Sheikh Darwish's Role as the Prophet of Change in Mahfouz's Midaq Alley

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Sheikh Darwish's Role as the Prophet of Change

        Mahfouz's Midaq Alley wallows in the past. From the very start the reader is sent to the past, traveling over half a century and thousands of miles to reach the glory days of Midaq Alley. I believe, while writing Midaq Alley, Mahfouz was attempting to not only tell a story rooted in the mystical middle-east, but to also capture the essence of transition from traditionalism. While it is debatable whether or not the change is beneficial or hazardous, it is certain that the change is present as evident from its tumultuous behavior on the residents of Midaq Alley. The push towards modernization is being conducted by the British sphere of influence during the World War two era. The influence of western elements in the ancient Sheikh Darwish, a symbol of the traditional middle-eastern mystical prophet, reveals the transitory state of generations, as the old gives way to the new without struggle.

        Sheikh Darwish's role as the mystical prophet, a role thrust upon him by the people of Midaq Alley, eases the transfer of power from the older generation to the newer. After suffering at the hands of merciless progression in the educational system, Sheikh Darwish "wandered" (14) into Midaq Alley with nothing to his name. Interestingly enough, the tenants of the alley accepted him immediately. Mysticism has deep roots in Middle-Eastern culture. In the Q'uran, the prophet Mohammed is found wandering in the desert before he is brought to civilization by the grace of good-willed people. The coincidence is eerily similar and the likelihood that people would

                                                                                wholeheartedly take in a total stranger offs little other reasoning. Rather than paying the residents of the alley with tangible possessions such as money or labor, Sheikh Darwish returns their hospitality by acting as a vessel of faith, a way to receive communication from God. The residents view Sheikh as a "holy man of God" (14) and upon his arrival to the alley he was "loved and honored" (14). His presence was often viewed as a "good sign" (14). Once again, Mohammed was a holy man and, save the prophet of doom, prophets tend to serve as a good omen from God. When Salim Alwan made Sheikh cry, Uncle Kamil said "'O God, keep us from evil. For [Sheikh] to weep is an omen of some misfortune to come...O God, give us grace!" (244). When Sheikh Darwish is in a bad mood or is wracked by a fit of weeping, it suggests something misfortunate is about to occur. This is obviously a mystical belief because of his status as a prophet. Alwan realizes his mistake and seems to believe that "the whole world was weeping and wailing" and he almost immediately recants as he doesn't want to "anger one of [God's] holy men" (244). Darwish's actions seem to compel the community to act a certain way.

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The people of Midaq Alley verbally endowed Sheikh with his ability to "perform miracles and predict the future" (14). His word is abided by as holiness and often never rejected. When he appears in western attire, the residents of the alley come to accept him.

        Sheikh Darwish's tendencies to don western attire, and his interactions with it, reveal the accepted creation of a vital link between Midaq Alley and the western world. Sheikh Darwish had come from a big town that had an institution where he taught English. Perhaps the town was even big enough to have a western sector. ...

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