Realism in Najib al-Kaylāni's Short Stories in al-Kābus Short Story Anthology

As a committed writer, Najib al-Kaylāni was of the belief that works of art and literature should be used as a means to promote the Islamic culture; thus, he regarded writing narratives, in a realistic style, as the need of the Arab World and particularly the Egyptian society. Features which distinguish his works from those written by other writers are the religious hue and spirit of his stories as well as his commitment towards Islamic issues, the significance of which made it necessary to conduct the present research. Explanation of the realistic style of his short stories is a turning point which serves as the objective of the present study, since it is through his recourse to Islamic teachings and taking advantage of the Islamic doctrines that al-Kaylāni addresses the society’s problems and calls the public opinion to understand them and find respective solutions. Utilizing a library research method, the present study analyses the narrative elements of al-Kābus short story anthology to explain his critical realistic style in addressing social issues. It is concluded that al-Kaylāni utilizes as the core of his realistic stories issues that are of an Islamic hue and contain a moral message, and writes a story which is short yet purposeful by means of elaborating the three elements of narrative, i.e. point of view, character and plot, more than other elements.