Morocco, 1359. The people of Fes are living in deprivation under the rule of an unjust sultan. Zakaria is a young Muslim scholar trying to sustain his family while committing to a rigid moral code. To provide for his sickly daughter, he sacrifices his principles and seeks a job at the palace, where he gradually becomes entangled in a web of intrigue, his conscience tormented by serving the sultan. In the hope of fleeing from the constraints of his world, he joins the quest of Muhammad ibn Yusuf, the exiled king of Granada, and his enchanting sister, Aisha, to reclaim their throne. Together, they set out to Andalusia on a journey that will call into question all of Zakaria’s beliefs and change the history of the Iberian Peninsula for decades to come.
Then He Sent Prophets is a story about the suffering of young idealists in a world of inevitable compromise. Throughout his journey, Zakaria faces internal struggles that are timeless and universal, strives to reconcile his faith with the world, doubts the motives behind his desire to live morally, and ends up wondering whether a life consisting of one compromise after another is one worth living.
Then He Sent Prophets is a novel for our moment. Set around the political struggles of fourteenth-century Granada, it is a deeply sympathetic and passionately human look at how one might make—or fail to make—moral, decent choices when living in a violent, indecent world.
— Marcia Lynx Qualey, founding editor of ArabLit
Circumstances present Zakaria with a position at the palace. […] Can someone critical of the sultan and conscious of his corruption maintain integrity while serving at the palace? And what’s the line between complete innocence and partial complicity? These are the questions at the crux of his ethical dilemma. […] It’s easy to make connections between Zakaria’s inner dilemmas and those many of us grapple with today.
— Hafsa Lodi in The New Arab
USD $ 10.00 USD $ 20.00Price range: USD $ 10.00 through USD $ 20.00
Mohamed Seif El Nasr grew up in Cairo, Egypt, attended the Collège de la Sainte Famille du Caire, received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the American University in Cairo, and worked for over a decade in…
Table of Contents 4
Epigraph 6
Introduction 7
1 The Eyebrow 10
2 Blamed for Everything 15
3 The Cursed Child 19
4 The Slippers 23
5 The Enemy of Horses 28
6 Tamima’s Stone 33
7 Except the Sultan 39
8 The Piece of Cloth 44
9 Muslims and Mujrims 49
10 No Musicians or White Storks 55
11 The Royal Chancery 61
12 Are We Not All Muslims? 66
13 On Ethics and Rituals 71
14 The Voice of Fes 75
15 The Rift 78
16 A Cup of Milk 83
17 A Year to Forget 89
18 The Bad Smell 93
19 A Sultan’s Verdict 98
20 Um al-Wazir 103
21 The Journey 111
22 The Caravan 114
23 The Race 118
24 The Princess 121
25 The Savior 125
26 An Eye Without an Eyebrow 130
27 The Sword Verse 135
28 The Philosopher King 138
29 The Mad Scholar 143
30 Jahannam 148
31 The Crow 153
32 The Fall 158
33 The Frying Pan 163
34 The Hypocrite 166
35 Reunion 172
36 A Knight Without a Horse 175
37 An Innocent Soul 179
38 The Mirror 183
39 Gold and Diamonds 189
40 The Red Prophet 193
Author’s Note 196
About the Author 197
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Lababidi’s Palestine Wail calls for the simplest, barest humanity, and it reminds us that loss of life, occupation, and genocide take an impossible toll on everyone. Finally, it holds us all accountable to address injustice, to dispel oppression and to work toward collaborative and restorative justice. In our interview, we focused on what he saw as our responsibility to humanity. — How Hope Outlasts Despair: An Interview with Yahia Lababidi — https://www.clereviewofbooks.com/writing/how-hope-outlasts-despair-an-interview-with-yahia-lababidi
…a poignant message of compassion and hope, the kind beautifully expressed by Yahia Lababidi in his #book #Palestine Wail,
@DarajaPress.
