The Dark Woman

Nazia felt suffocated behind the black, cruel bars of the prison. Separation from loved ones was unbearable. Day and night, she wept for the past, yet her tears were useless. Time could not reach her. Events from her life played before her like a vivid film. Any woman who taunted her would hear her reply bitterly:

"What kind of dark woman are you? Haven’t you learned modesty?"

She cried and screamed, but the prison bars had turned into both her torment and her tomb.

She was her father’s only daughter. Her parents were very poor; her father earned through labor, and their two meals were always meager. From the start, her uncle Rashid had shown a strange obsession with her, but she resisted him. Nazia had always dreamed of marrying into wealth.

Hunger had marked her childhood, and as she grew into a young woman, her desires awakened. Many boys in the neighborhood admired her. She was extraordinarily beautiful and proud of it. Soon, she began interacting with some boys and arranging for food to be delivered, understanding her boundaries, but her ultimate desire was to experience the luxuries of the outside world.

When her father learned of her behavior, he forcefully arranged her marriage with her uncle Rashid. She moved into Rashid’s home as his wife. Initially, Rashid treated her well, providing adequate food, but over time, the old hardships returned. She often went hungry, and Rashid remained cruel, striking her regularly. Rashid did not love her; even when he looked at her with affection, she scolded him and prevented him from seeing her. Yet, he was captivated by her beauty and desired children. Nazia, knowing she could not be fed properly, resolved not to have any children.

Living under Rashid’s daily violence, she longed to be free, to fly like an unbound bird. Yet, she could not return to her parents’ home, where hunger ruled. At times, she considered ending her life, but even then, she felt powerless to act.

Rashid’s younger brother, Bashir, worked in a city factory and often visited, sharing stories of wealth and luxury. Nazia’s heart was drawn to him; she imagined herself living a grand life, with money and freedom, far from Rashid’s cruelty. Soon, she successfully ensnared Bashir’s affections with her beauty. At the same time, Fazal, a worker on Rashid’s cart, also became infatuated with her.

Life went on in this delicate balance until a storm of tragedy struck. Masked robbers violently broke into their home. Rashid was shot in the chest and died instantly. His jewelry and money were left to Nazia. She spent days grieving but eventually left the city for a distant place, perhaps a city of her dreams—where she could live freely, where she could embrace her desires.

Yet, even in her new life, conscience occasionally awakened, reminding her of the life she had lost. She abandoned her first love and became entangled in a life of indulgence: drinking, nights of pleasure, and reckless living. She daily embraced her darker impulses, yet before society, she maintained the appearance of a respectable woman, a widow of a cruel husband.

In reality, she worked in a factory, surviving, but she had become a rebel, abandoning all traditions, morals, and values. She sometimes visited her village, appearing as the innocent Nazia whose world had been destroyed that fateful night.

Eventually, the police investigated her brother-in-law Bashir. After severe interrogation, they concluded he was not guilty. Yet, Nazia’s story caught up with her. She was discovered at a popular nightclub, dressed provocatively, dancing and singing. The authorities arrested her. Overcome with grief and anger, she initially denied any wrongdoing, pretending innocence. After repeated beatings and questioning by a female inspector, she confessed: Rashid had always treated her cruelly; she had enticed his brother, Fazal, had planned to remove Rashid, and facilitated his death during the robbery.

For days, she lived with Fazal in the city. When he betrayed her, she turned to a life of vice. She admitted that she had become a “bad woman,” abandoning all notions of right and wrong, halal and haram, morality, and tradition.

Through her statement, she wept uncontrollably. The female inspector listened, then said firmly:

"What is the use of regret now? Allah gave you a life of honor, but you did not value it. You thought you could deceive the world, but you forgot that true power belongs to Allah. No matter how clever a criminal, their deeds cannot remain hidden."

Her confession revealed her tragic path: cruelty endured, desires awakened, and morality forsaken, ultimately leading to her downfall.