Qat 5 A Qat Chewing Gathering Beyond the Bounds of Reason

Yemenat

Ahmad Saif Hashed

I opened the door to see who was knocking, and there stood my dear friend and colleague, Saleh Abdullah, known since 1986 by the nickname (Legitimacy). He was upright in stature, wearing a smile that overflowed with gentle warmth and generous waves of affection.

A friendship bound us, one not without intimacy, marked by a harmony of spirits and temperaments. I had always been drawn to him by his kindness and purity of heart.

Saleh is from Abyan Governorate, where I once lived for two years without our paths ever crossing. Fate did not bring us together in Aden either, though the city lived in me as I lived in it. Instead, destiny saved our meeting for Sana’a, where we became neighbors and colleagues, and where I found comfort and companionship in his presence.

At the time, Saleh held the position of Chief Military Prosecutor for the Eastern Region, a jurisdiction encompassing Hadramawt and Al-Mahra. I, for my part, was presiding over the Central Military Court in Sana’a. This was in 1997, or perhaps the year that followed.

Saleh surprised me with this sudden visit, unannounced. He had come seeking Al Maqyal, an afternoon qat session, to share with me, though my relationship with qat at the time was still a troubled one. I rarely yielded to it except under the pressure of embarrassment or pressing necessity, only to be left afterward with feelings of discomfort, revulsion, and gloom.

The importance of this meeting with Saleh lay in the fact that it came after months of absence and in the news he carried from distant governorates, news worthy of Al Maqyal in its own right.

Above all, he was a treasured friend and a fine companion, and between us lay a shared emotional bond deserving of