“Since purchasing the book, I have read the poem every day—it tends to feed my imagination.” https://boundlessphilanthropy.com/writings/tending-the-imagination-the-practice-of-creativity-care-challenge-compassion #poetry #Gaza
Renowned aphorist Yahia Lababidi’s Palestine Wail writes alongside a catastrophe beyond words, trying to shelter in words what remains of our humanity. To be a Minister of Loneliness and Lightkeeper, tending to the light. — Philip Metres, author of Fugitive/Refuge
Palestine is personal for writer, Yahia Lababidi. His Palestinian grandmother, Rabiha Dajani — educator, activist & social worker — was forced to flee her ancestral home in Jerusalem, at gunpoint, some eighty years ago.
As an Arab-American, Lababidi feels deeply betrayed by the USA’s blind support of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.
In Palestine Wail, he reminds us that religion is not politics, Judaism is not Zionism, and to criticize the immoral, illegal actions of Israel is not antisemitism — especially since, as an Arab, Lababidi is a Semite, himself.
Using both poetry and prose, Lababidi reflects on how we are neither our corrupt governments, nor our compromised media. Rather, we are partners in humanity, members of one human family. Not in Our Name will the unholy massacres of innocent Palestinians be committed (two-thirds of whom are women and children) nor in the false name of ‘self-defense’.
In turn, Lababidi reminds us that starvation as a weapon of war is both cruel and criminal, as is collective punishment.
Palestine Wail invites us to bear witness to this historical humanitarian crisis, unfolding in real-time, while not allowing ourselves to be deceived, intimidated or silenced. We are made aware of the basic human truths that no lasting peace can be founded upon profound injustice and that the jailor is never Free…
Yahia Lababidi, an Arab-American writer of Palestinian background, has crafted a poignant collection which serves as a heartfelt tribute to the Palestinian people, their struggles, and their resilience in the face of an ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The collection, described as a love letter to Gaza, draws inspiration from the rich literary tradition of Palestinian resistance literature. Lababidi, known for his critically-acclaimed books of aphorisms, essays, and poetry, brings his unique voice to this personal, political and spiritual work.
Palestine Wail addresses us in a variety of voices: outrage, lamentation and pity, in attempting to honor the pain of the oppressed Palestinian people, while also celebrating their enduring spirit.
Lababidi’s Wail, ultimately, is a prayerful work seeking peace, healing and reconciliation—a testament to the transformative power of literature to keep hope alive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
These are necessary and truthful poems. Yahia Lababidi powerfully illuminates this heartbreaking time and terrible season in the history of our world. This book, like a lantern in darkness, brings to light the truth of lives we must learn to honor and remember. — James Crews, author of Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Creativity, and Self-Compassion
Yahia Lababidi’s stunning and resonant collection, Palestine Wail, addresses the outrage felt by many of the oppressed Palestinian supporters and more. He also speaks of the lamentations of his people and the show of pity, compassion, and empathy from many members of the human family from all around the world. — The Indefatigable Longing For Peace And Rapprochement In Yahia Lababidi’s Palestine Wail By Michael Parker.
Truth be told, I never thought I would write another volume of poetry after the last, I will not Dance to Your Beat (2011). The reason was that my previous volumes were reactive to the circumstances of the times. Patriots and Cockroaches (1992) was a reaction to the socio-political corruption that had engulfed Africa and dimmed the enthusiasm that had been built by the years of struggle for independence. Whereas we thought we were stepping into a post-colonial era, what we stepped into was a vicious neo-colonial times. The next collection, Poems on the Run (1995) was a reaction to military autocracy and the repression that followed. The volume was literally written underground. This was followed by Intercepted (1998) all written while detained at Kalakuta Republic of Alagbon Close. We Thought it was Oil But it was Blood (2002) responded to two things primarily – extractivism and the accompanying human and environmental rights abuses in the Niger Delta and elsewhere. The massive erosion of biodiversity and attacks on food sovereignty through the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into our agricultural system inspired I Will not Dance to your Beat.
What you have in your hands, or on your screens, is a compilation that is largely more meditative than the previous collections. There are moments of reflection on the colonial and neoliberal foundations that permit a willful disconnection from nature and the resultant destructive extractivism.
