Translated by Phoebe Bay Carter. The mother did not sleep that night. Nor the next one, or the next, or any night following. A prolonged insomnia settled over her and did not leave until her son died. Then she let out a great sigh and fell fast asleep.
The way I understand ruqiya is that these would be prayers specifically for sorcery and one afflicted by evil spirits, so 'healing prayers' feel like general prayers for good health, etc...
In reading that particular prayer description I'm not getting the sense that it's a very special prayer. 'to begin reading incantations to expel the evil' ??
Thanks for this, Khalida! Ruqiya wasn't such a familiar word to me, so I wasn't sure how specifically tied to sorcery and evil spirits it was, so the distinction you make is helpful. And I really like your suggestion for how to translate it here.
Maybe because I live in NYC, I always hear "lady" as if it's said by some impatient tough guy ("hey, lady, whatcha doin' standin' in the middle of the street!"), even when I know it's meant as a politeness. But the "Inflation, lady" line might be just fine in this tone! It sounds a bit sarcastic to me. "Ma'am" I think would be my other choice -- it's a bit distancing, false-formal, and sounds a bit slimier.
Completely agree about "lady"! I honestly hate this word for this reason -- I can't help but associate it with the "impatient tough guy." That kind of impatient, sarcastic tone seemed fitting for the faqih. But "Ma'am" is growing on me for this sentence...
The way I understand ruqiya is that these would be prayers specifically for sorcery and one afflicted by evil spirits, so 'healing prayers' feel like general prayers for good health, etc...
In reading that particular prayer description I'm not getting the sense that it's a very special prayer. 'to begin reading incantations to expel the evil' ??
Thanks for this, Khalida! Ruqiya wasn't such a familiar word to me, so I wasn't sure how specifically tied to sorcery and evil spirits it was, so the distinction you make is helpful. And I really like your suggestion for how to translate it here.
'Allah' fits in seamlessly .....
Maybe because I live in NYC, I always hear "lady" as if it's said by some impatient tough guy ("hey, lady, whatcha doin' standin' in the middle of the street!"), even when I know it's meant as a politeness. But the "Inflation, lady" line might be just fine in this tone! It sounds a bit sarcastic to me. "Ma'am" I think would be my other choice -- it's a bit distancing, false-formal, and sounds a bit slimier.
Completely agree about "lady"! I honestly hate this word for this reason -- I can't help but associate it with the "impatient tough guy." That kind of impatient, sarcastic tone seemed fitting for the faqih. But "Ma'am" is growing on me for this sentence...