Maalouf – Leo Africanus

Amin Maaloufs novel social lion Afri nookyus, a fictionalized narrative by an actual sixteenth-century Islamic adventurer, is an often-interesting account of breeding during the turbulent cease of the Middle Ages, t ven durationble from the point of view of a man who survived his action storys ample turmoil and bridged conflicting cultures without wholly belonging to any.The narrator of this work, a traveler and motive kn ingest in his conducttime as Jean-king of beastsn de Medici or social lion Africanus, was born in 1488 as Hasan al-Wazzan, accomplish-and-take of a self-aggrandizing Muslim family in Granada, Spain. At the time, southern Spains Andalusia region (of which Granada was its headland urban center) was Muslim-dominated, with Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike coexisting in a cosmopolitan, relatively tol whilent atmosp here(predicate). Maalouf depicts Granada as an intriguing, exotic, tolerant place for its time, contempt its corrupt rulers and ultimate wea kness earlier the invading armies of Aragon and Castile.Shortly after his birth, Spanish forces conquered Granada and soon started persecuting all non-Christians, forcing them to switch to Catholicism or flee, depriving them of their wealth in both case. though European history depicts Spains liberation from Muslim rule as a glorious until nowt, it was a tragic blow for the Muslims who had lived there for centuries and built a prosperous, collared society. As his uncle Khali, a wealthy diplomat, laments, See how the masses . . . maintain been forced into slavery after their surr balanceer See how the chase has increase pyres for the Jews . . . and for the Muslims as tumefy How can we stop this, except by resistance, mobilization, and jehad? (Maalouf, 1988, p. 25) Though the word jihad today carries ominous meanings for Hesperianers, in this scope it meant self-defense in the shell of an intolerant enemy.The Spanish appear in a distinctly negative light, as bloodthirsty , vindictive conquerors who used the Inquisition to crush their enemies, real or perceived. Maalouf offers in interesting inversion of westwardern opinion here, and he shows post-1492 Granada as a dark, dangerous place whose talented manner sentence is crushed. Also, while advance(a) readers think of Jews and Muslims as mortal enemies, Maalouf demonstrates that they enjoyed undisturbed relations in medieval Andalusia, and Leo laments the Spanish edict mandating the nut termination of all relations between Christians and Jews, which can however be accomplished by the expulsion of all the Jews from our kingdom (Maalouf, 1988, p. 59).His uncle Khali assumes a overriding role in Leos life sentence, helping educate him and, more of importly, taking him along on his 1504 diplomatic mission to Timbuktu, then an important Muslim cultural and commercial center in sub-Saharan West Africa. Even as a teenager, he demonstrates keen insights to the world most him, particularly to the appearances, peoples, and attri exclusivelyes of the cities he visits en route. For example, he accounts Ain al-Asnam, an ancient city destroyed during Islams spread, as sole witness of the age of ignorance (Maalouf, 1988, p. 155), implying that despite its former glories, it symbolizes the dark era before Islam spread its enlightened message.In addition, he reveals a gift for vivid descriptive prose when he says of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu Of its walls, once so high, plainly a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss. Of its population, there remain wholly unlike hostile clans . . . who seem merci slight toward each other and deserve their designate (Maalouf, 1988, p. 157). Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate places, though his own life is full of mis incidents he accepts pots fickle nature, which maybe sustains him through his diff iculties.His uncle dies en route back to Fez and Leo returns kinsperson to work in a hospice and marry his cousin Fatima, who is far less(prenominal) pleasing than Hiba, the slave girl who becomes his longtime mistress (similar to Warda, the servant whom his grow chose over his wife, Leos mother). He also tries to save his baby Mariam from the leper colony, where an influential suitor, a highway accostber named the Zarwali, had had her banished for refusing to marry him.One sees by this point that women bind a difficult position in Muslim society denied some(prenominal) rights, they live tightly circumscribed lives and are open to male commands and whims at all quantify. Maalouf does not impose modern sensibilities here he remains within the character of the times and accepts this lack of immunity as Muslims of the time did, and Leo laments his sisters muckle less because she lacks liberty than because her punishment was unduly cruel.As he enters adulthood, his life contin ues a pattern of good fortune followed by personal or pecuniary disasters from which he always recovers and rebuilds. Leo becomes a successful merchant in Fez and fathers a daughter with Fatima, solely when his longtime friend Harun (who has matrimonial