Fate and Freewill - Sheik Al Junaydi

In The Thief and the Dogs, the reader is often conflicted in forming opinions about characters because as the protagonist, Said, evolves, how we view the secondary characters changes. With that being said, most of the secondary characters had many negative traits and were generally considered “bad” people. For example, Rauf and Ilish betrayed Said and were always portrayed as negative characters. The two characters that were portrayed to be “good characters” were Nur and Sheik al Junaydi. Good characters meaning that they could have helped Said have a more fortunate ending and help lead him away from his destruction. Sheik and Junaydi is a Sufi Muslim – Sufism being a sector of Islam that focuses primarily on the “transmission of divine light from the teacher's heart to the heart of the student”. Specifically, they focus on the mystical side of Islam – hoping to gain a sense of self peace. Sheik Al Junaydi is a Sufi Muslim and was Saids father’s mentor. When Said needed a home and food, he sought after the Sheik.  With that being said, the Sheik always attempted to give him advice on how to get better and how to move on with life – thus acting as the moral voice in the novel.

Although Said goes to the Sheik for food and a roof, it is clear that he does not go there for comfort and for advice on how to get better – showing the reader that he might not be aiming on relieving the feelings of anger and hatred that he has. In fact, although he keeps doing wrong things, the Sheik continues to give him advice. The Sheik knows that Said aims to, “seek a roof, not an answer”. When Said has access to a moral voice and someone who is attempting to help him and yet ignores it repeatedly, the reader begins questioning Saids actions. Specifically, they begin to question whether he has a positive moral agenda and the concept of whether Said is a “hero” comes up quite often. Although Said had a moral voice, his tragic flaw – being pride and the desire for revenge – were too strong to listen to it. 

The secondary characters in the novel, such as the Sheik, act as static characters in order to develop the character of Said. The Sheik shows the difference between Saids fate and free will. The reader often questions whether Saids downfall is a result of his fate or freewill. It is difficult to say that it was a result of his own actions and freewill because the reader is set up to have an emotional connection to Said and spend a large portion of the novel cheering him on. But when secondary characters like the Sheik are looked at, it seems more likely that his downfall is a result of his own actions and freewill, rather than his fate. His selfishness and hatred blinded him from caring for and listening to people who attempted to guide him on the right path, such as Nur and the Sheik.