Malik al-Harawi

Crown of the World:
Malik al-Harawi
February 8th 2017
Ink, gouache, white charcoal
Toned paper
5x7 inches

Hail, chastening friend Adversity ! 'Tis thine
The mental ore to temper and refine,
To cast in virtue's mold the yielding heart,
And honor's polish to the mind impart.
Without thy wakening touch, thy plastic aid,
I'd lain the shapeless mass that nature made;
But formed, great artist, by thy magic hand,
I gleam a sword to conquer and command.
~ To Adversity, by Abu Menbaa Carawash

Malik al-Harawi is another main character from Nathan Sadasivan's historical novel Crown of the World. He's a Sunni Muslim warrior from Damascus and a companion and friend of Yusef ibn Ayyub. He accompanies Yusef to Egypt in the retinue of Shirkuh, the uncle of Yusef during one of Shirkuh's many Egyptian campaigns against the Fatimid Shi'ite Muslims and the Frankish Crusaders. At the beginning of the book, Malik is young, although already an accomplished swordsman and warrior. He's an honorable man, but a bit proud, self-assured and cocky. During his stay in Egypt, he falls in love with Maryam, the niece of Shawar, the vizier and de facto ruler of Egypt. Malik is also one of the main characters in my little Crown of the World prologue graphic novella.