Daoud unrolled his prayer rug in the grass, shed his clothes, lay down and bid Basmat join him.

"But the rug is for prayer!" Basmat said.

"Oh, my jewel, is prayer only for mosques? Why do we thank Allah this night?"

"For revealing His Quran to mortal flesh."

"Then let flesh thank Him! When we, whom He has joined as husband and wife, bring each other to bliss, are we not thanking Him?"

"You are insane."

"And you love it."

"Praise Allah!"

"That," he replied, matching his tongue to her most holy place, "is exactly what I intend to do."