A Man of Awesome Powers by Naguib Mahfouz – When Power Becomes a Test of Faith

Introduction

Naguib Mahfouz’s A Man of Awesome Powers is a short story that reads like a parable — part miracle, part moral test. It follows Tayyib al-Mahdi, an ordinary man chosen in a dream to wield extraordinary power. What begins as a divine gift soon becomes a mirror reflecting humanity’s deepest flaw: the inability to handle power without corruption.

Through simple yet profound narration, Mahfouz — the Nobel laureate who redefined Arabic fiction — invites readers to ask: What happens when a man believes he can do God’s work? And what happens when he begins to think he is God?

Plot Summary

Tayyib al-Mahdi lives a humble life marked by piety and quiet resignation. Then one night, a radiant figure appears in his dream and declares:

“From this moment onward … you shall have the power to command all things.” (Page 1)

When he wakes, Tayyib discovers that his thoughts can indeed shape reality. At first, he uses this newfound power selflessly — mending broken roads, clearing dirty water, stopping accidents, and correcting small injustices. He feels inspired, almost reborn, believing he has been chosen to serve humanity. (Page 2–3)

But with every act of good, a shadow of pride grows. He punishes a rude taxi driver by bursting his tires — “the taxi tires exploded, leaving the driver trembling with fear” (Page 2) — and later afflicts a violent man with stomach pain after witnessing him slap another passenger. His power begins to serve his anger more than his faith.

As his confidence swells, so does his moral blindness. When a radio announcer irritates him, he commands him to sneeze repeatedly until the broadcast ends (Page 3) — a petty misuse that signals his spiritual decline.

Soon, desire overtakes him. At the zoo, he becomes entranced by a beautiful woman, “her laughter and perfume stirring desires he thought buried.” (Page 4) He commands her to love him, twisting his divine gift into personal gain. The moment he crosses that sacred boundary, the miracle collapses. “The power was gone — like a dream.” (Page 5)

Stripped of his abilities, Tayyib is left hollow and ashamed. He wanders through the city feeling smaller than before, haunted by what he had become. In the end, he stands where he began — powerless, but wiser. He learns too late that divine power, when filtered through human ego, turns to dust. (Page 5)

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Table: Tayyib’s Good Use and Misuse of Power

Aspect	Good Use of Power	Misuse of Power	Moral / Effect
Purpose / Motivation	Initially guided by faith and desire to improve society.	Gradually corrupted by pride, anger, and lust.	Moral strength declines when self-interest replaces virtue.
Reaction to Injustice	Punishes a man who slaps a woman — driven by moral outrage.	Destroys taxi driver’s tires out of anger.	Justice must not come from vengeance; anger distorts righteousness.
Public Action	Repairs public spaces — fills potholes, drains dirty water, locks open electrical boxes.	Humiliates radio announcer for trivial irritation.	True reform builds, not breaks; ego ruins purpose.
Use of Miraculous Power	Helps citizens indirectly, envisions social renewal.	Seeks control over media and people’s thoughts.	Power should serve freedom, not domination.
Private Conduct	Begins with humility and secrecy — avoids boasting.	Gives in to lust with the beautiful woman, betraying faith and wife.	Moral fall begins in private compromise before public failure.
Relationship with God	Starts by attributing his gift to divine will — “entrusting himself to God.”	Ends by forgetting faith, acting as if he himself were divine.	Arrogance leads to loss of divine favour and inner peace.
Outcome	Briefly brings order, relief, and moral awakening.	Loses his powers and lives in regret and sadness.	Misused power destroys both the person and the purpose it was meant to serve.

Summary Insight:
Mahfouz portrays power as a divine test — it reveals the heart more than it reforms the world. Tayyib begins as a moral idealist but ends as a broken man because power, once detached from humility and restraint, consumes its bearer.

Analysis

1. The Allure and Corruption of Power

Tayyib’s transformation from humble servant to self-appointed god captures Mahfouz’s timeless warning: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The story begins in quiet humility, with Tayyib al-Mahdi living a modest, almost invisible existence — a man of faith and endurance. His sudden empowerment comes not through effort or prayer, but through divine grace. The dream’s proclamation — “From this moment onward … you shall have the power to command all things” (Page 1) — marks the turning point from spiritual devotion to moral testing.

