Legal document: T-S 10J7.10

1. The elder Abū ‘Alā Japheth, the …,

2. the son of the elder Maslī’aḥ—may he rest in Eden—appeared before us and made the following deposition, while we were constituted

3. as a court of three. He said: “I was with the cantor, ‘The Diadem’—may God accept him with favor—when

4. Wuḥsha, the broker, came in and said: ‘Do you not have an advice for me? I had an affair with Ḥassūn

5. and conceived from him. We contracted a marriage before a Muslim notary, but I am afraid

6. that he may deny being the father of my child.’ She then lived in the house of Ben al-Sukkarī

7. on the uppermost floor. He (the cantor) said: ‘Go and gather some people, and let them surprise you with him so that your assertion might be confirmed.’

8. She did so, gathering two who surprised her with him, and confirmed her assertion. She was then

9. pregnant with this Abū Sa’d, her son, whom she had conceived in her illicit relation with Ḥassūn. I know also

10. that she went on the Fast of Atonement to the synagogue of the Iraqians, but when

11. the Nāsī of blessed memory noticed her, he expelled her from the synagogue. I know

12. all this for sure, and deposit herewith my testimony to this effect. There appeared also in court

13. the ritual slaughterer Abū Sa’īd Ḥalfōn ha-Kohen, son of Rabbi Joseph ha-Kohen—may he rest in Eden—and deposited the following witness in our presence:

14. "I was living in the house of Hibat Allah Ben al-Sukkari—may God accept him

15. with favor—on the ground floor for many years, while Wuḥsha, the broker,

16. had her domicile in the uppermost part of the house. In those days, she came down once to one

17. of the tenants, namely Abū Naṣr, the Kohen, the cantor Ben al-Kāmukhī, and to Abraham

18. the Jerusalemite, known as the son of the mrhṭ, and said to them: ‘Please,

19. come up with me to my room for something. The two went up with her

20. and found Ḥassūn sitting in her place and....

Translated by Amir Ashur and Benjamin M. Outhwaite.

There appeared before us, the undersigned, Abū ‘Alā ha-parnas [the charitable administrator], [who is our] master and teacher Yefet the elder, son of Maṣliaḥ the elder—his rest be in Eden. He testified in our presence, while we were in a session of three judges together, saying:

“I was with the cantor, ‘The Diadem’—may God be pleased with him—when Wuḥsha the broker entered and said to him, ‘You don’t have my misfortune! I slept with Ḥassūn, and I’ve become pregnant from him. We drew up a marriage contract according to Muslim law, but I am afraid that he will refuse to recognize the child.’ Her residence was then in Ibn al-Sukkarī’s house, on the top floor, and he [‘The Diadem’] said to her, ‘Go and find someone to catch you with him [lit., surprise you] so that your statement will be confirmed.’ So she found two people who caught her with him, and her statement was confirmed. She was then pregnant with this Abū Sa‘d from the fornication with Ḥassūn, and know that she was spending the Day of Atonement at the synagogue of the Iraqis, but when the nasi—of blessed memory—became aware of her, he ejected her from the synagogue. And I am stating nothing but the truth in all of this, and I hereby present this truthful testimony.”

There also appeared [before us] Abū Sa‘īd the slaughterer, [who is our] master and teacher Ḥalfon son of Joseph ha-Kohen—his rest be in Eden. He testified before us, saying:

“I lived with Ḥibat Allah ibn al-Sukkarī—may God be pleased with him—on [his] ground floor for many years, and Wuḥsha the broker was residing at the top of the building. And one day she went downstairs to one of the residents, Abū Naṣr ha-Kohen the cantor ibn al-Kamūkhī, and to Ibrahīm al-Muqaddisī, known as Ibn al-Murahat, and she said to them, ‘If you would be so kind and come up with me to my home for something.’ And the two of them went up with her and discovered Ḥassūn sitting with her and in front of him were wine and perfumes . . . and he told him in front of them . . .”