This portion of Al-Kitab takes its name from the prophet who wrote it, Prophet Hosea. His writings are prophecies within which a story unfolds. The unfolding story becomes the basis for messages from God the prophet delivers to Bani-Israel. Briefly, the story is as follows: Prophet Hosea marries a woman named Gomer and she gives birth to 3 children (Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi). Gomer is unfaithful to and leaves her husband, but Prophet Hosea loves her still and searches for her and buys her back from the slavery she gave herself to. Prophet Hosea’s patient behaviour towards his unfaithful wife becomes an illustration of God’s great patience and unchanging love toward Israel. Prophet Hosea was the only one of the writing prophets who lived and worked among the people of the northern kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim, Yaqub or Samaria). The people of Israel had given themselves fully to the worship of idols and various wicked practices. Because of this, God purposed that he would punish them. They would be without a king for many years, they would have no holy place to make offerings to any deity, and they would have no images to bow down to. This is the condition of Israel to this day. However, in this scripture the Lord God promises that in the future when Israel shall repent and return to him, he will be gracious to them once again.