his unfortunate sister Mariam to liberate her from the leper colony) causes the Zarwalis death, Leo is expelled from Fez for his complicity and loses his fortune on the road to a band of thieves. He finds round backing in Hibas native village, where her former peers buy her back from Leo, restoring close to of his wealth but costing him the love of his life.He accepts these reversals surprisingly swell up by modern standards, but Maalouf implies that the late medieval/early modern world was a cruel and fickle place, with few authoritativeties in life other than misfortune. A common theme passim the book is that such(prenominal) events are simply Gods willing when he loses two his fortune and Hiba, Leo laments, much(prenomi nal) is the judgment of the Most High (Maalouf, 1988, p. 214). His assent does not waver passim the story, even when Christians abduct, enslave, and force him to become a Catholic.Leos requirement seems to be the roads he travels throughout his adult life his form of geography and travelogue seem to be his calling in life, and he demonstrates a keen grasp of how to describe people and places. His travels take him throughout northern, western, and central Africa, and he states without obvious boasting, When our geographers of old spoke of the land of the Blacks, they only menti iodined Ghana and the oases of the Libyan desert. . . . I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty pitch blackness kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile (Maalouf, 1988, p. 216). Such knowledge would later(prenominal) serve him well.He becomes involved with the eras political intrigues when he meets and marries Nur, the widow of the Ottoman rulers nephew. patch Leo ache s the Turks in the vain confide that they will liberate Andalusia from the Spanish and make it safe for Muslims again, Nur opposes it and fears that Turkish agents will murder her infant son to prevent him from assuming the throne. Reflecting on the discord within his own faith, Leo asks, Is it not in the blade of a knife brandished by the coadjutor of God above a pyre that the revealed religions meet? (Maalouf, 1988, p. 245) He longs for the valuation account and unity of his youth in Granada, hence his somewhat nave support for the Ottoman Empire, of which he says, the turbans of the Turks and the skull caps of the Christians and Jews mingle without hatred or resentment (Maalouf, 1988, p. 258).His destiny as a geographer and scholar is realized when Sicilian pirates kidnap him in Tunisia and present him to Pope Leo X as a slave. As with the rest of his life, this misfortune leads to another lucky phase, as the pontiff, impressed with Leos intellect, employs him as a protg. Forc ing him to become a Christian and renaming him John-Leo de Medici (for the pope and the family that takes an interest in him), the pope employs him as a teacher of Arabic while tutoring him in European languages, so that he can produce a volume of his travels, Description of Africa. He earns his freedom but becomes embroiled in papal intrigues, so he must flee yet again this time for Tunisia, where he can again be a Muslim. In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, Muslim, Jew or Christian, they must take you as you are, or lose you (Maalouf, 1988, p. 360). Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly intact, Leos ability to adapt has ironically saved and sustained him.The book illustrates the unbelief of life in the pre-modern era, since peaks and valleys of instability mark Leos life from the beginning. His family loses its fortune and is driven from Granada by conquering Spanish Christians, who then unveiling a wave of intolerance again st Jews and Muslims, forcing them to either become Catholic or leave. In addition, he loses his fortune to thieves, his wife Fatima dies young, he remarries Nur (who leaves him after his abduction), and he is enslaved by Christian pirates in the Mediterranean.He handles it philosophically, accepting the fact that his life is destined to be itinerant, turbulent, and beyond his ability to control. As he tells Nur, amidst the Andalus which I left and the Paradise which is promised to me life is only a crossing. I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I attain faith in my passion for aliveness . . . as well as in Providence (Maalouf, 1988, p. 261).Overall, Leo Africanus is a solid labor to take the modern reader into the mind of an educated, influential Muslim living at an unstable time in European history. Maalouf does not flash modern sensibilities into his narrative but depicts the Muslim culture of the times fairly, without a pro-Western bias. In addition, he strive s for authenticity by using a divide of formal, occasionally wordy prose that one assumes is based on the actual opus and conversational style of Leo Africanus times. In the process of producing this interesting historical figures tale, Maalouf also makes clear one of the chief realities of this era in history that life is timid and fickle, and that the intelligent, resourceful, and adaptable are top hat suited to endure these shifts of