Some of the poems came through conversations and poetry writing sessions with Peter Molnar, Maryam al-Khawaja — Rafto Human Rights laureates and Salil Tripathi, a member of the board of PEN International, in August 2017. The sessions held at a beautifully rustic location in Celleno, Italy, were documented on celluloid by the duo of Maria Galliana Dyrvik and Anita Jonsterhaug Vedå of SMAU, a multimedia firm in Norway. Poetic relationship with Maria and Anita has continued over the years and their work continues to inspire more and more poems.
Contents
IGOLI
On love (xxxiii) 13 Dorothy Masuku in Sophiatown 2018 14 Re-Map 16 On love (xxxiv) 18 56 Chapman Street 19 Yesterday Today Tomorrow 20 Marlboro Winter 21 Diepsloot Winter (pre-loadshedding) 22 Only in Jozi 23 Dispossession 24 Ontvangs B Helen Joseph Hospital 25 Mammogram Waiting Room Roodepoort 26 Pholosong Emergency 27 1st Road 28 Inclines 29 Counterclock Clock 30 airbnb Meldene 32 Meldene to Melville, COVID-19 late third wave 33 Excess death or, Acer rubrum 34 Westdene Winter or, Masculinity 35 Shrieking yellow 36 Fleurhof 37 Intraction Extraction 38 On love (xxxv) 40 Moon Garden 41 On love (xxxvi) 42 Garnets or, On love (xxxvii) 43 Spirit 44 Lower 4th Westdene or, On love (xxxviii) 45 On love (xxxix) 46 Natalia Molebatsi and Bab’Themba Mokoena in dance 47 Maps 48 inimba 49 On love (xl) 50 On love (xli) 51 Footsteps 52 inimba (ii) 53 On love (xlii) 54 iSothamilo or, On love (xliii) 55 big little forest 56 On love (xliv) 57
EGoli
or, Only in Jozi (ii) or, On love (xlv) 62 Origins 63 metsi/amanzi/emanti/mvura/madzi/ruwa/water/ /l’eau/ 65 Down Main Street Melville or, Umsebenzi 66 Umsebenzi (ii) 67 Footsteps (ii) 68 Where will we go? 69 RosesRunways 70 On love (xlvi) or, Umsebenzi (iii) 71 72 Wealth 74 Recipe or, Wealth (ii) 75 On love (xlvii) 76 sodade (iii) or, Joy of Jazz Sandton 2017 77 Mushrooms in Mint or, On love (xlviii) 78 Footsteps (iii) 80 Distances 81 Only in Jozi (iii) 82 Greenhill Grocer or, On love (xlix) 83 Only in Jozi (iv) or, On love (l) 84 Fidel Castro at Lillisleaf Farm 2017 or, On love (li) 87 After the launch of Cradles or, 2018 or, On love (lii) 90 sodade (iv) EGoli or, On love (liii) On love (liv)
A new collection of poems by Salimah Valiani. IGoli EGoli is a sociopolitical reading of Johannesburg drawing on its famous, and not so famed, people, places, plants & pronouncements.
First published by [email protected]
Rhymes of Blood and Jasmine is far more than a bilingual poetry collection; it is a poetic and cultural testimony that merges lyrical beauty with critical depth. Spanning over five decades of creative expression, Dr. Hilmi Zawati weaves verses charged with spiritual and romantic love, exile, memory, resistance, and identity. Symbols like jasmine, oranges, figs, and blood evoke a profound sense of homeland, sacrifice, and longing, forming an emotional tapestry firmly rooted in the Palestinian experience. This is poetry that does not simply describe a reality but embodies it, offering readers an intimate portal into a world shaped by history and sustained by hope.
KEY WORDS
Palestinian resistance poetry, alienation and exile, comparative world literature, translation studies, global resistance literature, Palestinian literature in the diaspora, modern Arabic poetry.
What makes this collection truly singular is its self-translation—a rare act that unites author and translator into a single, cohesive poetic voice. Zawati transcends conventional translation by recreating the essence of his Arabic poems in English with unmatched emotional and stylistic fidelity. His bilingual artistry breathes life into both texts, allowing them to resonate authentically across languages and cultures, ensuring that the nuance and musicality of the original are never lost.
