In this scene depicted by Lewis, the Hoja or teacher is listening to his assistant rhythmically reciting the Quran (while beating time), as some children pay attention and others not. Some commentators have regarded the presence of a young girl as inauthentic, but young girls were able to attend Quran schools, according to the artist Charles de Tournemine, the scholar Edward Lane and the translator Richard Burton. Certainly not all women were illiterate, and some female descendants of the prophet were noted for their ability to read and recite the scriptures.