Utopian Political Thought in the Works of Jalal Al-Ahmad and Najib Mahfouz, by examining the role of Sufism in the Two Stories of Noon and Al-Qalam and the Journey of Ibn Fatuma

The utopian idea The political thought in two stories 'Noon wa Al-Qalam' by Jalal Al-Ahmad and Rahla Ibn Fatumeh by Najib Mahfouz is based on the negation of the status quo, the existence of a crisis, and the attempt to idealize things. In both stories, using symbolic language and Sufism, writers are trying to present an image of an ideal society. They both believe that utopia can be achieved but the main obstacles on the way are the rulling of government and the seizure of power by certain individuals. Both writers use a symbolic language, with the difference that the noble language of the Arabic work is the literary language influenced by the classical works of Arabic literature, while al-Ahmad has chosen folk language for his narrative. Al-Ahmad's story, in its narrative, uses a type of Sufism whose social aspect is strong and its followers, or Qalandars, seek power but having faced with its difficulties, they resort to the way of the former power-owners but are defeated by them. Although seeking martyrdom, the protagonist of the story is eventually exiled. But Najib has applied a specific aspect of Sufism in the story, namely, the cutting off from the material world and its defects and the discovery and intuition of meditation and austerity. The main character of the story explores various lands in search of a way to solve his own homeland’s problems. He ultimately finds the way to prosperity in Sufism.