تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 13.84.4

13.84.4

والتزوج بهذه الجزائر سهل لنزارة الصداق وحسن معاشرة النساء، وأكثر الناس لا يسمي صداقا إنما تقع الشهادة ويعطي صداقا، مثلها، واذا قدمت المراكب تزوج أهلها النساء فإذا أرادوا السفر طلقوهن وذلك نوع من نكاح المتعة ، وهن لا يخرجن عن بلادهن أبدا. ولم أر في الدنيا أحسن معاشرة منهن ولا تكل المرأة عندهم خدمة زوجها إلى سواها بل هي تأتيه بالطعام وترفعه من بين يديه وتغسل يده وتأتيه بالماء للوضوء وتغم رجليه عند النوم، ومن عوائدهن الا تأكل المرأة مع زوجها، ولا يعلم الرجل ما تأكله المرأة، ولقد تزوجت بها نسوة فأكل معي بعضهن بعد محاولة وبعضهن لم تأكل معي ولا استطعت أن أراها تأكل ولا نفعتني حيلة في ذلك!!

Marriage in these islands is easy, because the bridal gift is small and the women are pleasant companions. Most people do not specify a bridal gift; the marriage is simply witnessed and a bridal gift customary for a woman of her standing is given. When ships arrive, their crews marry women, and when they wish to sail they divorce them; this is a kind of temporary marriage (mutʿa). The women never leave their country. I have never seen in the world women more pleasant to live with. Among them a wife does not entrust the service of her husband to anyone else; rather, she herself brings him his food and clears it away from before him, washes his hand, brings him water for his ablutions, and covers his feet when he goes to sleep. It is one of their customs that a wife does not eat with her husband, and the husband does not know what his wife eats. I married several women there; some of them ate with me after persuasion, and some would not eat with me, nor could I manage to see them eat, and no stratagem of mine availed in this!