By May Kaddah, "Bahgat’s Books" - Egypt Today - Cairo, EgyptAugust 2008 Volume # 29 Issue 08
Religion, politics and humor can be a tricky mix, but Ahmad Bahgat’s writing on Egyptian life hits the mark
Contemplative and quiet, satirical and resonant, mystical, deep and almost intangible. These are words that describe the long trail of thoughts left behind in the books of writer Ahmad Bahgat.
Especially observant of the world around him, Bahgat has written social satires that portray his understanding of Egyptian culture over the years.
In his short stories and novels, Bahgat explores the psyche of Egyptian men and women; of husbands and wives and their struggle in everyday life to fit into a cultural frame set by religion and tradition. Empathetic with the underdog in society, his plots also portray hardships in the life of petty employees inflicted by governmental negligence and nonchalance. Never lacking in humor, he explores major social corruption and the typical Egyptian mindset with the simplest of words.
Aiming to explain great truths in a way that anyone can understand, Bahgat communicates with his readers through plain language. As a daily columnist in Akhbar Al-Youm, his style throughout his books remains unpretentious, with a narrative, journalistic voice. Having also written the socially critical piece, Kilmitayn We Bass (Only Two Words), for radio, he doesn’t lack skill in reaching the mind of his audience through his lively imagination and poignant sense of humor.
Simplifying the Complex
Bahgat’s language remains simple even when tackling more complicated subjects. He ventures into the realm of religion, narrating stories from the Qur’an and exploring different religious dimensions. The introductions of his books always refer to an internal voice which compels him to write about Allah and his messages to mankind. In the introduction of his most popular book, Anbeya’ Allah (The Prophets of Allah), he explains in his own words, “I was writing as if another person inside me was dictating.”
Bahgat takes it upon himself to decipher these messages as he finds them in the lives of prophets and animals mentioned in the Qur’an. In Allah fil ‘Aquida al-Islameyya: Resala fil Tawhid (Allah in the Muslim Faith: a New Message in Monotheism), Bahgat explains that most modern books about God only trace the development of the idea of God for mankind.
He specifically dedicates this book to Muslims as he explains, in the words of Imam Mohamed El-Ghazali, that most books written about monotheism for theology students are difficult to understand, with tough language. With plenty of faith and inspiration, Bahgat tries to fill this gap between man and his understanding of the divine by analyzing and referring to stories of the Qur’an.
Yet, in his own words, he seems burdened with the task, as he confesses, “I know it is daring for dust like me to write about God. But what can be done if God has created dust capable of loving and writing?”
Religious Contemplations
Even though he started out by writing social satires and comedies, a religious undertone always constitutes part of Bahgat’s plots. He writes about an ongoing battle that began at the beginning of time between forces of good and evil. Earth is the battleground and the bounty is mankind.
The history of this battle is recounted in the masterpiece of his religious writing, Anbeya’ Allah. This popular piece has been published 35 separate times and translated into five languages, including English and German. Each version has sold over 10,000 copies.
The subject and title of the book is a classic subject in the world of Islamic theology, but Bahgat’s book remains unique in its ability to communicate with a broader audience through simple use of the Arabic language. The Qur’an is comprehensively explained, as Bahgat points out reasons for existence and the direction in which mankind is heading.
Giving a Voice to Animals
Divine messages are not only sent by humans to other humans but also by animals to humans. What may seem just a bird, a mammal or a plant is in fact to Bahgat an aya (sign) of Allah — a divine message. “I used to think of animals that accompanied prophets or were in his service and would visit the zoo almost everyday and stand in front of cages trying to break the obstacle of silence that enwraps these creatures and realized that there is genuine honesty in these creatures that doesn’t exist in human beings.”
Not finding a single book telling the tale of these animals, Bahgat took it upon himself to shed light upon these creatures who have been lost in what seems to him the greater light of prophets. This resulted in the Qassas el-Hiyawan fil Qur’an (Stories of Animals in the Qur’an).
“I did not envy [the prophet] Solomon for the gold with which he covered his palace walls because I know that when he died he did not take any of it with him. I did not envy him either because he could master the jinn, because I have no desire to enslave anybody. I did not envy him either for being a Muslim because I have been taught Islam by the most perfect of Muslims. I envied Solomon for one thing: the ability to understand the language of birds and animals and to speak with them.”
