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.