Two years later, Nafiseh sat thinking of her friend Narges. She had heard a lot about her that she found difficult to believe. She could not believe that after a bitter struggle Narges had given in to her husband. She had heard she no longer cared for Islamic hijab but accompanied her husband to parties and nightclubs. She had given birth to a boy, Farid and they said she was always sad and hardly ever smiled. Nafiseh heard such rumours and wished she could see Narges and learn the truth from her.
That morning the doorbell rang and Nafiseh hurried to open it. She was surprised to see Narges herself standing in front of her. She was pale and unhappy. Nafiseh welcomed her and led her into the living room. Narges sat silently, not knowing what to say.
Nafiseh said "Oh, Narges, how I hoped I'd see you; I've heard so much about you, but I was anxious to hear from you yourself."
Narges cried bitterly saying, "I have no news except of disgrace and shame! I have been the victim of foolishness and self-deceit. Anyway I am not worthy of your friendship. I have fallen to the bottom of the abyss and am hopeless, may Allah forgive me!"
Nafiseh felt great pity for her and kindly said, "You are still my sister and I must help you, to overcome this awful experience. Now, please tell me everything frankly as you did in the past."
Narges said, “Well, you know that I never listened to your advice. I believed in a dream and ran to get it; I tried hard to get Ramin to come round to my way of thinking but ailed. He never accepted my religious commitment, and treated me cruelly, humiliating me often. Sometimes, he was gentle and kind and sometimes he was frightening. I thought about divorce, but my son caused me to give up that idea, so I gave in, and obeyed him meekly. He exploited my weakness and increased his domination over me, drawing me ever deeper into disgrace. I accepted everything just as a prisoner accepts his sentence. Now, you see me here!"
Nafiseh could not blame her seeing her as she did and asked, "What's the problem now then?"
"He divorced me a week ago, because he blamed me for the death of our son", said Narges. "Why?" asked Nafiseh incredulously.
"Because I fasted in the month of Ramadhan."
Nafiseh asked, "Did your son die of hunger?"
Narges replied, "Of course not. He was both breast-fed as well bottle-fed. He died after an illness." Nafiseh was greatly moved and felt sorry for the bereaved mother who had suffered humiliation and disgrace. So you see, I have lost everything," continued Narges.
Nafiseh hugged her warmly and said, "You have not lost everything. You still have your religion calling you back through repentance, and I am still your loving friend.
You still have the broad road of the future ahead of you. Perhaps this experience will help you to make a new righteous start; a future that is built on firm foundations. Don't despair, “...surely none despair of Allah's mercy except the unbelieving people.” (Yousef, 87)