Egyptian Novelist and Screenwriter Naguib Mahfouz

The following sample essay talks about Egyptian Novelist and Screenwriter Naguib Mahfouz. Read the introduction, body and conclusion of the essay, scroll down.

Naguib Mahfouz was born in 1911, to a family that lived in the Gamaliya section of Cairo which is where his novel Midaq Alley takes place. Religion was a very important part of his life and consequently many of Mahfouz’s writings enfolds and explores many dilemmas that Muslims confront daily. Although religion is always present in the lives of the characters of Midaq Alley by means of speech; not too many of them act completely according to the rules set out by the religion with most often choosing to engage in indulgences or chasing after material wealth and wellbeing as opposed to spiritual well being.

In the Quran it says

“… the enjoyment of worldly desires may be enjoyed in the life of this world – but the most beauteous of all goals is with God Quran (3:14)

and the novel does faintly buttress the notion that those with goals towards spiritual betterment like Sheikh Darwish and Radwan Hussainy are more likely to attain internal happiness and those who chase after material things, like Hamida, end up doing so to their own detriment.

Mahfouz uses religion as an overbearing presence which constricts the lifestyle of some like Kirsha, and liberates others, like Hussayni. He also uses it as a means to balance the actions of his characters and in turn explores various aspects of the religion through them.

From the beginning of the novel, the influence and references to religion are immediately obvious from the description of Uncle Kamil behind as being large and round like the dome of a mosque to the old poet saying Thanks be to God, Dr Booshy.

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However, what is more, prominent are the things that contradict the teachings of Islam, for example when we hear Change the water in the hookah, Sanker! and This hashish hurts my chest from the residents of the alley as the sun sets. A hookah is a smoking pipe and hashish is a derivative of cannabis. The main purpose of Mahfouz using hashish here is to establish the ongoing moral battles that Muslims face as smoking is something that is debated to this day amongst Muslims. Most Muslims believe that smoking is haram (forbidden) under the ruling that anything that intoxicates or causes more harm to your health than good is haraam. On the other hand; unlike the consumption of alcohol, smoking isn`t explicitly mentioned in the Quran and therefore some Muslims choose to indulge in it.

Another instant that portrays the internal struggle comes is page 5 of the novel where the old poet starts singing the song that the cafe has heard him play every evening for twenty years or more and could be perceived to symbolise the religion that has been passed on for generations. As he starts to sing about what the prophet says; he is interrupted by an angry Kirsha who scolds him saying  Are you going to force your recitations on us? and tells him that he is being replaced with a radio. As the poet laments on his condemnation, he became conscious of the fact that his profession was dying off, as were the principles of Islam in the heart of the people. The radio will never replace us. he replies, Haven`t people listened to these stories without being bored since the time of the prophet peace be upon him. Mahfouz`s use of symbolism highlights the fact the since the time of the prophet and when Islam reached Egypt, the religion has been ubiquitous in the fabric of Egyptian life and has been consistent ever since.

Kirsha, is a prime example of the internal conflict portrayed by Mahfouz throughout the novel. Kirsha is used in the novel as a means to explore the ideology of masculinity within the religion as he indulges in hashish and is homosexual. Homosexuality is a major sin in Islam and there are many instances in the Qur’an condemning homosexual acts, most notably the story of the people of Lut. The Quran tells about a people who practised an act of perversion unknown to the world up to then, namely sodomy. The prophet Lut lived amongst them and often warned them to desist from their ways, telling them

“Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males,  Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits!)”

to which they respond;

“Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth.”

Subsequent verses describe the destruction of the people of Lut. Homosexuality is another thing heavily debated especially amongst modern Muslims with many identifying as homosexual in a more tolerant modern society and are seeking acceptance within a community where such acts are forbidden.

Another aspect of masculinity in Islam that is explored through Kirsha, Radwan Hussainy and Salim Alwan amongst others is the dynamics of the relationship between men and women. Kirsha asserts dominance over his wife and takes on a sharp tone in many situations in order to repress her, Salim Alwan sees his wife as not much more than a means to satiate his immense sex drive and Radwan Hussainy; despite being a representation of piety and wisdom amidst the inhabitants of the alley, also mistreats his wife. On the contrary, Husniya is a character who subverts this common trope of domestic abuse; beating her cowardly baker of a husband and exerting dominance over him which would be Mahfouz

A number of female characters in the novel hold power of some sort over men; Hamida is another such character. Where Husniya displays physical dominance over her husband, Hamida uses her beauty to her advantage to exercise power over the men she attracts and wishes to use it as a means to acquire great wealth. She struggles to balance her religious values with her desire to be rich and wealthy and ultimately is lured away from the alley in order to fulfil this desire. Upon hearing the news that Salim Alwan is interested in marrying her she thinks to herself:  here at last was the stroke of fortune she had always dreamed of … She could think of no cure for her hunger for power other than a great deal of money.

Mahfouz uses Islam to highlight Hamida’s immorality and ignorance. Her ultimate goal in life is to simply enjoy the luxuries that this life offers and doesn`t pay attention to seeking spiritual betterment. Referring to her fate to become a prostitute, she simply disregards it as being the will of God which is rather ironic as she didn`t seem too preoccupied with the will of God previously and is now blaming God for her fate as opposed to seeing it as the consequences of her own actions. Once Abbas leaves the alley and she is presented with the opportunity to leave the alley with Ibrahim Faraj, she is very quick to forget the promises she made to Abbas and her promises to visit the tomb of Mohammed, with the keeping of promises being another important aspect in Islam. She is easily dismissive of tradition or Quranic advice when she suggests to her foster mother to not take the advice of Radwan Hussainy seriously. Although Abbas is more religious than Hamida; he also disregards Hussainy`s pious advise, choosing to chase after money and love instead and suffers a terrible fate.

Despite the presence of characters like Sheikh Darwish and Radwan Hussainy; their influence, and as a result, the influence of religion on the characters is very limited, even though the novel ends with Radwan Hussainy`s return from Hajj. Abbas death, with him being one of the more religious characters in the novel, also had a limited impact on the residents of the alley with many of the characters mourning his death not particularly because of him, but because death had forced its way into the alley.

The world of Midaq Alley and the world outside the alley could be seen as representing religious values and the outside world wealth and success. Those who left the alley in pursuit of worldly desires end up penniless, a prostitute or dead, therefore, it is possible that Mahfouz is advocating that adhering to religious and tradition values is the best way to avoid leading yourself to downfall. However, not all is perfect inside the alley. The alley was a place that did not treat its inhabitants fairly. Even those who remained in the alley are not completely happy and satisfied and as Hussain says Everyone in this alley is half dead, and if you live here long you won`t need burying.. The metaphor of being half dead depicts the struggle to live meaningful lives under the pressure and boundaries set by religious principles demonstrating the implications of the internal warfare that still resonates with Muslims around the world.

Religion is a crucial part of the lives of the residents of Midaq Alley and Mahfouz uses the novel and its characters to delve into some of the problems that Muslims face in light of modernity and a transforming Islam.