The personification of the animals played the most significant role in the writing of his book. As Bahgat explains, “the dominant weaving of this book is done in an artistic way, meaning it has imagination and creativity yet there are two other main streaks with this main weave and they are the religious and scientific streaks.”
In the religious thread, Bahgat explains, the plot is the same as that of the prophet the animal is serving but narrated from the animal’s point of view. For the scientific side, he researched the habits of the animals in his book to keep their behaviour factually accurate.
Repeatedly, the voices of animals wonder at the evil nature of mankind. The crow describes that on the day when he had to teach Cain how to bury Abel, “I felt an invisible force directing my wings towards Cain. I didn’t like Cain [but] a blessed angel ordered me to fly to him so I landed in front of Cain and started digging.
I evened the wings of the dead crow to his side then I put him in his grave. I screamed twice then piled dust over him then looked at the son of Adam. I flew towards the West and heard Cain as I was flying away, screaming how he failed to be like me and bury his brother. I imagined his cry was full of regret.”
Regardless of the evil or ignorance that emanates fr om mankind, Bahgat doesn’t fail to point out the superiority of humans. At the end of his narrative, the crow confesses that even though he knows the tragedy of Cain and Abel may repeat itself, he doesn’t know the wisdom behind it and admits, “It is not my job to know maybe mankind does.”
Containing 16 different stories of the Qur’an’s animal characters, Qassas el-Hiyawan fil Qur’an digs deep into history to understand and attain lost facts. Bahgat explains that, “all the time while writing I felt that the history page that tells the story of these animals has long been turned, but I am sure that nothing gets lost, not a word, not a sentiment, not an image or a situation.
It’s all hidden in the memory of time and becomes a secret eventually and it is known that looking for secrets is difficult [but] it was as if something was whispering inside me and telling me about all these secrets and where to find them.”
With such an interest in secrets, it is not surprising that Bahgat also ventured to write about Sufism.
Fascinated by the spiritual side of Islam and not just the ritualistic, Bihar el Hob ‘ind el Sufiyya (The Sea of Love of the Sufis) remains Bahgat’s most romantic book. Religion is an art to be mastered with love, he says.
“This book is about the art of divine love.” In it, the spirit and the mind join to explore and obey a higher power through love.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to inspiration, especially for his religious writings, Bahgat explains, “inspiration is God’s bestowal of success on a human.” The Sufis he most admires are El-Junaid, Jalal El-Din El-Rumi and El-Nathri.
Social Satire
Bahgat’s social satires analyze the life of the Egyptian lower classes and attribute their actions to their inherently Egyptian good nature — or to the whispering of the devil. In many ways, his early writing points to the religious direction to which he was headed later on in life.
In 30 Seconds of Love, a compilation of short stories exploring different social dimensions, his story, A Conference of Egyptian Devils, portrays the everyday life of devils as a mirror image of humans and their daily activities. The issue of the life of the masses and government shortcomings are raised as a young Egyptian devil struggles, exhausted and frustrated, with his work to corrupt Egyptians, for the simple reason that Egyptians are already so corrupt.
A conference is held for the young devil, along with 20,000 others who have filed for unpaid leave from their work in Egypt, or asked to be relocated, to give them a chance to defend themselves. This satire mocks the Egyptian social and governmental hierarchy through scenes of the everyday life of the typical poor Egyptian citizen.
Not lacking in humor, this conference takes place on the moon, “where there was a life-size picture of the son of Adam and under it a slogan for his fall. The General Director of Evil said ‘the participants should note that in spite of our animosity with human beings, we do not wish to take on their bad manners when speaking to elders.’”
As young and old try to defend themselves, an old and wise devil sends a message to the reader that, “all we do as devils we don’t actually do, it’s all acts of circumstance.” He then concludes, “In all honesty, we can not earn a living anymore in Egypt mankind has beat us [in doing evil] there.”
Politically Poignant
Political and social critiques are best portrayed in Tuhotmos 400 Bishart (Thutmosis 400, Conditionally), Bahgat mixes comedy with political sarcasm.
Thutmosis is the first Egyptian space shuttle that travels to the moon after 399 failed trials, piloted by characters Bayoumi, Tafida and Atrees. Unfortunately, the shuttle gets lost in space because they can’t find the moon, which seems to have changed its location.