This work speaks to a broad audience of readers, scholars, poets, translators, and students of translation studies, comparative literature, Palestinian history, and Arab diaspora cultures. It asserts translation as a form of cultural sovereignty—rejecting distortion, simplification, and marginalisation—while affirming the enduring presence of Arab poetic tradition within global literature. Rhymes of Blood and Jasmine is not just to be read; it is to be lived. A poetic bridge between languages and worlds, it revives silenced memories and restores the voice of love and homeland with grace, dignity, and truth. This collection is an essential contribution to world literature, offering a poignant reminder of poetry’s power to heal, resist, and connect.
“This exquisite poetry collection interweaves Palestinian resistance, exile, love, and universal humanism into a moving tapestry of memory and justice. The spirit of the jurist-poet infuses each verse, where poetry transcends the limits of law to restore moral balance through beauty. With refined free verse, incantatory rhythms, and vivid imagery, Hilmi Zawati’s landmark book transforms stifled revolt into art—a luminous contribution to Palestinian, Arabic, and world literature.” —Daniela Rodica Firanescu, Associate Professor (Retired) of Arabic Studies, Dalhousie University, and poet.
“In this unique bilingual collection of Palestinian resistance poetry, Zawati offers a self-curated, self-translated selection from his poetic works. Rooted in Palestinian themes—love, exile, memory, and longing—his poems blend the personal and universal, linking the Palestinian experience with the broader human condition. The side-by-side presentation of Arabic and English makes this collection valuable for scholars and students of modern Arabic literature, universal comparative literature, and translation studies.” —Ines Aščerić-Todd, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Arabic &Middle Eastern Cultures, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, University of Edinburgh.
“‘History,’ said Byron, ‘is the devil’s scripture.’ This dismal fact’s inked in scarlet blood—especially in conflict annals, wherein saints get deemed sadists, while the slain get labelled suicides. Thus, Hilmi M. Zawati pens, for Palestine, plaidoiries—pleadings—because, ‘I returned to you, and you became the graveyard….’ He echoes Wilfred Owen: ‘The Poetry is in the pity.’ His poetry warns, where Justice is not, neither flourishes Freedom nor Love.” —George Elliott Clarke, E.J. Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature, University of Toronto
“A member of the Palestinian Diaspora and a prolific poet, Hilmi M. Zawati’s Rhymes of Blood and Jasmine present an emblematic story of heartbreak and displacement. His inspired verses evoke his peoples suffering coupled with a passionate devotion to ‘the beloved,’ as a free Palestine yet to be realized. This self-translated, dual language collection offers poems teeming with powerful, evocative imagery and lyric language that unflaggingly ‘look forward to freedom’.” —Giovanna Riccio, prize-winning poet, author of Plastic’s Republic.
“Powerful lyrical poems of one of the best poets of the Palestinian resistance. It provides a double witness of the act of creation: the original poems and the translations. With bubbling emotions and perceptive reflections, it offers a bridge between the past and the present, the painful reality and the metaphor of a country raped by colonialists, and forced exiting and the desire to return. Because of his love, he still hopes!” —John P. Portelli, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, poet and fiction writer.
