Ramadan Arabian Nights 2025: The Tale of Fatima, Halima and Karima “Reema returns” EP.20

Ramadan Karim

Tonight, we will know what happened to Reema when she returned to the realm of Men from the realm of Jinn.

But first, our little chitchat.

This time, it's about the actor who portrayed the role of Mishkhah, both on the radio and television.

The actor who played Mishkhah on TV in the 1987 adaptation was the late, renowned Egyptian actor Gamal Ismail.

Recently, I came across a note suggesting that Gamal Ismail, in his younger years, was also the voice actor who portrayed Mishkhah in the original radio version.

 I'm not entirely sure, though. I'm familiar with Ismail’s voice when he was young, and sometimes Mishkhah sounds like someone else — perhaps an older actor. Yet in some moments, it does sound like him. I honestly can’t say for certain. 

If it were him, then that would make Gamal Ismail the third member of the original radio cast to appear in the 1987 TV adaptation.

Gamal Ismail was born in Al-Sharqia Governorate in 1932. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Ain Shams University in 1957 and a degree from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1956. He joined the model troupes of the Popular Theatre, which were affiliated with the Department of Fine Arts. In 1958, he was appointed a theatre inspector in Alexandria Governorate. 

He directed school and university performances, as well as company events. In 1961, he helped form a poetry arts troupe, and later joined the Television Theatre Company — and the rest, as they say, is history.

A versatile actor, Gamal Ismail was considered one of the finest supporting actors of his generation, particularly in comedy.

He was the brother of two other celebrated figures in Egyptian arts: the legendary composer Ali Ismail, known for creating some of Egypt’s greatest songs and film scores, and Anwar Ismail, an actor best known for his roles as a villain in Egyptian cinema.

Clearly, the Ismail household was a true home of the arts — giving Egypt some of the finest artists of the 20th century.

Gamal Ismail was once married to the late Egyptian-Lebanese actress and belly dancer Shushu Ezz El-Din.

He passed away in December 2013, leaving behind a rich legacy in Egyptian drama.

That’s our chit-chat for tonight.

And without further delay, here is the 692nd episode of our Arabian Nights Egyptian radio show—or the 20th night in this year’s tale, The Tale of Fatima, Halima, and Karima

Episode 20^th: Reema returns

              And it was the ninety-second night after the six hundredth, and on that following night, King Shahryar once again took his seat in the chamber of storytelling. As was her wont, Scheherazade appeared at the appointed hour, took her usual place before the king, and resumed her tale, while the king, ever eager, lent her his ear, and she spoke:

It is said, O wise and just King, that when the maiden Karima vanished without a trace and no tidings came of her, her sisters—Fatima and Halima—fell into great sorrow and confusion. Their tongues wavered in disagreement, and their hearts grew heavy with fear, especially after Mishkah told them of the affair with the apples: how it first occurred with Reema, and then again with Karima.

A day passed, and despair took root in their breasts. Grief crept over them like a cold shadow. As they sat speaking, burdened with sorrow and pondering their sister’s fate, there came a knock upon the door.

Their hearts stirred with alarm, and Fatima hastened to the entrance, with Halima close behind.

Fatima: Who could it be?
Halima: By God, may it be Karima!
Reema (from behind the door): Open, Karima! Karim, open up!
Fatima (in astonishment): Aunt Reema?!
Mishkah: Reema?! May God bring all to safety.
Reema: Open the door, Karima!
Halima: Alright, alright, Aunt Reema, we’re coming!
(Together, Fatima and Halima cry out): Aunt Reema!
Reema (looking about): Then where is Karima?
Halima: Did she not come to you, Aunt?
Reema: Come to me? Where would she go, sister?
Mishkah: And you—where were you, Reema?
Reema: I’m asking you about Karima! Where has she gone?

