Sheikh al Junaydi

Throughout the novel the thief and the dogs, the protagonist named Said Mahran is portrayed as a criminal and bad person. The story begins with the protagonist himself walking out of prison after being jailed for four years. It was clear that Said Mahran was a man with evil intentions as he wanted to seek revenge on his former friends that betrayed him. Despite the fact that we are introduced to an evil character with bad intentions, we are introduced to more of a pleasant character being Sheikh Ali Al Junaydi. He was introduced as the spiritual advisor of Said's late father. This character can be considered as the moral voice of the novel, overflowing with wisdom. The sheikh who was identified as a sufi muslim, was extremely religious. His dialogue throughout the story suggest he is peaceful, forgiving, and always willing to give advice.

In the very first conversation between Said and the sheikh, there is immediate evidence of the personality the Sheikh has. His first words toward Said were "Peace be upon you." After realizing that Said was in a tough situation and was lacking basic necessities such as food and shelter, the sheikh gives Said some inspirational advice in order to strengthen his Muslim faith and religious beliefs. "Take a copy of the Quran and read... Also repeat the words 'Love is acceptance, which means obeying his commands and refraining from what he prohibited and contentment with what he decrees and ordains."

The Sheikh strongly advised Said to not commit any crimes and kill anybody whom he wants revenge on. However Said was extremely closed minded, and as a result of his attempted murder of Ilish, he instead killed an innocent door keeper. Despite this, he continues his stubbornness and doesn't consider the Sheikh's advice at all, and uses his own free will to get to his downfall. After the killing of the doorkeeper, he decides to visit the Sheikh again, and falls asleep rather than attending the morning prayer with his fellow Muslims. The sheikh notices and says: "You've had a long sleep, but you know no rest... you're burning heart yearns for shade, but continues forward under the fire of the sun."

The examples above are a few examples of the wisdom that the sheikh possesses. He constantly directs Said to the right path and begs him not to do any wrong actions however those are completely ignored. After the killings in Ilish and Rauf's homes, everyone begins to see that he is controlling his own downfall and begins to lose sympathy with the protagonist. This shows that ignoring the Sheikh's advice led to his downfall.

The sheikh contributes to the theme of fate vs free will. His role in the novel is crucial and highlights the protagonist's flaw and how he led himself to his very own downfall. He also characterizes Said as a tragic hero.

Thesis statement

Thesis Statement: In the novel 'The thief and the dogs' Naguib Mahfouz uses the sheikh as a foil character to portray Said's internal struggles and experiences.

Passage analysis

Dawn was close, but Nur had not returned--though the waiting and all his worry had exhausted him, bouts of insomnia kept crushing against his brain--and now the warm darkness was splitting apart to reveal one flaming question: Was it possible that the promised reward was having some effect on Nur?
Suspicion had tainted his blood to the last drop now: he had visions of infidelity as pervasive as dust in a wind storm. He remembered how sure he was once that Nabawiyya belonged to him, when in reality she'd probably never loved him at all, even in the days of the lone palm tree at the edge of the field.
But surely Nur would never betray him, never turn him over to the police for the sake of payment.
She had no interest now in such financial transactions. She was getting on in life. What she wanted was a sincere emotional relationship with someone. He ought to feel guilty for his suspicious thoughts.
The worry over Nur's absence persisted, nevertheless. It's your hunger, thirst, and all the waiting that's getting you down, he said to himself. 

Analysis:

This passage is taken from the very beginning of chapter 16 in the thief and the dogs. In the passage we can see that Said is waiting in Nurs apartment for her to make her return. We can also see from the passage that this is giving Said a lot of mental anguish and puts him in a tough situation since he feels helpless about her whereabouts or her safety. The purpose of the passage in the beginning of the chapter is so that Naguib can provide us with insight on how Said was feeling and what he was going through. There are many examples that show his struggle.
"Dawn was close, but Nur had not returned--though the waiting and all his worry had exhausted him,"
"The worry over Nur's absence persisted, nevertheless. It's your hunger, thirst, and all the waiting that's getting you down, he said to himself."

While waiting for Nur's return he came to many realizations. The possibility that he is to blame for his actions and he may possibly be part of the reason Nur left as he could not be what she really wanted in a man. He also realizes how strong his feelings are for her as he becomes emotional.