“Though dedicated to Palestine, Zawati’s poems embody a universal story of dispossession, love, and longing. They speak from the heart to the heart, confronting belligerence and clinging to a distantbeloved—Palestine. For him, forgetting is a second death, the cruellest exile. Thus, he endures, steadfast, with nothing but his pen, while the only bullet he is willing to fire is its ink.” —Mireille Rebeiz, PhD, SJD, Chair of Middle East Studies & Associate Professor, Dickinson College
“Resistance in Zawati’s poetry extends beyond its immediate political dimension and manifests in various forms, including resistance to oblivion, marginalization, oppression, tyranny, and cultural or linguistic distortion, particularly within the context of poetry translation. Zawati’s engagement in translating his own works introduces an additional creative dimension, reflecting a deep critical awareness of the complexities inherent in conveying poetry and underscoring that translation constitutes a re-creation of the text in another language rather than a literal rendering”. —CAlī cAbd al-Fattāḥ, The Algerian Cultural Journal (August 2026)
“Zawati rejected ‘rigid literalism’ and instead used a methodology based on ‘symbolic precision’ and ‘emotional resonance.’ This approach highlights his dual role as author and translator, granting him a unique ‘interpretative authority’ to bridge Arabic poetic traditions and English-speaking audiences without resorting to ‘Orientalist simplification.’ His self-translation is described as ‘narrative justice’ and ‘moral diplomacy,’ as it resists the ‘westernisation’ of Arabic texts and challenges dominant representational politics that marginalise diverse Palestinian voices”. —Al-Qabas Newspaper (August 23, 2026)
“Rhymes of Blood and Jasmine is more than a translated selection of poetry—it is a poetic proclamation, a critical stance, and a vivid testament to the power of creativity to transcend linguistic, geographical, and symbolic borders. Through his meticulous self-translation, Dr. Hilmi Zawati not only conveys the beauty of his poetry but also takes a firm stand against reductive representation, engaging the political and cultural frameworks that have shaped how Palestinian poetry is received globally. This collection affirms the ability of resistant Palestinian verse to cross boundaries—linguistic, political, and emotional—enriching the global literary scene with a bilingual Arabic voice that remains true to its singular soul”. —Nada Chaddad, PhD., Addustour Newspaper (September 4th, 2026)\
Discover The Shadow: Poems for the Children of Gaza, a poignant collection by Palestinian poet Ahmed Miqdad and Maltese-Canadian poet John P. Portelli. Written amidst the horrors of Gaza’s genocide and the personal battle with cancer, these 42 poems bear witness to the intersection of political violence and personal mortality. Through raw emotion and lyrical defiance, the poets forge solidarity across borders, offering a glimmer of hope in the face of erasure.
Featuring evocative art by Malak Mattar and a foreword by Professor Jamil Khader, this collection is a call to remember, resist, and reclaim humanity. A portion of proceeds will support Palestinian relief efforts.
Written with urgency out of a war-time Beirut, this poetry collection registers the griefs and the heroism of the Lebanese, under siege yet again. Sabbagh lends his lyrical voice here, to give a voice to the voiceless, trying to find some harmonic sense out of catastrophe. This book will compel readers, both Lebanese and those with any kind of human heart. While much of the work was written swiftly, on impulse, and almost like, as one of the poem’s title’s has it, a ‘War Diary,’ in verse, this work aims nonetheless to last in its significance and resonance at a time when the world as a whole (let alone Lebanon herself) has become so unpredictable, so fickle and so perilous. Night Settles Upon The City aims to be a worthwhile addition to the contemporary literature of war and, more specifically, to the literary representations of the modern Lebanese reality and experience.
Omar Sabbagh is a poet who is privileged to write about war and destruction from the relative safety of his study. But this double-edged illusion is insidious — mental and emotional inwardly, and physical for those who are directly under attack. It is visceral, political, heart-wrenching — yet the poet seeks out light and hope through the act of writing, for the sake of ownership and sharing. He may say that “I cannot read minds and nor / will I ever wish to”, but he writes for the importance of record-keeping, seeking solace, both private and public — as the Night Settles Upon The City of Beirut.
— Sudeep Sen, Winner of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize
Omar Sabbagh has long brought us a world in which personal experience stitches a hyphen between the eastern Mediterranean and the northerly British archipelago. Now he makes the tension inherent within that richness explicit, in a love-letter to his family and home city of Beirut. Written while the ‘night’ of war ‘settles upon the city’, his introductory ‘Thoughts’ show us how unthinkable war remains, even when it arrives on the doorstep. This is a book of witness to what cannot happen, and yet does.
– Fiona Sampson, Professor Fiona Sampson MBE FRSL.Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning WW Norton 2022 – Washington Post Book of the Year, New York Times Editors’ Choice, finalist Plutarch Prize, finalist PEN Jacqueline Bograd Award, Sunday Times Paperback of the year.