Fatima: Let me tell you, Aunt.
Reema: Speak, my girl, speak!
Fatima: After you left us and vanished, a stranger came to us, claiming he was a messenger you had sent—to take Karima with him.
Reema (shocked): What?! And she went with him?
Fatima: Yes... we believed him.
Reema: And Mishkah here—he let her go with them?!
Mishkah: I followed them, watching closely. I went their way, shadowing their steps. But then, the man stopped, looked left and right. I asked him, "Why do you pause?"
He said, "Reema told me to wait for Mishkah to fetch the rest of the apples." I turned to go and get them, but when I returned—there was nothing. All had vanished!
Reema (with disbelief): Wonders in sacks!
Mishkah: Just like what happened to you with the apple-seller.
Reema: You're the one who's foolish and feeble!
Mishkah: So that is Karima’s tale—now what about yours, Reema? Tell us, where were you? Speak!
Reema: Yes, yes—what is this?
Mishkah: What, has questioning become forbidden now?
Reema: You're questioning me?
Mishkah: Should I not know?
Reema: Know what, exactly?
Mishkah (bewildered): Know what I am! What am I? I still don’t understand who or what I am! Why do you treat me this way?
Reema: So now you’ve grown a tongue and speak back?
Mishkah: If I didn’t know how, I’ve now learned!
Reema: Oh, so you've crawled out of your jar at last?
Mishkah: No!
Reema: Mishkah!
Mishkah: Reema!
Fatima: Stop them, Halima.
Reema: Do you think you have worth or standing?
Halima: Will you bicker and forget Karima?
Reema: Karima—who sleeps out one night and is sought after by men the next!
Fatima: But she thought it was you who sent for her. What befell her? Come, sister and I shall search.
Reema: And so you’ll shame me before the people of this land!
Fatima: Please, Aunt, do not speak so.
Reema (wailing): Oh, my disgrace! My disgrace! Do you even know with whom she went? Where shall I hide my face from the folk?
(And Fatima and Halima began to weep)
Mishkah: No, no—don’t cry, O lovely ones!
Reema (mocking): Lovely? Then bless and keep the other lovely ones too!
Mishkah: In any case—
Reema: Silence, Mishkah! They say too much crying teaches wailing. Just because the man is dead, the daughters run wild? If your father knew not how to raise you, shall I be able to teach you manners now?
I’ve entered only to rest. Let no one disturb me! Mishkah, I leave you to guard the door. Let no soul come near!

Now, in the realm of the jinn, within that palace where Karima had become a prisoner...

Matouq said, "You know, your tale is touching me more than I care to admit, O lady."

Karima replied, "I told you—my name is Karima. Karima."

"So you mean to say, Karima," said Matouq, with a raised brow, "that you were the one who uncovered the crime? Not your aunt Reema?"

Karima answered, "I was the one who exposed the betrayal. I was the one who flung the apple that struck the queen in the eye."

Matouq clapped his hands together. "Wake up, wake up, O woman of flesh and bone!"

Karima cried, "Even you, Uncle Matouq? No one believes me—not man, not jinn! I am wronged, I am! I’m not mad!"

Matouq chuckled. "Always the mad ones say they're the only sane among us."

Karima pleaded, "Then what now?"

Matouq sighed, "Only God can ease your burden."

Karima looked around in despair. "And where exactly am I imprisoned?"

He replied, "You are here... on the Isle of Forgetting. Neither human nor jinn dares approach its shore."

Karima’s voice trembled. "Then I wish to meet the Sultan."

"The Sultan?" Matouq echoed.

"Yes! Can I not see him?"

"I shall tell him," he said.

"When?" she asked, eyes wide with hope.

"Today," he answered.

"Please, Uncle Matouq... I beg you."

He nodded, his voice softer now. "If that is all, rest assured, O human girl. I will go to our lord."

"May you be rewarded for your kindness," she said.

And as he turned away, he murmured to himself, "Poor soul..."

Karima called after him, "Don’t be long! Please!"

But Matouq, walking away, replied, "I shall be gone, O lady..."

And Karima whispered into the silence, "...And I shall be waiting."

And in the House of Kaab al-Ghazal...

…In the room that had become Reema’s own, she sat with a smirk, talking to herself—softly but proudly—as if reliving her triumph in the land of the jinn.

Reema (chuckling to herself):
“They talk about jinn? We’re the real deal!
The Sultan barely heard me out,
And I saw it in his eyes—
He turned to dough, soft and ready to mold.
He gave me the Crown Jewel. A gift!
The Crown Jewel!
And best part? One smooth move—
Two birds down with one stone.
Now the jewel carries Karima’s name,
And Karima? She’s out of the game.
What luck, Reema!
This jewel—if I sold it, I could buy a whole kingdom!
But where—oh where—do I hide it?
Where, Reema, where?
Where’s the perfect place? Where?”

