DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0202
140
C. G. and B. Z. Seligman
We have already suggested that the peculiar circumstances of Kuraysh may have
accounted for the marriages of two of his daughters. The third married the feki, who is
a person of great importance to the tribe and is practically a muhana of the Sheykh67,
so that when he settled among the Nurab the Sheykh naturally arranged a marriage for
him with one of the women of his family. It will be seen that although a few men had
obtained wives belonging to other khasm biyut and tribes, the tribesmen do not easily
allow their women to contract marriages with strangers, and it is obvious that the betrothal
and marriage of immature girls would check any tendency to exogamy.
The erection of the hegil beside the bride’s father’s tent, where the dukhla or con-
summation of marriage takes place is of special interest, as it seems to point to a
formei’ matrilocal grouping. In Egypt the bride is taken to the bridegroom’s house,
where the dukhla takes place; the same occurs among the Arabs of Moab.58 In Morocco
the dukhla takes place in the bridegroom’s house, except among the Aulad Bu 'Aziz.
Among them a special hut is erected near the bride’s house to which the bridegroom comes
to consummate the marriage; the next day the bride is brought to the bridegroom’s
house.59 Burton notes that at Medina the bridegroom visits the bride in her father’s
house and that she then proceeds to the house of the bridegroom,60 while in Yemen
the dukhla takes place in the bride’s house. From Snouck Hurgronje’s detailed descrip-
tion of the ceremony it appears that though the bridegroom visits the bride’s house and
this visit is spoken of as the dukhla, it is only a ceremonial visit: the consummation of
marriage takes place on the following night, in the bridegroom’s house. This night he
calls the night of the Qabhah; sabdh means "morning”, and sabdhfcya means “the morn-
ing after the wedding day” or “a wedding present”.61
The following account is taken from Snouck Hurgronje’s description. On the even-
ing of the dukhla (ZeyZeZ ed-dukhla} the bridegroom with his friends and acquaintances
go in festive procession to the bride’s house. One of her married relatives takes charge
of the bridegroom, and leads him to the room in an upper story of the house in which
the rika has been prepared. The rika is a wooden throne over which is a roof somewhat
resembling the upper part of a mimbar. Both room and rika are elaborately decked
with hangings, carpets, lanterns, etc. The bridegroom finds the bride seated on the
rika; he is told to sit down and then to place his hand on the bride’s forehead and recite
the Fdtiha. He remains scarcely a quarter of an hour with her, but soon rejoins his friends,
67 Cf. supra, p. 115.
58 A. Janssen, op. cit., p. 48.
53 E. Westermarck, op. cit., p. 158 and 238.
60 R. Burton, El Madinah and Meccah, London, 1907, vol. 2, p. 23.
61S. Spiro, Arabic-English vocabulary, s. v.
C. G. and B. Z. Seligman
We have already suggested that the peculiar circumstances of Kuraysh may have
accounted for the marriages of two of his daughters. The third married the feki, who is
a person of great importance to the tribe and is practically a muhana of the Sheykh67,
so that when he settled among the Nurab the Sheykh naturally arranged a marriage for
him with one of the women of his family. It will be seen that although a few men had
obtained wives belonging to other khasm biyut and tribes, the tribesmen do not easily
allow their women to contract marriages with strangers, and it is obvious that the betrothal
and marriage of immature girls would check any tendency to exogamy.
The erection of the hegil beside the bride’s father’s tent, where the dukhla or con-
summation of marriage takes place is of special interest, as it seems to point to a
formei’ matrilocal grouping. In Egypt the bride is taken to the bridegroom’s house,
where the dukhla takes place; the same occurs among the Arabs of Moab.58 In Morocco
the dukhla takes place in the bridegroom’s house, except among the Aulad Bu 'Aziz.
Among them a special hut is erected near the bride’s house to which the bridegroom comes
to consummate the marriage; the next day the bride is brought to the bridegroom’s
house.59 Burton notes that at Medina the bridegroom visits the bride in her father’s
house and that she then proceeds to the house of the bridegroom,60 while in Yemen
the dukhla takes place in the bride’s house. From Snouck Hurgronje’s detailed descrip-
tion of the ceremony it appears that though the bridegroom visits the bride’s house and
this visit is spoken of as the dukhla, it is only a ceremonial visit: the consummation of
marriage takes place on the following night, in the bridegroom’s house. This night he
calls the night of the Qabhah; sabdh means "morning”, and sabdhfcya means “the morn-
ing after the wedding day” or “a wedding present”.61
The following account is taken from Snouck Hurgronje’s description. On the even-
ing of the dukhla (ZeyZeZ ed-dukhla} the bridegroom with his friends and acquaintances
go in festive procession to the bride’s house. One of her married relatives takes charge
of the bridegroom, and leads him to the room in an upper story of the house in which
the rika has been prepared. The rika is a wooden throne over which is a roof somewhat
resembling the upper part of a mimbar. Both room and rika are elaborately decked
with hangings, carpets, lanterns, etc. The bridegroom finds the bride seated on the
rika; he is told to sit down and then to place his hand on the bride’s forehead and recite
the Fdtiha. He remains scarcely a quarter of an hour with her, but soon rejoins his friends,
67 Cf. supra, p. 115.
58 A. Janssen, op. cit., p. 48.
53 E. Westermarck, op. cit., p. 158 and 238.
60 R. Burton, El Madinah and Meccah, London, 1907, vol. 2, p. 23.
61S. Spiro, Arabic-English vocabulary, s. v.