A story without beginning and without end

Believe me, everything's balance has been disrupted, the stars have left their orbits, words have lost their logic, and the domes of shrines have given birth to idols! I was relying on the authenticity of origin, the privilege of a house, and the dignity of a family; where are all of those? Where? .. Over time, people will see in me a man drowning in sins, stained, lost, built from their money with his corrupt conscience a grand building. The creativity of Naguib Mahfouz in storytelling is manifested in this precious short story collection, which includes five short stories all sharing the same idea and perspective on life. You don't know when the story began, nor does it offer you an ending, but rather an ongoing continuity of life that never stops; in the story "A Tale Without Beginning or End," Mahfouz talks about the ongoing struggle between religious authority represented by the Akrami method and its leader Mahmoud Al-Akram, and the revolution of science against it represented by Ali Awis. In the story "The Alley of Lovers," he takes the relationship between Abdullah and his wife Haniya, who goes through several storms — their life remained stable and blissful for five years until doubt seeped into this relationship and ruined everything — as a symbol of the phase of doubt in human faith and attempts to return to it. And among other symbolic and philosophical stories that emphasize the continuity of life.