The Arab world has a vibrant and rich literary scene. At Al Majalla, we highlight some of our favourite picks—from philosophy and history to science, politics, and culture.
Lies We Lived By
By: Hamza bin Qablan Al-Muzaini
Published by: Dar Al-Jadawel, Lebanon
This is an exploration of popular sayings in contemporary Arab culture, with a focus on preaching—or what is referred to as da’wah. It highlights how preachers and writers often share these sayings without verifying their sources, assuming their widespread repetition in books or sermons serves as validation.
Al-Muzaini describes how many of these quotes are attributed to prominent Western or Israeli writers who are alleged to have expressed hostility, mockery, or threats toward Islam and Muslims. Other claims suggest that Western scholars have plagiarised ideas from early Arab scientists without acknowledgement. Popular but unsubstantiated claims have even appeared in some academic writing.
Saudi author Hamza bin Qablan Al-Muzaini traced the sources referenced by proponents of widely accepted myths within Arab discourse. After an exhaustive search, he discovered no evidence corroborating common claims. Nonetheless, the sayings took hold through repetition, including on social media, and are now commonplace.
Al-Muzaini uses a striking example to illustrate his point. He refers to an article where a writer claims that physicist Pierre Curie (husband of Marie Curie) credited the survival of Western science to Muslim scholars.
“We were able to split the atom thanks to the 30 books that survived from Andalusian civilisation,” he purportedly said. “If only we had access to the hundreds or thousands of Muslim books that were burned, we would be travelling through galaxies by now.”
The article’s author cites two sources to back this quote, but al-Muzaini’s diligent research reveals that the first source never actually mentions it, while the second does but ultimately debunks it as a fabrication.
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times
By: Azar Nafisi
Translated by: Mut’ib Fahad Al-Shammari
Published by: Al-Jamal Publishing, Iraq
In essence, this is a book about the transformative power of literature—its ability to shape lives and offer solace. Encapsulating that, the Iranian-American dissident author says: “Books may not save us from death, but they certainly help us to live.”
Read Dangerously looks at novels and their role as tools for grappling with the crises that unsettle the human psyche. Nafisi asks: “How can literature serve as a means of resistance?”
Saudi translator Fahd Mutib Al-Shammari describes Nafisi’s prose as “razor-sharp,” adding that her analysis “brims with hope”. Al-Shammari calls the book “a guide to literature as resistance”.
Nafisi draws on her experiences as both a woman and a passionate reader who lived in Iran before emigrating to the US. Framed as a series of imagined letters to her late father, the book spans a decade, at what Nafisi calls “a time when certain political parties and regimes are waging war against books and writers”.
She examines the connection between political struggles in our daily lives and how we encounter and confront adversity within the pages of fiction, where literature’s capacity for free expression can shape political thought.
On the format of the book, Nafisi says: “I knew I didn’t want it to be just a collection of essays. I wanted it to be more intimate, though not overly personal, so I decided to write letters. The idea came from my frustration. I didn’t know how to express my anger, so I wrote letters in my diary to everyone, as I’d done since childhood.”
In five letters focused on literature, the book explores how novels articulate anger, confront crises, and tackle social issues. The titles of these letters reflect the book’s central themes and Nafisi’s vision of literature as both rebellion and confrontation.
This is a beautifully rich work, translated with skill and affection, that captures the essence of literature as a quiet but potent act of defiance.
Women in the City of Damascus Between 1850 and 1920
By: Naif Saeed Al-Jubai
Published by: Dar Jabra for Publishing and Distribution, Jordan
Books that focus on women—and Arab women in particular—not only offer illuminating insights for readers seeking a deeper understanding but also play a pivotal role in supporting women in their ongoing struggle for rights.
They can challenge entrenched historical narratives, correct longstanding misconceptions, enrich perspectives, and foster greater awareness. Al-Jubai, a Syrian researcher, has made a significant contribution to that.