fortune.REFERENCESMaalouf, A. (1988). Leo Africanus. Chicago New capital of The Netherlands Books.Maalouf Leo AfricanusAmin Maaloufs novel Leo Africanus is a novel based on an actual sixteenth-century Spanish-born Muslim geographer and writer born under the name Hasan al-Wazzan. The author gives the reader clear insights into the conflicts between the Muslim world (whose influence in Europe was then waning) and that of Christianity (which reasserted control over his native Spain and to which he became a somewhat unwilling servant).The theme of the title characters life is conflict and misfortune, which seem to plague him from early puerility. Born in 1488 to a rich Muslim family in Granada, Spain, he witnesses as a weeny child the Catholic victory over the ruling but washy Muslim elites, followed by a wave of vengeance and intolerance against not only Muslims but also the Jews, who have also lived peacefully in Spain with Christians for centuries. Hasan (the name he uses throughout his life, except when in service to the Pope) demonstrates some of this by mentioning how members of the different religions interact and how some cultural exchange occurs.For example, when discussing dates, he frequently refers to Christian and Muslim holidays in tandem, showing their mutual espousal It all happened on the ninth day of the holy month of Ramadan, or, earlier . . . on St. Johns Day, the twenty-fourth of June, since Mihrajan was celebrated not in accordance with the Muslim year but following the Christian calendar (Maalouf, 1989, p. 63).Here, Maalouf makes clear that Islam was then the much more tolerant religion, accepting aspects of Judaism and Christianity that the Catholic Church refused to allow. Because Christianity and Islam were fighting for territory, intolerance was an instrument of control and oppression, and the victorious Spaniards had to qualms nearly driving out or murdering Jews and Muslims who refused to accept forced conversions to Christianity.His family, deprived of its wealth, flees for the trades union African city of Fez, where they live as refugees under the care of his benevolent uncle, who provides for his education. As he comes of age, he shows a remarkable ability to esteem and understand the peoples and places he encounters a gift he sharpens when, as a teenager, he accompanies his rich, well-connected uncle on a diplomatic excursion to Timbuktu.For example, he writes of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu Of its walls, once so high, only a few sec tions remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss. Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . who seem merciless toward each other and deserve their fate (Maalouf, 1989, p. 157). Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate or blighted places, though his own life is full of misfortunes he accepts fates fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties.Hasans adult life is generally unstable and rife with misfortune, which seems to be the norm in a world where flyspeck other than hard luck is guaranteed. After his uncle dies, he returns to Fez to work in a hospice for the sick and insane, marries a preferably plain cousin (despite his long relationship with Hiba, a slave mistress), later becomes a prosperous merchant, and seems to live a somewhat conventional life. However, he is not destined to enjoy a stable, uneventful life.When he starts his avocation ca reer, his mother makes a prediction that seems to foreshadow the direction of his life many an(prenominal) men discover the whole world while seeking only to make their fortune. But as for you, my son, you will stumble on your apprize as you seek to discover the world (Maalouf, 1989, p. 187). Indeed, fate so strengthened a presence in the novel that it almost seems like a character intervenes and his life is again turbulent. When he becomes embroiled in his childhood friend (and brother-in- right) Haruns plot to avenge his sister Mariams confinement to a leper colony, the authorities expel Hasan from Fez and thieves on the road rob him of his fortune. In addition, he is forced to sacrifice his mistress, Hiba, in order to find oneself some of his riches.However, his destiny is to discover the world, which indeed is why modern readers even know of his existence. Always astute and insightful, Hasan compiles his observations during his many travels, forming the basis for his lasti ng celebrity as an early geographer and expert on sub-Saharan Africa. He travels throughout the continents northern and central regions and, when speaking of other writers ignorance of Africa, states, I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile. Some have never appeared in any book, but I would not be telling the truth if I would claim to have discovered them myself, since I only followed the ordinary route of the caravans (Maalouf, 1989, p. 216).He go bads to capital of Egypt (then under Ottoman Turkish rule) to restart his often- lop offed life, commenting that I was suddenly certain that after the tempest which had destroyed my fortune a new life was awaiting me in this land of Egypt, a