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The Harafish


The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz chronicles several generations of the al-Nagi family. Each generation of the clan faces numerous moral dilemmas and decisions. The novel, initially written in Arabic, has been translated to English without the slightest loss of eloquence or style. "Harafish" in the context of the novel means "common and ordinary people". The majority of Mahfouz’s work, including The Harafish, focuses on the dreams, plights and moral decisions of these people. By portraying both the admirable and weak characteristics of each individual of the al-Nagi clan, the moral messages are made extremely relatable to the readers.
Although Mahfouz's literature is set in Egypt in a pre-modern time period, the al-Nagi clan deals with issues which are universal and timeless. The chronicling begins with Ashur Abdullah, later called Ashur al-Nagi. After being abandoned as an infant by his mother, a prostitute, Ashur was rescued and raised by Sheikh Afra. Sheikh Afra, a religious and moral commoner, took it upon himself to raise Ashur with Muslim ethics. While Sheikh Afra represented somewhat of an unrealistic moral standard, Ashur led a life that was more relatable and realistic due to its frequent taints, mistakes and aberrations. An example of Ashur al-Nagi’s deviance from moral righteousness was his abandonment of his aging wife for a young and beautiful prostitute named Fulla. Despite of this action, however, Ashur was eventually able to become the chief of all the harafish in the alley that he lived in. His strong presence accompanied by his extremely just and fair approach to ruling his people would forever characterize his undying legacy.
Ashur al- Nagi’s son with Fulla, Shams al-Din, was able to succeed his father as chief . Both Shams al-Din and his father firmly believed that their responsibility was utmost to the Harafish. Future generations of the al- Nagi family would not lead their lives with the same moral virtues as their beloved ancestors once did. A clear moral decline made evident through licentious behavior, involvement in murders, deceitful bargains, and frequent failed marriages took place as each generation passed. Their detestable behavior was caused by their dangerously excessive preoccupation with status, power and wealth rather than the well-being of the harafish. Ashur al-Nagi's legacy only served as a reminder of their incompetence and failure. The book comes full circle, however, when the last al-Nagi in the novel, also named Ashur, returns to ruling with moral priorities similar to that of the first Ashur al-Nagi. He was able to find his power, not through corruption, but rather in the ability to be humbly fulfilled in serving the Harafish. The glory and love for the al-Nagi family was at last restored.
Mahfouz's literature employs both allegory and parable to vocalize his moral lessons. He has managed to present a clear picture of the human condition and human behavior- all humans encounter problems concerning lust, greed, envy or desire as do the clan members in the novel. Yet all humans also bear some sort of compassion, faith and piety which, if developed, has the ability to provide clarity to such morally conflicted people. Mahfouz did not create faultless characters for his readers to attempt to emulate. Instead, he created ordinary people with weak characteristics that can be observed and learnt from.
In a sense, we are all harafish. We may lead distinctly different lives from one another, but we are interconnected through our weaknesses and struggles. Mahfouz would like us to realize that these struggles are inevitable. Yet no matter how deep our moral decline, moral clarity can recenter our focus back onto the path of a decent, moral life – a life which is unassuming, yes, but admirable nonetheless. We, the harafish, do not have to be powerful, wealthy, brilliant or physically desirable. To lead a moral life: that in itself is enough.