The shuttle enters open space, which is regarded as American territory. Meanwhile, Tafida decides to make the hearty garlicky meal of molokheya to raise her team’s spirits and opens the shuttle windows to let in some air. Not familiar with the smell of molokheya, the Americans conclude that the Egyptians are testing nuclear weapons in space.
Unmerciful sarcasm throughout the book mocks reactions of Egyptian government employees to what started out as an event to boost national pride and instead became an international crisis between Egypt and America.
Though Bahgat’s books are religiously inclined, he does venture into the world of politics. After the death of Anwar Sadat, he was nagged by actor Ahmed Zaki to write about the life of the assassinated president. The result was the script for the blockbuster movie Ayam El-Sadat (Days of Sadat) starring the late Ahmed Zaki, Mona Zaki and Mervat Amin.
Besides the excellence of the cast, Bahgat’s approach contributed to the success of the movie due to his adherence to historical facts — an approach which gained him praise and appreciation from the Sadat family and the public.
The author’s social comedy Muzakirat Zowg (Diaries of a Husband) was produced as a TV series that portrays the marital relations of the lower and middle classes and features the theme of nagging wives. Also the movie Imra’a min Al-Qahira (A Woman from Cairo) featuring Magda El-Khateeb was based on his work.
Bahgat’s journalistic career placed him among the Egyptian people and helped him hone a simple and friendly voice that Egyptians young and old can respond to.
Highlights of his career include his coverage of the 1967 war, which earned him respect as a writer for Akhbar Al-Youm. He was later assigned by the same newspaper to meet with Alberto Moravia, one of the leading Italian novelists of the twentieth century.
Touring the world in pursuit of his journalistic career has left Bahgat with deep humanitarian concerns.
In his Sandouq el Dunya (The Box of the World) column, a daily feature in Akhbar Al-Youm, which he continues to write today, Bahgat provides commentary on what the average Egyptian faces in their daily life.
At the end of a career that has left many others in the shade, Bahgat leaves a trail of books behind him that make their way as quietly and humbly through the world as he has done throughout his life, and will continue to for years to come.
[Picture by Khaled Habib]
[Also on Ahmad Bahgat books: Sarcasm and Sufism by Samir Sobhi Al-Ahram on Authors A to Z http://www.arabworldbooks.com/authors/ahmad_bahgat.html#selections].
Religion, politics and humor can be a tricky mix, but Ahmad Bahgat’s writing on Egyptian life hits the mark
Contemplative and quiet, satirical and resonant, mystical, deep and almost intangible. These are words that describe the long trail of thoughts left behind in the books of writer Ahmad Bahgat.
Especially observant of the world around him, Bahgat has written social satires that portray his understanding of Egyptian culture over the years.
In his short stories and novels, Bahgat explores the psyche of Egyptian men and women; of husbands and wives and their struggle in everyday life to fit into a cultural frame set by religion and tradition. Empathetic with the underdog in society, his plots also portray hardships in the life of petty employees inflicted by governmental negligence and nonchalance. Never lacking in humor, he explores major social corruption and the typical Egyptian mindset with the simplest of words.
Aiming to explain great truths in a way that anyone can understand, Bahgat communicates with his readers through plain language. As a daily columnist in Akhbar Al-Youm, his style throughout his books remains unpretentious, with a narrative, journalistic voice. Having also written the socially critical piece, Kilmitayn We Bass (Only Two Words), for radio, he doesn’t lack skill in reaching the mind of his audience through his lively imagination and poignant sense of humor.
Simplifying the Complex
Bahgat’s language remains simple even when tackling more complicated subjects. He ventures into the realm of religion, narrating stories from the Qur’an and exploring different religious dimensions. The introductions of his books always refer to an internal voice which compels him to write about Allah and his messages to mankind. In the introduction of his most popular book, Anbeya’ Allah (The Prophets of Allah), he explains in his own words, “I was writing as if another person inside me was dictating.”
Bahgat takes it upon himself to decipher these messages as he finds them in the lives of prophets and animals mentioned in the Qur’an. In Allah fil ‘Aquida al-Islameyya: Resala fil Tawhid (Allah in the Muslim Faith: a New Message in Monotheism), Bahgat explains that most modern books about God only trace the development of the idea of God for mankind.
He specifically dedicates this book to Muslims as he explains, in the words of Imam Mohamed El-Ghazali, that most books written about monotheism for theology students are difficult to understand, with tough language. With plenty of faith and inspiration, Bahgat tries to fill this gap between man and his understanding of the divine by analyzing and referring to stories of the Qur’an.