Focusing on the late Ottoman period in Syria, this work is particularly valuable for its documentary approach, with 90% of its sources coming from previously unpublished materials. It is an impressive compilation and sheds fresh light on the social and cultural lives of women in Damascus during this era. Sources include Sharia court records, imperial decrees sent from the Ottoman capital to Damascus, and records from the commercial court established in the late 19th century.
As noted in the book’s introduction, Al-Jubai’s years working at the Centre for Historical Archives afforded him access to 12,000 documents for his research. This lets him reach conclusions derived from precise statistical data. Concerned with the lives and conditions of women in Damascus at the time, he uncovers instances where women’s roles have been misrepresented—either overstated or understated. For instance, some Ottoman decrees exaggerated the level of women’s education, whereas an analysis of commercial and Sharia court records shows these accounts to be inflated.
Al-Jubai shows how women’s roles in this era were often downplayed. Contrary to some narratives, women were neither passive nor happy with their lot. Rather, they engaged in a struggle for social and cultural rights, achieving notable milestones that are often overlooked in both academic and non-academic studies.
The Genie Who My Mother Mariam Said Dictates Stories to Me
By: Abdulaziz Baraka Sakin
Published by: Takween Publications, Kuwait
In his latest work, this Sudanese author opens with an unconventional and captivating premise: according to Sakin’s mother, a genie dictates his stories to him, suggesting that he serves merely as a vessel for these supernatural narratives.
Sakin takes his readers on an autobiographical journey: from his upbringing and the challenges of his early years (taking gruelling jobs owing to his family’s financial struggles) to his eventual path to becoming a writer and the bans that some of his novels have faced across parts of the Arab world. In one section, he recalls, “The book I stole from my older brother’s room would shape my future”. It was Tales of Horror and Fear by Edgar Allan Poe, translated by Khalida Saeed. “The title gripped me instantly,” he says.
“I took the book without hesitation, tucked it under my clothes, and snuck off to the riverbank. I found a secluded spot far from the water carriers’ station, disregarding all the tales of jinn and goblins by the river. I read there in the open, under the legendary lulu tree, near Sheikh Yusuf Abshara’s shrine, and even in the secret corners of my grandmother’s room.”
On the issue of the genie, Sakin concludes: “I believe in all versions of events –whether alleged, imagined, or real. Ultimately, my mother is the authority on this. If my mother Mariam says a genie writes for me, then that’s proof enough.... All mothers are prophets, blessed with revelations about their children. This ‘devil’ is always with me, a companion as I face the trials and malice of humanity.”
This book is an inspiring read for aspiring writers and an invaluable resource for any writer’s workshop.
Jewels of Stories and Salt of Poems
By: Judge Mu’taman al-Din al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Abi Aqqama al-Yamani
Edited by: Noha Abdelrazek El Hefnawy
Published by: The Orient-Institute in Beirut / Dar al-Farabi, Lebanon
Books that compile the stories, poetry, and personalities of past societies give readers insight and enjoyment via their vivid records of everyday life, capturing the intricate, funny, or challenging moments that often escape official histories. Careful editing brings these invaluable collections to life, preserving them for future generations.
This remarkable book is an ideal example of that. It is a truly rich collection, encompassing stories, poetry, legal and linguistic discussions, philosophical musings, proverbs, and folkloric expressions. It also captures the voices and poetry of women.
Spanning multiple eras, from pre-Islamic times through the Islamic and Abbasid periods, it provides a fascinating window into the diverse cultural epochs of the past. Meticulously edited and published over two volumes, it presents a 100-story collection.
On the website of the German Institute of Oriental Studies, el-Hefnawy says the book’s literary and documentary value “lies not only in it being the first work of its kind by a Yemeni author, nor in its inclusion of previously unknown texts in both poetry and prose, but also in its dedication to verifying the authenticity of stories similarly to hadith literature, allowing readers to assess their reliability—a rare feature in literary compilations”.
This book meticulously documents its sources, crediting narrators and poets, clarifying points where narratives conflict, and skilfully expanding on missing details. This thorough approach makes it a captivating and invaluable reference work, particularly for those interested in Yemeni history and heritage, a field that remains underrepresented in traditional heritage studies.
