A Man of the Book?

What is a Muslim? Dictionary.com defines the word Muslim as an adherent or follower of the religion known as Islam. The world in a literal sense means “one who submits”, and specifically in reference to Islam, it means one who submits to the will of God. After reading the first few pages of Naguib Mahfouz’s, I am forced to question Ahmad Abd al-Jawad’s religious role in his household and the influence it has on his family. From my years of studying Islam, I’ve come to know that there are various restrictions on certain indulgences in the lives of Muslims; for instance, Muslims are not to drink alcohol in any form and are required to treat their families with the utmost respect.
In the novel, Ahmad, a Muslim who as is supposed to be the head of his house and raise his children up in the way of Allah, is seen doing the unacceptable. Throughout the first few chapters, we see Ahmad continually drinking night after, coming in the wee hours of the morning, and in many ways disrespecting his wife. In the novel, Yasin, Ahmad’s oldest son, seems to take after his father and indulge in some of the same iniquitous behaviors that his dad does, forcing me to question his role as a father and the influence he has on his children. Should a man, who by the book is responsible for the righteous upbringing of his children and the stability of his household and doesn’t execute his job, deserve to be called a man or deemed head of anything?
The aspect of Islam that makes it such an orthodox or conservative religion is the requirement to “submit” oneself to Allah, the Almighty God. In a conversation between Amina, Ahmad’s wife, and his son, Kamal, Kamal poses the question, “Is my father afraid of Gog?” (67). An to this question, Amina replies, “What a strange question! Son, your father is a pious man, a believer who fears his Lord” (67). What would drive a young to ask such a question? Is it not apparent to him that his father is a religious and diligent follower of the one and only God, Allah? Through the quote above, we are able to see young Kamal’s confusion about where his father stands in relation to God and in his relationship with God. With the knowledge that a man’s job is to insure his family is in practice of their religion and seeing that Kamal poses this question, it is apparent that Ahmad, because of many mysterious reasons (adultery), has not been there for his family and neglects to insure that his children knows where he stands religiously.
When it comes to his wife, Ahmad, who calls himself a Muslim, tends to bend what is instructed him by the Qur’an, which says, “O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will…and…should not treat them with harshness...And live with them honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and God brings a great deal of good through it” (Quran 4:19). In several instances in this novel we see Ahmad get physical, not only with his children but also with his wife. Ahmad, when questioned by his wife about being late and pleading for him to stay around more often, he aggressively grabs her by the ear and scolds her mildly. Muslims are considered people of the book for the way in which the diligently follow and adhere to the instruction provided in it, but what about those who don’t? Should they have the honor of calling themselves Muslim?