Yet, in his own words, he seems burdened with the task, as he confesses, “I know it is daring for dust like me to write about God. But what can be done if God has created dust capable of loving and writing?”
Religious Contemplations
Even though he started out by writing social satires and comedies, a religious undertone always constitutes part of Bahgat’s plots. He writes about an ongoing battle that began at the beginning of time between forces of good and evil. Earth is the battleground and the bounty is mankind.
The history of this battle is recounted in the masterpiece of his religious writing, Anbeya’ Allah. This popular piece has been published 35 separate times and translated into five languages, including English and German. Each version has sold over 10,000 copies.
The subject and title of the book is a classic subject in the world of Islamic theology, but Bahgat’s book remains unique in its ability to communicate with a broader audience through simple use of the Arabic language. The Qur’an is comprehensively explained, as Bahgat points out reasons for existence and the direction in which mankind is heading.
Giving a Voice to Animals
Divine messages are not only sent by humans to other humans but also by animals to humans. What may seem just a bird, a mammal or a plant is in fact to Bahgat an aya (sign) of Allah — a divine message. “I used to think of animals that accompanied prophets or were in his service and would visit the zoo almost everyday and stand in front of cages trying to break the obstacle of silence that enwraps these creatures and realized that there is genuine honesty in these creatures that doesn’t exist in human beings.”
Not finding a single book telling the tale of these animals, Bahgat took it upon himself to shed light upon these creatures who have been lost in what seems to him the greater light of prophets. This resulted in the Qassas el-Hiyawan fil Qur’an (Stories of Animals in the Qur’an).
“I did not envy [the prophet] Solomon for the gold with which he covered his palace walls because I know that when he died he did not take any of it with him. I did not envy him either because he could master the jinn, because I have no desire to enslave anybody. I did not envy him either for being a Muslim because I have been taught Islam by the most perfect of Muslims. I envied Solomon for one thing: the ability to understand the language of birds and animals and to speak with them.”
The personification of the animals played the most significant role in the writing of his book. As Bahgat explains, “the dominant weaving of this book is done in an artistic way, meaning it has imagination and creativity yet there are two other main streaks with this main weave and they are the religious and scientific streaks.”
In the religious thread, Bahgat explains, the plot is the same as that of the prophet the animal is serving but narrated from the animal’s point of view. For the scientific side, he researched the habits of the animals in his book to keep their behaviour factually accurate.
Repeatedly, the voices of animals wonder at the evil nature of mankind. The crow describes that on the day when he had to teach Cain how to bury Abel, “I felt an invisible force directing my wings towards Cain. I didn’t like Cain [but] a blessed angel ordered me to fly to him so I landed in front of Cain and started digging.
I evened the wings of the dead crow to his side then I put him in his grave. I screamed twice then piled dust over him then looked at the son of Adam. I flew towards the West and heard Cain as I was flying away, screaming how he failed to be like me and bury his brother. I imagined his cry was full of regret.”
Regardless of the evil or ignorance that emanates fr om mankind, Bahgat doesn’t fail to point out the superiority of humans. At the end of his narrative, the crow confesses that even though he knows the tragedy of Cain and Abel may repeat itself, he doesn’t know the wisdom behind it and admits, “It is not my job to know maybe mankind does.”
Containing 16 different stories of the Qur’an’s animal characters, Qassas el-Hiyawan fil Qur’an digs deep into history to understand and attain lost facts. Bahgat explains that, “all the time while writing I felt that the history page that tells the story of these animals has long been turned, but I am sure that nothing gets lost, not a word, not a sentiment, not an image or a situation.
It’s all hidden in the memory of time and becomes a secret eventually and it is known that looking for secrets is difficult [but] it was as if something was whispering inside me and telling me about all these secrets and where to find them.”
With such an interest in secrets, it is not surprising that Bahgat also ventured to write about Sufism.
Fascinated by the spiritual side of Islam and not just the ritualistic, Bihar el Hob ‘ind el Sufiyya (The Sea of Love of the Sufis) remains Bahgat’s most romantic book. Religion is an art to be mastered with love, he says.