The poet Omar Sabbagh lives in Beirut. His voice is playful, almost surreal at times. He talks of ‘the hairbrained monocle of war’ and suggests that if you live long enough in a place like Beirut ‘laughter becomes a lover’s distance-giving kiss’. Night Settles Upon the City offers us a poetry that is neither ideological nor partisan, not of the frontline but of a deeply threatened warzone. Its terms are easy-going, sorrowful, humane, formally intelligent and tinged with apprehension. It is humanity being human. Reading it is relief and hope.’
— George Szirtes FRSL, Eliot Prize winner.
—Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Kulturnest Co-founder & Managing Director
In Night Settles on the City, Omar Sabbagh gives voice to the bewilderment, fear, rage, and despair so many of us in the Middle East are currently feeling. His eloquent, tender poems grapple with the impossibility—yet absolute necessity—of language at a moment when words otherwise fail. Like all the best poems, Sabbagh’s challenge, soothe, haunt, and rehumanize us, ultimately arousing our better selves.
—Mai Al-Nakib, author of An Unlasting Home and The Hidden Light of Objects
Both erudite and demotic, felt through the body and ‘guided by ear’ Omar Sabbagh’s voice powers through the remote attacks on Beirut – the city in which he currently lives – the hourly atrocities and unspeakable suffering to reach us and to speak for us. ‘What’s to understand?’ he asks ‘That murder can be finessed?’ In his seminal new collection, Night Settles Upon the City, night becomes a ‘dark and violent animal’ with its ‘panther’s pelt’ of terror ‘slowly curving round us’ through which we hear the voice of the aggressor reflecting that ‘…each murderous attack/ I order seems to drain this world of innocence.’ Yet Sabbagh’s own voice remains measured, balanced, especially in the portraits he paints of his beloved father…‘It gets worse each day watching him/ ageing’ (‘The Old Man and his Walking Stick’). This poem ends with the lines ‘an old man and his son, fighting a war/ in a warzone we all must visit’. Alongside unimaginable horror we are shown the ordinary griefs and losses that we all suffer – of ageing, of failing, of being human; and it’s the humanity and compassion with which Sabbagh bears witness that will secure this book’s future among the handful of classics that will come to define our era.
— Jenny Lewis, MA Oxon., MPhil., PhD, Tutor for Poetry, Oxford University
Spoon and Shrapnel uniquely combines poetry and recipes to explore the experience of surviving the Iran-Iraq War through a child’s eyes. As a survivor herself, Sheema Kalbasi brings forth raw memories of fear, loss, and resilience through verse, while accompanying these poignant moments with simple, nourishing recipes that sustained her family amidst scarcity and danger. Each poem is paired with a recipe, alternating between the emotional depth of poetry and the practical art of cooking traditions that offered hope during wartime. The poems deliver vivid, emotional insights into life during the conflict, while the recipes—crafted with scarce ingredients—represent moments of comfort and survival. Together, they form a narrative tapestry where food and poetry intertwine, reflecting how one family, and an entire culture, persevered.
Kalbasi’s work goes beyond her personal experience to present a universal story of resilience, illustrating how, even in the harshest conditions, humanity finds strength in the simple rituals of cooking, eating, and storytelling. Spoon and Shrapnel is a tribute to both physical and emotional survival, offering readers a rare glimpse into everyday life during war.
Ancestral Daughter is a poignant collection of free-verse poetry by Palestinian writer Zeina Jhaish, exploring themes of diaspora, identity, resistance, and love. Through vivid imagery and raw emotion, Jhaish navigates her dual existence as a Palestinian woman from Gaza living in the diaspora, weaving personal and collective histories into her verses. The book is divided into two parts: “Ancestral,” which delves into exile, land, and the trauma of occupation, and “Daughter,” which reflects on womanhood, heartbreak, and rebirth. Poems like “Haifa on 85th Avenue” and “Godforsaken Homes” juxtapose longing for homeland with the alienation of displacement, while “Being a Palestinian Woman: A Guide” celebrates resilience. Jhaish honors her heritage, mourns ongoing violence, and clings to hope, dedicating the work to Gaza and Palestinian martyrs. Blending English and Arabic, her poetry is a testament to ancestral love and the unyielding spirit of her people.
