Read Online The Seventh Heaven by Naguib Mahfouz - Free Book Online Page A

his supporters and the bakery’s workers. During it, Raouf received a fatal wound. But before drawing his last breath, he managed to assassinate Boss Qadri the Butcher.
    These were explosive events in rapid succession, shaking the
hara
to its very foundations, drowning it in blood— while dissipating the darkness that had engulfed it for so long.
20
    The Butcher found himself in front of Abu, hearing him say, “Welcome, Qadri, to the First Heaven.”
    Acquainting the arrival with the place himself, he noticed that Qadri was absent-minded, with a dazed, faraway gaze.
    “It seems as though you have not yet cut your ties to the earth,” Abu pointed out to him.
    “Something weighs heavily inside me,” Qadri replied.
    “Be aware—you will now learn your destiny.”
    “Yes, but I never imagined I would be killed by a mere boy like Raouf.”
    “Your new memory has not awakened yet.”
    Confusion showed in the furrows of Boss Qadri the Butcher’s face. Slowly, slowly, he began to remember, until he let out a deep sigh.
    “Do you recall now who this boy Raouf is?” Abu asked, smiling.
    “My son Anous killed me,” said Qadri painfully.
    “Indeed,” said Abu. “And do you remember who you were before that?”
    “Adolf Hitler!” answered Qadri.
    “And before that?”
    “A notorious highwayman in Afghanistan. I can’t even pronounce his name!”
    “A long, black record,” Abu upbraided him. “Why do you resist all advancement and waste every opportunity granted to you? Your son is better than you—many others are better than you.”
    “The lesson won’t be in vain this time!” Qadri pleaded contritely.
    “And yet, even as you appear before me now, you still have not left your worldly instincts behind!” Abu cajoled him.
    “Perhaps I’m still stoned,” said Qadri lamely.
    “Your excuse is worse than the offense.”
    “I hope I can be made a guide….”
    “Do you have anything to say in favor of your behavior on earth?”
    “Yes, I do,” said Qadri. “I started out as an honest merchant. What made me greedy was other people’s weakness, their carelessness, and their hypocrisy. Being a tyrant was fun for me, and there was nothing to stop me.”
    “The others will be punished for their weakness, just as you will be for exploiting it.”
    “Won’t my murder at the hands of my own son count at all against my evil?”
    “Such relations have no meaning here,” snapped Abu. “How many sons and daughters have you killed, without even thinking about it?”
    “Even so, I didn’t create my own character, or my instincts.”
    “You own them freely,” rebutted Abu. “In your freedom, you found no limits.”
    “If you improve your defense of me, then you can have anything you want,” Qadri dangled.
    “You are still clinging to the world,” Abu laughed. “That is the most unforgivable sin of all.”
    “What do you say about my trial?”
    “The trial is finished, Qadri,” Abu disclosed. “You have been condemned.”
    And Qadri the Butcher was no longer there.
21
    Raouf encountered Abu ensconced in his white cloud. There was a brief moment of mutual recognition, then a questioning look started to show in Raouf’s eyes.
    “Welcome to the First Heaven,” said Abu.
    He began to lecture Raouf for the usual orientation, then asked him, “How did you come to be here?”
    “I was killed in a fight,” replied Raouf.
    “But you killed your killer, as well.”
    “I struck him while I was being stabbed,” said Raouf. “I don’t recall anything after that.”
    “For the second time, you arrive as both a killer and a person killed.”
    “Really?”
    “I speak with some authority.”
    “What did I get the last time?” wondered Raouf.
    “You were condemned,” said Abu.
    “Will that happen again now?” Raouf asked with worry.
    “What would you like?” Abu asked.
    “I rushed bravely into a just battle, and slew the Satan of our alley.”
    “That is true,” conceded Abu.
    His face