿda decided that discretion was still the best course.
For a full year, the Fiend of Bani Tayy conducted raids on the lands of Bani Kilab. She came and went without a trace, hunting on their lands until one day she raided a clan allied to Bani Kilab. Some of the people who had been tending the livestock came to inform Mazlum, and he called out to his men to make haste. They leaped up like ferocious lions, seized swords and spears, and set out. Mazlum led the charge, wearing iron armor and chain mail. Meanwhile, Fatima had just reached a stretch of flat, unprotected land when she heard horses neighing, bridles clattering, blades hissing, and warriors whooping in pursuit. Mazlum shouted, “You bastard! No matter which sky shades you or which bit of earth upholds you, you are going down!”
“No!” Fatima hefted the spear in her hand and called out to Marzuq, “Cover my back, Brother!” She left the men who rode with her to look after the herds and raced toward her pursuers. She saw Mazlum at the head of the warriors, and Mazlum saw Fatima approaching and knew her to be the Fiend of Bani Tayy.
As they met in combat, Mazlum’s hate burned for the Bani Tayy, whom he believed to be her people. He barked at Fatima, “Meet me on a field so that everyone can see what you are made of!”
“I am the Fiend of Bani Tayy!” Fatima turned her horse with a flick of the reins and raised her spear to block Mazlum’s assault. “I am the one who drove off your animals day after day—come and get me!” They descended into a pasture, their spears clashing. The longer Fatima fought, the stronger and more intense her attacks grew. When they had whittled each other’s spears down until all that was left in their hands were the butts, they drew their swords and sparred. The dust rose around them, clouding everyone’s vision, and the day lengthened as all those gathered craned their heads to watch. Every time Mazlum charged toward Fatima, he found himself feeling sympathy and appreciation for her, so she took to playing with him like a small child might play with a bird. This continued until the sun had reached its peak in the sky, and Mazlum thought he was surely doomed. Fatima could sense his strength, but she overcame him, unhorsing him. When he sprawled on the ground, heart racing, the men of Bani Kilab rushed in to defend him. They attacked her from every angle, but she held them off and, calling for her men, attacked right and left.
Even in the midst of this battle, Fatima never let up on the combat with her father until she had tied him onto a horse and handed him over to Marzuq before returning to finish off her assailants.
One of Fatima’s warriors went ahead to notify Bani Tayy of her arrival and the outcome of the latest battle. The people came pouring out of the camp to celebrate the victory. They gawked at Mazlum, secured to a horse. Fatima called for a tent to be prepared for Mazlum’s use.
Suʿda watched these proceedings anxiously, knowing that the next step for revenge in the blood feud would be Mazlum’s death. “God holds each of us, and to God we all return,” she muttered the scriptural adage.4 If only the girl knew that he was her father! I can hardly believe that she could overcome him. She has so much power. Suʿda covered her face with a light veil and entered Mazlum’s tent.
“Peace be upon you.”
“And upon you,” replied Mazlum from where he lay tied up.
Suʿda sat at his head and said softly, “Oh, Master, how on earth did she overcome you, when you are such an experienced warrior?”
“Honest to God, I saw her pull moves that I have never seen any man master. She is a fierce and formidable fighter. I also found myself won over by her. My hand would not reach to hurt her; it was as if it was paralyzed.”
At that, Suʿda began to cry uncontrollably. She was so overcome that she departed and went to sit at Fatima’s door.
“Mother, what happened?” Fatima came out, concerned for the only mother she knew.
“My daughter, you know the man you captured?”
“I captured him. How could I not know him? He’s Mazlum, son of Sahsah, son of Jundaba the Kilabi.”
“Yes, dear, but he is also the closest of people to you by kinship.”
“What do you mean?”
“As God is my witness, he is your father, and you are his daughter.”
“You’re right!”
“How do you know?”
“Because every time I went to strike him, my heart would contract as if I cared about him. My joints got shaky, and my hand would go limp. I could see that the same thing was happening to him, and so you must be right.”
With great urgency, Fatima stood and took Suʿda inside. “Tell me what happened. Surely I wasn’t born into servitude. Tell me everything.” Suʿda told her the whole story.
When Suʿda finished, Fatima bowed her head in relief and gratitude for her good fortune at being the child of one of the most prominent Arab chiefs. She waited until nightfall before she and Suʿda crept into Mazlum’s tent and released him.
Stunned and confused, he asked, “Why?”
“This is my duty,” Fatima said in a hushed tone. “Suʿda, you tell him.”
Suʿda lifted her veil, and Mazlum’s eyes widened. “You are Suʿda!”
“Yes, Sir, and this is your daughter, Fatima.”
