“Shaheen! Please come here, Maulana Saheb would like to speak to you. ” A timid girl of 18 with almond eyes approached the Maulana! The rest of her face was covered by a
burkha, for all she seemed to be a shadow in a room of darkness except for her eyes that sparkled and spoke for her. “What seems to be the problem with this child, Nazia Begum?” “She talks to
kafirs
and I have heard her speaking with someone in her room and I know she was all alone at the time. This is not like our Shaheen. She used to read her Koran and fast during the holy period of Ramadan. Now all she does is laugh and talk to walls.” The Maulana chanted prayers on the girl and turned to Nazia Begum.

” Every night before your daughter sleeps, have her recite
Bismillah! Er Rehman Er Rahim. With the Grace of Allah she will be alright. ”

That night when Nazia begum combed her only daughter’s waist-length hair and patted a young cheek that looked so very like her own and said “Shaheen you are the light of my eyes and even Abba worries for you, who do you speak with? and why are we keeping secrets from each other? Have we not given you everything you ever wanted?

Next month Khan Sahib will be coming to speak with your Abba. In-Shallah! Your Nikaah will take place and you will go to your own home. They say he has a thirteen room kothi in Lucknow and three foreign cars. If only you became the Shaheen that I used to know, I pray for you four times a day that you will become alright. Shaba Khayr My child!. Dream of Pharishta’s and the Mercy of Allah. “Nazia Begum kissed her forehead, chanted a prayer and blew on her face.

When Nazia Begum closed her bedroom door, Shaheen’s serene face came alive “You can come out now! Ammi has left”. Shadows moved in her room and formed a human shape. Azizeel giggled “When your fat ammi walks into your room sometimes I fear she will cause a crack that will free all my
djinn
brethren from the world beneath.”

“So tell me of your meeting with Solomon. You left off when he commanded you to kiss the ring of power and fight the armies of darkness. ” “Yes I remember the war that caused the death of a million of my brothers, for a cause that we had nothing to do with.” and Azizeel started his recitation on the ancient wars. At 2:00 am in the morning Nazia begum opened her daughter’s bedroom to find her floating two inches above her bed with an expression of rapt amazement on her face. The next morning Nazia Begum called Maulana Sahib to her house and told him of what she has seen. Maulana said”there is clearly a djinn in the house Begum and he has caught your daughter. We have to call an aamil (exorcist) immediately before her life is ruined! ”

Mia Ali Shaikh!, a well known Aamil and Pir(holy person) was brought for Shaheen’s
chilla
(exorcism) for 50000 rupees . When the Pir started the ritualistic beating of the girl he demanded in the name of Allah that the djinn leave the child alone. The djinn laughed “who are you to demand me to leave this house and my wife? I who have risen from the pools of Bethesda at her request, I am Azizeel! I am the light of the sky and the fire of the earth.” The Pir chanted his prayers one last time “I who serve Allah! Demand that all who are against Allah leave the place and leave the child!” With once last scream Shaheen fell to the ground and with her the Pir fell as well. Nazia Begum rushed to her child who woke weeping in her mother’s arms, the Pir unfortunately suffered a paralytic attack from the neck down.

Nazia begum in her distress called her son from New York. Mehmood was practicing as a cardiologist and rushed home. Why didn’t you call me before Ammi? My only sister is suffering and you call me now. In the name of Allah if that fraud did anything to Shaheen I will send his whole community to prison.

Mehmood took Shaheen for a series of neurological tests in New York and had her checked for epilepsy as well, where they also found her to be pregnant. When questioned on the name of the father’s child. Shaheen said” He is my husband and his name is Azizeel. Our child is not a bastard” when all else failed they took her to a psychiatrist.