Muslim Connotations in the Names of the Characters of the Novels The Cairo Trilogy (1956–1957) and Children of Our Alley (1959) by Naguib Mahfouz and Their Role in Understanding the Author’s Idea

Abstract

The article studies two key novels by the Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate (1988) Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006), The Cairo Trilogy (1956–1957) and Children of Our Alley (1959), through the prism of the Muslim allusions embedded in them. They play major role in the allegorical work Children of Our Alley which is stylized as a sira (“folk novel”) and shows the life of many generations of Gabalawi’s descendants. In The Trilogy, the symbolism is hidden, but the comparison between it and the next novel of Mahfouz through the lens of Muslim allusions, primarily in names, made it possible to reveal the symbolic meaning of the novel and establish a common philosophy underlying the two works. The main source is the Qur‘an; the authors also turned to texts of classical Islamic studies and early Islamic history. Relevance: 1) drawing attention to the Cairo Trilogy, famous in Arab countries, but not translated into Russian; 2) popularizing the method of analyzing religious connotations, which is rarely used in literary studies, but is productive for understanding and translating the literature of Muslim countries in which religion plays a large social role. Conclusions: both novels present an allegory of the history of mankind which is going through radical changes in modern times. At the beginning, they show a traditional world where religion is associated with vital energy (in the first two issues of the Trilogy, the Islamic aspect of names is associated with success in society and large offspring; in Children of Our Alley, the names allowed to connect the main characters with the prophets of Islam). During the course of the plot, the order in the world of the novels is disrupted. At the end of them, the father leaves the world (in both novels, the patriarch is an allegory of God); Muslim references in names and the religious piety of the characters cease to be a defense against chaos. Religion is being replaced by scientific point of view (Kamal in the Trilogy and ‘Arafa in Children of Our Alley; their names do not have Islamic connotations). Science which is free from religious rules is not able to resist immorality and the depletion of the human race. The author’s view of the new era is pessimistic: the old model of the world is destroyed, and the new one is corrupted.

References

1. Baranov H.K. Arabsko-russkij slovar’. Ok. 42000 slov [Arabic-Russian Dictionary. About 42000 words]. Moscow, 2022, 943 p. (In Russ.).

2. Bogdanova Y.A. Zaglaviya romanov «Kairskoj trilogii» (1956–1957) Nagiba Mahfuza kak interpretacionnyj material [The Titles of the Cairo Trilogy (1956–1957) by Naguib Mahfouz as an object for interpretation]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Rossijskaya i zarubezhnaya filologiya. Vol. 16, iss. 1, 2024, pp. 98–105. (In Russ.).

3. Gaynutdinova A.R. Obrazy prorokov v Korane [The Images of the Prophets in the Qur‘an]. Moscow: Muravey, 2002, 159 p. (In Russ.).

4. Gaynutdinova A.R. Istorii prorokov v Korane [The Stories of the Prophets in the Qur‘an]. Moscow: Islamskaya kniga, 2009, 275 p. (In Russ.).

5. Dzhalal ad-Din as-Sujuti. Sovershenstvo v koranicheskih naukah. Vyp. 4: Uchenie o ponimanii smyslov Korana [The Perfection in the Qur‘anic sciences. Iss. 4: The doctrine of understanding the meanings of the Qur’an]. Moscow: Vostok-Zapad, 2005, 320 p. (In Russ.).

6. Kirpichenko V.N. Nagib Mahfuz — emir arabskogo romana [Naguib Mahfouz, the emir of the Arabic novel]. Moscow, Nauka, 1992, 304 p. (In Russ.).

7. Mahfuz N. Deti nashej ulicy [The Children of our alley]. Moscow: Centr gumanitarnogo sotrudnichestva, 2012, 447 p. (In Russ.).

8. Mueller A. Istoriya islama ot osnovaniya do novejshih vremyon. V 4 t., 11 kn. [The History of Islam from its foundation to the present In 4 vol., 11 b.]. Moscow: Rubezhi XXI, Vol. 1, 2018, 480 p. (In Russ.).

9. Nagib Mahfuz. Moscow: Raduga, 1990, 504 p. (In Russ.).

10. Nalich T.S. Svyashchennaya istoriya Blizhnego Vostoka skvoz’ prizmu romana Nagiba Mahfuza «Aulad haratina». Doklad, prochitannyj na XVII Konferencii arabistov «Chteniya I. M. Smilyanskoj» [The sacred history of the Middle East through the prism of Naguib Mahfouz’s novel «Awlad kharatina». Report read at the XVII Conference of Arabists “Readings in honor of I. M. Smilyanskaya”]. Moscow, december 20, 2022. (In Russ.).

11. Svyashchennyj Koran. V per. I.Y. Krachkovskogo [The Holy Qur’an. Transl. by I.Y. Krachkovskiy]. Falyak.ru. URL: https://falaq.ru/quran/krac/ (Access date: 24.04.2024). (In Russ.).

12. Parez Md.A. Narrating The Allegorical Meaning In Naguib Mahfouz’s The Trilogy. Parisheelan. vol. 13, № 4, 2017, pp. 293–302.

13. The Quranic Arabic Corpus. URL: https://corpus.quran.com (Access date: 24.04.2024).

14. Al Rabadi R. A Moment of Truth in Translating Proper Names in Naguib Mahfouz’ Trilogy from Arabic into English. CrossCultural Communication, vol. 8(6), 2012, pp. 43–47.

15. El-Enany R. Naguib Mahfouz: The Pursuit of Meaning. London: Routledge, 1993, 271 p.

16. El-Gabalawi S. The Allegorical Significance of Naguib Mahfouz’s Children of Our Alley // The International Fiction Review 16.2, 1989, pp. 91–97.

17. ‘Abdallah M.H. Al-Islamiyya va-l-ruhiyya fi adab Najib Mahfuz [Islam and spirituality in Naguib Mahfouz’s literature]. Cairo: Dar Kaba’, 2001, 354 p. (In Arabic).

18. Al-Maany. URL: https://www.almaany.com/ (Access date: 24.04.2023). (In Arabic).

19. Mahfuz N. Awlad haratina [Children of our alley]. Beirut: Dar al-Adab, 1986, 554 p. (In Arabic).

20. Mahfuz N. Bayn al-qasrayn. Cairo: Dar al-shuruq, 2019, 591 p. (In Arabic).

21. Mahfuz N. Kasr al-shawq. Cairo: Dar al-shuruq, 2019, 547 p. (In Arabic).

22. Mahfuz N. Al-Sukkariyya. Cairo: Dar al-shuruq, 2019, 406 p. (In Arabic).

23. Tarabishi J. Allah fi rihlat Najib Mahfuz al-ramziyya [Allah in the symbolic journey of Naguib Mahfouz]. Beirut: Dar al-Tali‘a li-l-tiba‘a wa-n-nashr. 3rd ed., 1988, 114 p. (In Arabic).

24. Hukm al-tasmiyya bi-‘Abd al-Hafid wa-‘Abd al-Mun‘im [The Verdict on the names of ‘Abd al-Hafid and ‘Abd al-Mun‘im]. Islamweb.net. URL: https://www.islamweb.net/ar/fatwa/125377/ (Date of publication: 11.08.2009). (In Arabic).

25. Hal Ridwan ism hazin al-dzhanna [Is Ridwan the watcher of the Heaven?]. Islamqa. info. URL: https://islamqa.info/ar/answers/259586/ (Date of publication: 12.01.2017). (In Arabic).