Sabirah

'I don't know whether your history is unique, or whether the histories of all cultures progress like this. 'First the sword and spear -- and finally'

The first half of Chapter Six is a long letter that Surendar sends Zakir. Surendar expresses astonishment about the history of the Muslims in the subcontinent. He states that after the mighty conquerors and the resolute politicians came Sabirah, an old love interest of Zakir's who had chosen to stay behind in India. 

Does Sabirah represent the Muslim exile in India? There are many problems with this assumption. First, her attire. She dresses, we are told, in a white cotton sari and wears her hair in a braid. She wears no make up and does not adorn herself in any other way. In class it was noted that she dressed like a Hindu widow. In order to put this observation into context it is important to establish that in many parts of India (and Bangladesh) Hindu widows dress simply, eat little, cannot indulge themselves in anyway and also have little to no role in the public sphere. These privileges have to be given up at when their husbands die. Sabirah is, according to Surendar, simple and sad-certainly traits expected of a mourning Hindu widow. In a society that places great importance on relationships of blood and marriage, the Hindu widow has no place. Perhaps, then, this is what Intizar Hussain attempts to say about Muslims in India.

However, Intizaar Hussain's depiction of Sabirah is a problematic one. Following from the Hindu widow comparison, it is often said that in order for Hindu widows to gain respect their own family needs to start accepting them so they can claim a position/role in the private sphere. However one does not get the sense that Sabirah desires acceptance. We are told that she chose to stay behind in India. When Surendar asks her about what prospects she would have had in Pakistan she almost snaps back in reply '"Then? Then what would have happened?' There is little hope in that sentence, Pakistan does not represent a glorious future for Sabirah at all.

Finally, Sabirah is certainly not the only Muslim character who lacks hope. Zakir, his family and several of his friends are apathetic about Pakistan and the future as well. Later on in the chapter, Zakir's mother and father reminisce, talking about their old house, worrying about the possessions they had to leave behind, regretting that they could not visit the old graveyard one last time. Zakir's parents had even arranged for their graves in Rupnagar but here, in Pakistan, they have no idea where they will be buried when they die. It seems that the Muslims in India are as badly off as Sabirah is in exile. 

Perhaps then, Sabirah is simply one of the characters in exile in this novel. It is evident that many of the characters that migrated also display exilic characteristics and so, it is likely that Sabirah is just one of the characters Intizar Hussain chose to create in order to depict the condition of the Muslims in the subcontinent-doomed to live out their lives without a real sense of home.  In Sabirah's case, the depiction may be problematic but the overarching theme is certainly one to be considered.