SHE CONTINUED: I have heard, O fortunate king, that Queen Nur al- Huda ordered her sister, Manar al-Sana, to be fetched. She was brought before her with her hands tied behind her back and then recited the lines that have been quoted. At this point Nur al-Huda had a wooden ladder brought in, along which she had her sister laid out on her back, ordering her eunuchs to tie her to it. When her arms had been stretched out and tied with ropes, Nur al-Huda had her head uncovered and wound her hair around the wooden rungs, as all pity had been removed from her heart. When Manar al-Sana saw herself in such a humiliating and degraded state, she cried out tearfully, but no one helped her. ‘Sister,’ she called, ‘why have you hardened your heart against me and why have you no pity for me or for these little children?’ When Nur al-Huda heard this, she became even harsher and abused her sister, saying: ‘You infatuated harlot, may God show no mercy to anyone who pities you. How can I feel sorry for you, you traitress?’ To this, Manar al-Sana replied as she lay stretched out: ‘I am content to call on the Lord of heaven to refute the slander that you bring against me. I am innocent of this; I swear by God that I never committed fornication; my marriage was legal and it is God Who knows whether I am telling the truth or not. I am full of anger at your harshness towards me, for how can you accuse me of fornication without knowing what happened? My Lord will rescue me from your clutches, but if the charge you have brought against me is true, He will punish me.’ Nur al-Huda paused to think when she heard this, but she then said: ‘How dare you address me like this?’ and, going up to her, she beat her until she fainted.