Muslims who are physically and financially
Hashish A narcotic substance popular in the Middle East, hashish is allowed by the Qur’an but forbidden by secular authorities, in contrast with wine, which the Qur’an forbids but secular authorities allow. Hashish is one of café owner Kirsha’s passions, as a consumer and as a dealer, which is shown to be a risky proposition, as authorities arrest several fellow dealers. Kirsha claims that it sooths the mind, comforts the body, and is an excellent aphrodisiac.
Mosque of Hussain One of the holiest Muslim places in Cairo, the Mosque of Hussain is located near Midaq Alley and al-Azar University, which Radwan Hussainy once attends but fails to graduate. An ancient cemetery surrounds the mosque. The mosque honors the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and enshrines his head. “Lord Hussain” is martyred while leading a rebellion against the Caliphate, the event that begins the rift between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Shiites consider Hussain the Third Imam and every year mourn his death. Zaita makes nightly rounds of the square around the mosque, collecting his portion of beggars’ earnings, and Dr. Booshy hides tools there needed to break into newly-sealed tombs and steal gold teeth to reuse in his dental practice.
Mecca and Medina Pious Muslims who are physically and financially able are obliged at least once in their lives to undertake a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca and Medina. This novel shows Radwan Hussainy finally setting off on this sacred journey, which one thing or another has prevented all his life. Now the loss of three members of the Midaq Alley community inspire him to go, seeking forgiveness for all. He and religiously minded friends gather to recall tales of the hajj, and Hussainy describes many of the activities that occur during the hajj, including visits to the Well of Zamzam, along the road taken by the Messenger on his Flight, praying at the Prophet Muhammad’s grave, kneeling in the Holy Garden imagining the Prophet’s face, and walking through Mecca reciting verses, as they are first revealed. Hussainy seeks forgiveness and divine peace.
Sharif Pasha Street The street of apartment buildings, whose entranceways are wider than that of Midaq Alley, Sharif Pasha Street is home to the pimp Ibrahim Faraj lives. He conveys poor but ambitious Hamida there by taxi—the first time she has ridden in one—and impresses her with electricity, mirrors, running water, and fine furniture. Eventually, his cruelty forces her to run away, but by then she is nostalgic for the finer things in life, even if they must be bought by prostituting herself.
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