Children of the Alley

Naguib Mahfouz’s *Children of the Alley* is a controversial allegorical novel that maps the history of Abrahamic religions onto the lives of three brothers in a Cairo alley. The eldest, Ahmad, represents Jesus, while the middle brother, Ibrahim, stands in for Muhammad, and the youngest, Ishaq, embodies the prophetic tradition of Islam. Their father, Abd al-Rahman, serves as a figure for God, guiding the family through a narrative that spans centuries of theological development and social change.

Written in a realistic, sociological style typical of Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy, the novel uses the intimate setting of a narrow street to explore universal themes of faith, family, and moral duty. By grounding profound religious concepts in the mundane struggles of a working-class Egyptian family, Mahfouz creates a work that is both a domestic drama and a theological meditation. The story highlights the interconnectedness of the major monotheistic faiths, presenting them as different expressions of a single divine truth within a shared cultural context.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.