Suddenly—Mishkah appears at the window, peeking in.

Mishkah: “Want me to tell you where?”

Reema (startled): “Who’s there? Mishkah?!”

Mishkah: “Yeah, Reema, it’s me—Mishkah.”

Reema: “You’re hanging there, spying through the window?!”

Mishkah: “And why not? After the mess you dragged me into!
And tell me—why were you hiding this from me?”

Reema: “Alright, alright, come down you fool. Watch your step—give me your hand.”

(Mishkah climbs down, muttering.)

Mishkah: “Listen here—I saw you. I heard everything.
I even saw the jewel with my own eyes!”

Reema (hushed): “Keep it down! What if the girls hear?”

Mishkah: “Fatima and Halima left. They're out searching for Karima.
But I’m staying right here until I know the whole story, Reema.”

Reema (sighs): “I didn’t want to tell you. I was scared of you.
But now... now I have no choice.”

Mishkah: “Yeah? I’m listening.”

Reema (leans in): “I’m about to tell you something no one will believe.”

Mishkah (grinning): “Stick with a liar… till the very edge of the lie.”

And Reema begins to tell her tale…

And in the world of the jinn, Matouq carried Karima’s plea to King Golan.

Matouq bowed low and said,
"Forgive me, O King of the Jinn,
Karima remains imprisoned upon the Isle of Forgetting."

King Golan narrowed his eyes and thundered,
"So you abandon the concerns of the jinn
To bring me word of a mere human who seeks audience with me?"

Matouq pleaded,
"If only Your Majesty had seen her—how she spoke, how her heart ached—"

But the king rose in wrath and cried,
"Are you mad, Matouq? Or is she the mad one?"

Matouq, head bowed in humility, answered,
"It was she, my lord, who begged to see you."

The king paced the floor, then halted.
"She is but a pitiful creature, unaware of the order of our world.
And you—do you not know better?"

Matouq fell to his knees.
"Forgive me, O King of the Jinn. I have erred."

King Golan raised his hand.
"Then go—leave me now."

Matouq rose swiftly.
"Your command is my duty, O Sovereign of Time."

And at that very hour, in that hidden chamber within the House of Ka'b al-Ghazal, after Reema had recounted to Mishkah all she had done in the realm of the jinn—

Mishkah stared wide-eyed,
"By the heavens—you did all this?
Had it not been for this gem in my hand, I would never have believed a word!"

Reema laughed with a knowing grin,
"Why else do you think they call me Reema?"

Mishkah leaned in,
"So what do we do now?"

Reema raised a brow,
"Do what with what, Mishkah?"

He whispered,
"We sell this precious gem, take the gold, and bid farewell to grave-digging and shroud-thieving."

Reema said his name like a warning,
"Mishkah…"

He met her gaze,
"Reema…"

"You want us to go out there, sell this royal jewel," she said, "while people still weep for Karima?
What would they say? What would they think?
No. We stay as we are. This gem will remain buried here—
a month, two, a year—until time dulls the tale,
and when all is forgotten, then we’ll see what’s to be done with the jewel."

Just then—there came a knock at the door.

Karima’s sisters had returned from their hopeless search,
and Halima was with them—
their footsteps heavy with despair.

Reema froze.
"Heavens! Hide it—quick, hide the secret!"

Mishkah pointed swiftly to a hollow in the chamber’s floor,
"Here, here!"

Reema obeyed, then urged him,
"Go—go open the door.
Patience is a virtue, so go with grace."

And thus, the old crone struck two blows with a single stone—
She seized the jewel,
Erased the crime,
And cast off Karima, my lord....

And here, Scheherazade realized the dawn had come, and she fell silent, leaving the tale untold.

Here is the 20th episode of our tale, televised

You can check previous Ramadan Arabian Nights here.

In the spirit of Ramadan, I invite you to support UNICEF’s relief efforts in Gaza and Sudan, as well as elsewhere on the globe. Every pound, dollar, or euro can make a difference.

Till next night inshallah