life of passion, danger and honour (Maalouf, 1989, p. 218). Here, he again finds himself on the wrong side of destiny when he marries into the Turkish sultans family and supports them in their political maneuverings, i n the vain hope that they will retake Granada in the name of Islam.He dreams his entire life of his birthplace and the words of a visiting delegation from the sultan entertain the nave faith that he can return A majuscule Muslim empire is in the process of coming to life in the East, and we in the West should stretch out our hand to it. Until now, we have been subjected to the law of the unbelievers (Maalouf, 1989, p. 257). However, this scheme also goes awry and he is enslaved by Italian pirates, who give him to Pope Leo X.This phase of Hasans life is a fantastic twist of fate, in which apparent tragedy turns into great luck. The pontiff, seeing that the learned, advanced(a) Hasan is no ordinary captive, employs him as a tutor of Arabic and requires him to learn Latin, Turkish, and lessons in the Christian faith. Hasan deems this a refined form of forced agitate . . . and proof of the Popes own enthusiastic interest in me (Maalouf, 1989, p. 294).The end result of this gentle c aptivity is Description of Africa, a book describing his many travels in a continent with which Europeans were still largely unfamiliar. He wins his freedom but again finds himself on the wrong side of a larger political conflict (this time within the Catholic Church), so he escapes Rome for Tunisia, where he can openly practice Islam again. In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, Wherever you are, some will want to ask questions about your skin or your prayers. Beware of angelic their instincts . . . beware of bending before the multitude (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360). Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly intact, his ability to adapt and go with the feed in preserves him.Without dwelling on the point, Maalouf makes clear to the reader that in this unstable, uncertain medieval world, Fate plays an exceptionally strong role in everyday life. Indeed, Hasan witnesses plenty of calamity in his life his birthplace is seized and made restri ctive by Spanish Catholics he and his family see their wealth rise and vanish repeatedly he marries twice and loses both wives (the first dies young, while the guerilla abandons him after his enslavement) and he is forced to seek his fortunes elsewhere several times in his life.He accepts the fact that he is meant to live on the move and takes little for granted, seemingly aware that his fortunes can be reversed at any time (and frequently are). However, he never becomes embittered he accepts his fate but laments, Such is the judgment of the Most High (Maalouf, 1989, p. 214). His faith does not waver throughout the story, and even when Christians abduct him and force his conversion to Catholicism, he follows but keeps his innermost religious beliefs to himself. He excels as a chamaeleon and thus survives.His second wife comments on his tendency to travel and disrupt his own life, asking, What substance are you made of that you accept the loss of one town after another, one homelan d after another, one adult female after another, without ever fighting, without ever regretting, without ever looking back? (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261). He responds by telling her that life is only a crossing.I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living, in my instinct to search for happiness, as well as in Providence (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261). Indeed, in this exchange, Maalouf presents the reader with the effect of Hasans character. He is well aware of lifes brevity and thus is passionate only about his religion though he seeks wealth and happiness, he wastes little time mourning the loss of either and looks ahead to the final Place where no man is a oddish before the face of the Creator (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360).Leo Africanus is more than simply a fictionalized memoir. It is a classic fish-out-of-water story, illustrating how this educated, well-connected Muslim merchant, traveler, and scholar finds reverses and radical changes in his life at several turns but adapts to each. In addition, it demonstrates how people of that era were very much at Fates mercy little could be taken for granted in such unstable times, but the narrator never loses faith in the Most High, the God to whom he turns for sustenance.In somewhat formal prose that one suspects was the norm for educated people of that era, Maalouf does not impose a modern viewpoint but offers a fair, compassionate, historically-aware portrayal of both Muslim society and one of the more crotchety figures within it. The story of Hasan al-Wazzan is, more than anything else, the tale of an accomplished scholar and a consummate survivor who never forgot who he was, the culture that produced him, or the theology that showed him mercy amidst the worlds turbulence.REFERENCESMaalouf, A. (1989). Leo Africanus. Chicago New Amsterdam Books.