“God be praised for giving me such a lioness!”
Fatima, seeing that he really was her father, grasped his hands and kissed them and his forehead. Mazlum hugged Fatima to his
chest and kissed her forehead, murmuring, “God forgive me.” Weeping tears of joy, he said, “I am so glad to meet you.” Then Fatima held out to him a coat of mail and other gear, saying, “Put this on, Father.” She was already outfitted. Then she signaled to Marzuq and her warriors, saying, “Put the goods and the captives on camels, and take them to the camp of Bani Kilab.”
“As you wish,” they answered, and set about silently settling tents, goods, and people onto camels.
Fatima rode her horse, her father mounted behind her, and drove before her all the herds that she had captured throughout the past year. She moved as quickly as possible, but her departure was soon noted by some of the Bani Tayy. They went to inform her master, but he told them that she must have just taken her herds out for fresh foraging.
Fatima and her band continued moving all night, and then stopped in the morning for prayer and respite. When they resumed their journey later that morning, suddenly the Bani Tayy scouts came into sight, and Fatima pulled in her reins and sped away at a gallop.
When the Bani Tayy had discovered Fatima’s empty campsite that morning, with all of her tents and possessions taken, they had concluded that Mazlum had bribed the slave girl with his riches. Like the waves of the sea, six hundred fifty warriors surged after Mazlum and their Fiend. As the first scouts crested a hill and spotted Fatima’s group below, the others followed quickly behind.
Seeing the horses pouring over the hill, Fatima turned to her father: “They’ve caught up with us and are not taking your departure very well. You stay with Marzuq and the herds until I return. I’ll go reason with them.”
“May God help you!”
Fatima turned back to meet the oncoming horses, with Ahmed in the lead. She and Ahmed slowed their horses and then halted, facing each other.
“I am the Fiend of Bani Tayy, and I come to you in peace. Gentlemen, you are all experienced warriors, and I salute you. Are you prepared to hear me out?”
Ahmed spoke up. “Bani Tayy, this woman has proven herself equal to a thousand fighters. Let us hear her out; no one is to interrupt her.”
One spoke on behalf of the group: “Agreed. Tell us what you have to say.”
“Men of Bani Tayy, as you know, God determines the course of fate, and that of each of us mortals. Some of you may know already, but for the rest of you, I have learned that I am Fatima, daughter of Mazlum, chief of the Bani Kilab. Marzuq is my milk-brother. I was separated from my father, and now I have been reunited with him. Who can blame me for returning to my own father? I don’t want to fight you. I grew up in your lands and at your campsites.”
Ahmed was the first to speak. “You have spoken honorably, and you have done many great deeds. It seems right somehow that you are of noble birth. My heart told me that you were not born a slave. If I did not carry the responsibilities of family and loyalty to Bani Tayy, I myself would follow you and work as one of your warriors. It would be an honor to be in your company.” He concluded, “May God bless you.” Then he turned his horse back, calling out, “Go back, Bani Tayy!”
THE SORRY AFFAIR OF FATIMA’S MARRIAGE1
Reunited, Fatima and her father, Mazlum, returned to the lands of Bani Kilab. The herders marveled at the approaching droves of livestock that filled the horizon. On seeing Mazlum at the front, they alerted the people in the campsites, and a great clamor arose.
“What’s all this?” asked Fatima as she reined in her mount.
One of the celebrating herders smiled at Mazlum: “Welcome back, Sir!”
When Mazlum entered his tent, Salam started to hurry out from another room but halted when she saw another man with her husband. She was reaching for a scarf when Mazlum grinned and called to her, “You don’t recognize this relative?”
Salam came toward Fatima, who was dressed in riding clothes like a man and had her head and face wrapped with a cloth. Salam stared long at her daughter, and blood quickened to blood. She spoke to her husband: “Cousin, I’ve never seen him before, but I feel like I know him.”
“This is no boy—it’s your daughter, Fatima!” Then he called for Suʿda, who entered and explained everything to Salam. Crying with joy, Salam kissed her daughter repeatedly.
“Look, My Lady, at what I’ve brought up for you—a formidable lioness, a woman of women, a brave one in hard times!”
After they had all settled down to talk, Mazlum asked Salam, “You know the Fiend of Bani Tayy?”
“Yes,” Salam replied, “I’ve heard people in our area speak of her.”
“She is your daughter here.”
Salam gaped at Fatima.
* * *
—
When the news of Mazlum’s return reached Zalim, he received it with anything but joy. During Mazlum’s absence, Zalim had taken charge, gleeful at the news of his brother’s capture. He had gathered his associates, assured them that Mazlum could not possibly escape death at the hands of the Bani Tayy, and then exposed the treasures Mazlum had kept hidden away. He had showed off his father’s gold, silver inlaid with jewels, and nuggets of emerald and aquamarine.