“This book is about the art of divine love.” In it, the spirit and the mind join to explore and obey a higher power through love.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to inspiration, especially for his religious writings, Bahgat explains, “inspiration is God’s bestowal of success on a human.” The Sufis he most admires are El-Junaid, Jalal El-Din El-Rumi and El-Nathri.
Social Satire
Bahgat’s social satires analyze the life of the Egyptian lower classes and attribute their actions to their inherently Egyptian good nature — or to the whispering of the devil. In many ways, his early writing points to the religious direction to which he was headed later on in life.
In 30 Seconds of Love, a compilation of short stories exploring different social dimensions, his story, A Conference of Egyptian Devils, portrays the everyday life of devils as a mirror image of humans and their daily activities. The issue of the life of the masses and government shortcomings are raised as a young Egyptian devil struggles, exhausted and frustrated, with his work to corrupt Egyptians, for the simple reason that Egyptians are already so corrupt.
A conference is held for the young devil, along with 20,000 others who have filed for unpaid leave from their work in Egypt, or asked to be relocated, to give them a chance to defend themselves. This satire mocks the Egyptian social and governmental hierarchy through scenes of the everyday life of the typical poor Egyptian citizen.
Not lacking in humor, this conference takes place on the moon, “where there was a life-size picture of the son of Adam and under it a slogan for his fall. The General Director of Evil said ‘the participants should note that in spite of our animosity with human beings, we do not wish to take on their bad manners when speaking to elders.’”
As young and old try to defend themselves, an old and wise devil sends a message to the reader that, “all we do as devils we don’t actually do, it’s all acts of circumstance.” He then concludes, “In all honesty, we can not earn a living anymore in Egypt mankind has beat us [in doing evil] there.”
Politically Poignant
Political and social critiques are best portrayed in Tuhotmos 400 Bishart (Thutmosis 400, Conditionally), Bahgat mixes comedy with political sarcasm.
Thutmosis is the first Egyptian space shuttle that travels to the moon after 399 failed trials, piloted by characters Bayoumi, Tafida and Atrees. Unfortunately, the shuttle gets lost in space because they can’t find the moon, which seems to have changed its location.
The shuttle enters open space, which is regarded as American territory. Meanwhile, Tafida decides to make the hearty garlicky meal of molokheya to raise her team’s spirits and opens the shuttle windows to let in some air. Not familiar with the smell of molokheya, the Americans conclude that the Egyptians are testing nuclear weapons in space.
Unmerciful sarcasm throughout the book mocks reactions of Egyptian government employees to what started out as an event to boost national pride and instead became an international crisis between Egypt and America.
Though Bahgat’s books are religiously inclined, he does venture into the world of politics. After the death of Anwar Sadat, he was nagged by actor Ahmed Zaki to write about the life of the assassinated president. The result was the script for the blockbuster movie Ayam El-Sadat (Days of Sadat) starring the late Ahmed Zaki, Mona Zaki and Mervat Amin.
Besides the excellence of the cast, Bahgat’s approach contributed to the success of the movie due to his adherence to historical facts — an approach which gained him praise and appreciation from the Sadat family and the public.
The author’s social comedy Muzakirat Zowg (Diaries of a Husband) was produced as a TV series that portrays the marital relations of the lower and middle classes and features the theme of nagging wives. Also the movie Imra’a min Al-Qahira (A Woman from Cairo) featuring Magda El-Khateeb was based on his work.
Bahgat’s journalistic career placed him among the Egyptian people and helped him hone a simple and friendly voice that Egyptians young and old can respond to.
Highlights of his career include his coverage of the 1967 war, which earned him respect as a writer for Akhbar Al-Youm. He was later assigned by the same newspaper to meet with Alberto Moravia, one of the leading Italian novelists of the twentieth century.
Touring the world in pursuit of his journalistic career has left Bahgat with deep humanitarian concerns.
In his Sandouq el Dunya (The Box of the World) column, a daily feature in Akhbar Al-Youm, which he continues to write today, Bahgat provides commentary on what the average Egyptian faces in their daily life.
At the end of a career that has left many others in the shade, Bahgat leaves a trail of books behind him that make their way as quietly and humbly through the world as he has done throughout his life, and will continue to for years to come.
[Picture by Khaled Habib]
[Also on Ahmad Bahgat books: Sarcasm and Sufism by Samir Sobhi Al-Ahram on Authors A to Z http://www.arabworldbooks.com/authors/ahmad_bahgat.html#selections].
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