20% of the income from e-book orders will be donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
If you are a bookstore, please get in touch with [email protected] for special offers.
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ArabLit
I want to start by saying I really enjoyed reading this novel. When I was away from it, I wanted to get back to this world, to re-immerse myself. A large part of that drive was Zakaria, who wants so much to do right in the world (even as he sometimes gets in a muddle, can be jealous and short-tempered). Was Zakaria based on a historical figure or historical sources? Or is he built from inspirations nearer to us in time?
Mohamed Seif El Nasr: Concerning Zakaria’s character, I believe it is a blend of what you mentioned. The critical thinking and rationality part of his character is based historically on Muhammad al-Abili, Ibn Khaldun’s tutor. Al-Abili, who was known throughout the Maghreb as the great master of the rational sciences, was a fascinating figure with unconventional views. He actively tried to avoid official posts throughout his life, famously refused to write books, and was heavily critical of the schooling (madaress) system at the time of the Marinid dynasty, which followed a curriculum imposed by the authorities and which, he believed, created restrained mentalities.
As for the morality part of Zakaria’s personality, his desire to do right in the world, and his struggle to understand the motives behind his desire to be moral, I believe my main inspiration was my own experience and that of my close friends. On the one hand, many of our generation here in Egypt had our moral compass sharpened during the Arab Spring, became driven by the desire to do right in the world, and tried to identify ourselves within the global political spectrum (which would naturally lead anyone to lean left). On the other hand, and this is heavily alluded to in the novel as part of Zakaria’s character development, once you try to associate yourself with people who are supposedly doing right in the world, there’s always the sad discovery, which would come sooner or later, that many of them are more motivated by egoism rather than love for the people and a genuine desire to help others—that depressing realization that social activism is oftentimes a mask for personal egoism—and then you find yourself questioning your own motives. ArabLit
Usman Butt
Then He Sent Prophets cuts across many issues that would be all too familiar to us today, but it also illuminates the past. Zakaria’s ideals and ambitions are both naive and relatable, wanting to remake the world and being weighed down by family and social obligations could be the tale of much university or college graduates the world over. The concerns that religiosity is lax, declining and those charged with educating people of their religious obligations are corrupt and distort the true message, is certainly a message that will resonate with many religious believers today. In some ways, it reminds us that our concerns are not new and are, in fact, as old as religion itself, these are the key themes that make the novel feel contemporaneous. Those seeking a book that speaks to present concerns will certainly find this novel to be just that, but it is also rooted in the past and so there are many elements that are so very different from our times. What made this novel fascinating to read was the blend of the two, while being firmly set in the past. Then He Sent Prophets is a fun, enjoyable, relatable and intriguing read and excellent work of historical fiction. — Usman Butt TheUsmanButt.
Sherine Elbanhawy
Mohamed Seif El Nasr’s debut novel, Then He Sent Prophets, is a sweeping historical narrative set in the 14th century, a period marked by the decline of the Marinid dynasty in Morocco and the tumultuous Emirate of Granada in Islamic Spain. It is a masterful blend of historical fiction, philosophical inquiry, and human drama featuring real historical figures like Ibn Khaldun, Pedro I, and Muhammad V. For example, Ibn Khaldun’s observation that “when a ruler makes his people too weak to keep their affairs going, their weakness recoils on him and weakens him” critiques Sultan Abu Salem’s governance, reinforcing the cyclical nature of oppression. This insight is paired with vivid depictions of medieval society, such as the fleeting legacy of Sultan Abu Salem: “Of the short reign of Sultan Abu Salem, people have a recollection of only two events: the giraffe from Mali and the day the overthrown king of Granada departed to reclaim his throne.” — Sherine Elbanhawy, Rowayat.org
Historical Novels Review, August 2025
“This is an interesting character—and emotion—driven novel of a time, place, and events not widely covered in Western literature, [with] surprisingly a number of genuinely humorous scenes. This book happily exceeded my expectations. Prepare to take part in the gamut of emotions from joy to excitement, tragedy, and love. Recommended.”
— Historical Novels Review, August 2025
Full review: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/then-he-sent-prophets/