Zalim’s son Walid was the fiercest warrior of his clan. Seeing his father upset at the news of Mazlum’s return, Walid offered to eliminate Mazlum. At that moment, a group of the clan’s elders entered to remind Zalim of his duty to go greet his brother. They also informed him of all they had learned, including the fact that the Fiend of Bani Tayy turned out to be Mazlum’s own daughter. At that, Zalim’s world turned upside down. I am still not rid of him, he thought.
Zalim rode out to Mazlum’s camp, accompanied by one hundred mounted warriors. There Mazlum welcomed Zalim into his pavilion, and when they were both seated, he chided his brother, “What’s this I hear about you celebrating my demise?”
“Oh, I only acted like that to reassure people that everything would be all right. I mean, I knew that the Bani Tayy couldn’t possibly kill you when you’re backed by the likes of me and all of our people! I would have had you freed as soon as I learned of your location and could negotiate for your release.”
“I see,” Mazlum said pointedly, and called for the trays of food.
“Brother, where is your daughter, Fatima? Why does she not eat with us? We are all family, after all, and my son is like a brother to her!”
“She’s with Salam. Eat—you can see her later.”
Zalim and Walid ate their fill and stayed that night in Mazlum’s pavilion. The next day, Mazlum called for a great feast for everyone in the area. All the people helped with the preparations and enjoyed the meal, and then they departed, leaving Zalim and Walid alone with Mazlum.
“Brother,” said Zalim, “even if we have to stay with you for a year, we’re not leaving until we see your daughter and give her our greetings.”
“Well, then I’ll let her know you want to see her, and we’ll see what she says.” Mazlum went to Fatima’s quarters, saying, “Your uncle wants to see you. He’s at my place right now.”
“All right, tell him I’m on my way.” Salam had recounted to Fatima the entire history of Zalim and his treachery. As she listened, there grew in Fatima’s heart a strong dislike for her uncle and his son Walid. As she prepared to meet them, she took special care with her appearance. She had not dressed up in women’s clothing since the day she fought Qarih and began her warrior life. Today, however, she dressed in a long robe of white Egyptian cotton striped with gold threads. She wore a scarf on her head, with some of her hair gently pulled out to frame her face. The end of the scarf fell across her chest, and she retained a very thin veil over the lower half of her face, so that the most visible part of her was her eyes.
Fatima entered the room, greeting her uncle and cousin, and she joined them at their meal.
“My dear,” said her uncle, “you’ve come in all your finery, but we were hoping to see your face.” He reached out, lifted her face veil, and dropped the scarf from her he
ad. Her presence filled the room like a full moon. As he beheld her radiance, her cousin Walid’s heart flip-flopped and his head swam. Fatima brushed off her uncle and replaced her veil and scarf. Everyone continued eating and spent the whole afternoon in conversation. At nightfall, Fatima went to join Salam.
Zalim and Walid rode off in the morning. Walid spent the journey thinking about Fatima. As soon as they arrived home, he went to his mother and asked her to intercede with his father so that he could see Fatima more. She assured Walid that she would take care of Zalim. That night, she told Zalim that Walid was in love with his cousin Fatima.
“You know,” Zalim replied, “they suit each other. They both dress well and are very civilized in comportment and speech. They seem meant for each other! I’ll see to it that they marry for two reasons. First of all, she’s very pretty. And second, if she marries our son, then she will lose the independence that gave such strength to her past actions. Mazlum is far too indulgent a father. If we break her, then it is only a matter of time before we win back all her father’s wealth.”
“So what do we do?”
“You shall see.”
Zalim soon arranged for a feast to be prepared, and then sent a messenger to invite his brother Mazlum, urging him to bring with him “your pearl of a daughter.”
Mazlum left the messenger in order to speak with Fatima. She replied, “You go, Father. I have no need to see them.” Mazlum could not change her mind, so he rode with a few of his close friends.
When Mazlum approached the tents of Zalim’s people, Zalim and Walid came out to welcome him. Walid sighed in exasperation when he did not see Fatima in the group.
When they were all seated, Zalim asked Mazlum, “Where is your shining sun today?”
Mazlum replied, “She declined to come with me.”
“That won’t do,” said Zalim. He arranged for a servant to ride to Fatima with one hundred warriors wearing dress swords adorned in gold and silver. He gave the servant a message for her: “Convey to my niece our greetings, and then tell her not to withhold her company from us. If you insist on denying us this pleasure, then we shall have to come to you!”