This Woven Kingdom

This theme confronts the novel’s tangle of relativism, power dynamics, and moral clarity. In This Woven Kingdom, the concept of truth is not fixed; it is malleable and often contorted to serve the narratives of those in power. Against this backdrop, characters like Alizeh and Kamran must navigate a moral maze, their actions guided less by the abstract principles that their society upholds as “truths” and more by an intuitive form of compassion. This dynamic is reflected in the advice that Alizeh once received from her parents, who told her, “The shackles worn by your people are often unseen by the eye. Feel, they’d said, for even blind, you will know how to break them” (29). This emotional intelligence emerges as an antidote to the manipulative and deceptive narratives spun by those who wield systemic power.

As Mafi unveils the landscapes of Ardunia and Tulan, it becomes evident that “truth” is often a product of social engineering and is employed to maintain existing power structures rather than to improve or supplant them. This dynamic holds true in many different respects as the plot unfolds. Whether the powers that be propagate the fall of Iblees as a cautionary tale to keep the Jinn in line or use misleading prophecies to confuse and mislead, these dubious “truths” manipulate public opinion, influence behavior, and maintain a status quo that often benefits a select few while crippling the rest of the nation. Despite such techniques, the characters in This Woven Kingdom find themselves questioning these systemic “truths” through rational debate and intellectual contemplation, and also through emotional and embodied experiences. For instance, when Alizeh chooses to show compassion to Omid or when Kamran criticizes his fellow political leaders, both protagonists act in accordance with an internal moral compass that supersedes discursive logic.

Their moral choices signify the importance of intuition as a form of understanding, contrasting it with the calculated, intellectual “truths” that are propagated by various avatars of systemic power. As King Zaal explains to Kamran:

You are quite good […] at taking clear and logical arguments and elevating them to a level so esoteric they are rendered ineffectual. […] Your reasoning, while admirably impassioned, will not weather the storms of the real world. This is not about rights, child, but reason (167).

However, King Zaal’s reasoning compels him to act in opposition to the dictates of intuitive morality, and this calculated choice ultimately backfires and ends in his own demise, for he fails to recognize the rights of others in his political reckoning. By contrast, the intuitive compassion that Kamran and Alizeh embody can be seen as a kind of innate moral test: a challenge to other characters to act from their truest selves in moments that defy logical explanation. Ultimately, King Zaal’s decision to make a deal with the devil to prolong his own life ironically results in his death, and in this, Mafi holds up a moral example within the larger narrative.

Unlike the deceptive riddles of the devil and ambiguous prophecies of the Diviners, the novel itself does hint at a valid form of truth: one which is embodied in acts of compassion that feel more immutable, universal, and authentic. A prime example of such an action occurs when Alizeh charges through the fire to save Kamran. Such scenes serve to emphasize that when the characters listen to their emotional centers, they are able to tap into a more primal form of wisdom that transcends the socially constructed truths of their world. By doing so, they pass the real “moral test“ of life by rejecting the complicated webs of manipulated “truth” and instead following a somatic compass guided by empathy and love. As the narrative states, “While Alizeh had spent her younger years being honed by masters and tutors, so, too, had her parents humbled her in preparation for her imagined future, insisting always upon the greater good, the essential quality of compassion” (29). While Alizeh’s parents instilled the value of compassion within her, this intuitive guidance has to be acted upon, perhaps particularly in moments of self-preservation, and supporting characters, such as when Alizeh shows compassion to Omid after his attack upon her. Her choice to offer compassion in this moment stands as a silent rebellion to a fallen cosmos that has created a society so riddled with hunger that someone like Omid is compelled to resort to potential murder in order to survive. Thus, Mafi suggests that reason must be guided by a deeper quality of love in order to stand against the qualities of the devil, such as deception, temptation, pride, and arrogance.

This theme could be seen to be rooted in Islamic tradition, where the concept of a “moral test” is deeply entwined with the idea of fitrah, the natural disposition or innate morality that every human is born with. The Qur’an and Hadiths suggest that individuals are endowed with an inherent understanding of right and wrong, a sentiment that parallels the idea of intuitive compassion in the novel. This innate moral sense serves as a guide through the trials and tribulations of life, just as the characters’ emotional and intuitive moral compass helps them to navigate a variety of morally ambiguous situations. The struggle against societal manipulation of ‘truths’ for nefarious purposes could be interpreted as a modern-day manifestation of Jihad al-Nafs (the struggle against the self), one of the spiritual battles that Muslims must face while upholding their faith and morality. Furthermore, in Islamic tradition, acts of kindness, compassion, and empathy aren’t just moral virtues but instead stand as religious obligations. The Prophet Muhammad is described as a “Mercy to the worlds” in the Qur’an, and acts of compassion are highly rewarded in Islamic eschatology. The intuitive compassion that the characters in the novel display can easily be interpreted as a manifestation of Islamic ethics, which prioritize the well-being of others over rigid or distorted interpretations of law or tradition.