At first, Tayyib uses his powers with genuine compassion. His miracles are acts of public service: mending broken streets, cleansing polluted water, and saving lives from accidents (Page 2–3). These deeds are driven by gratitude and a sincere desire to better humanity. Mahfouz crafts this stage of the story with reverence; Tayyib feels like a prophet reborn, moved by divine purpose and inspired by righteousness.

Yet, with each miracle performed, a dangerous seed begins to germinate — the intoxicating awareness of control. The explosion of the taxi tires — “the taxi tires exploded, leaving the driver trembling with fear” (Page 2) — is the first visible crack in his virtue. What was once justice now smells of vengeance. The act, though seemingly deserved, hints that Tayyib’s motivations are no longer purely moral. His anger becomes sanctified under the illusion of divine right.

From here, Mahfouz slowly unravels the psychology of corruption. Tayyib’s intentions remain cloaked in righteousness, but his inner dialogue reveals a shift. He begins to justify small cruelties as lessons to others — a dangerous rationalization that mirrors how real-world power often disguises ego as morality. Each “miracle” feeds his vanity, and each success pulls him further from humility.

The culmination of this decay arrives when Tayyib silences a radio announcer simply because he is irritated by the man’s tone (Page 3). This petty use of power — devoid of justice, love, or compassion — is where divinity becomes performance. The once selfless servant of God now behaves like a petty ruler in his own invisible kingdom.

Mahfouz’s genius lies in showing that Tayyib’s corruption is not political but spiritual. He does not seize palaces or armies; he conquers his own conscience. His fall is the fall of the ego, not the state. What begins as a mission of mercy ends as a performance of control.

In the end, Tayyib stands as a tragic emblem of human weakness — proof that no heart is immune to pride when given unrestrained power. His journey is a warning not only to rulers but to anyone entrusted with influence, however small. For even the purest intentions, when mixed with vanity, can transform blessing into curse.

2. Faith, Doubt, and the Limits of Belief

Mahfouz, writing from within a society steeped in deep religious consciousness, masterfully explores the delicate tension between divine will and human weakness. In A Man of Awesome Powers, faith is not simply belief — it is a living force, fragile yet luminous, that determines how power is received and used. The story’s mystical beginning — “From this moment onward … you shall have the power to command all things” (Page 1) — signals not just a miracle, but a spiritual test. The dream’s gift is less about altering the world and more about revealing what lies within the human heart.

At the start, Tayyib al-Mahdi’s faith is pure. His first actions after waking show reverence, gratitude, and obedience to what he perceives as divine will (Page 2). He acts as a vessel of God’s mercy, repairing damage, easing suffering, and restoring order where chaos reigned. The power flows naturally through him because his soul remains anchored in humility.

But Mahfouz subtly weaves in doubt — the quiet corrosion of spiritual certainty. As Tayyib’s pride begins to grow, his faith transforms into self-trust, a dangerous substitution. He starts to act not for God but as God. When he silences the radio announcer out of irritation (Page 3) or commands pain upon a violent man (Page 3), he no longer acts out of belief but out of ego. The divine current breaks.

Mahfouz uses this break to express a profoundly theological idea: miracles demand moral alignment. When Tayyib’s intentions darken, his power vanishes — “he felt the power draining from him, leaving only emptiness and despair” (Page 4). This symbolizes the Quranic truth that arrogance severs the bond between man and his Creator. It is not God who withdraws; it is the human heart that closes.

Tayyib’s tragedy is not in the loss of his supernatural gift — it is in the loss of grace. He realizes, too late, that divine favour was never a reward for piety but a test of integrity. The power was meant to measure the depth of his humility, not to elevate him above others. When he fails, he learns that faith without humility turns to hubris, and hubris invites ruin.

Mahfouz ends the story not with anger but with quiet sadness (Page 5). Tayyib’s return to ordinariness is his redemption. Stripped of miracles, he regains something far greater — his humanity. The story thus becomes a meditation on spiritual responsibility: that belief, no matter how sincere, must always be guarded by self-awareness.

In essence, Mahfouz’s vision is both moral and mystical — power without purity collapses, and faith without humility decays. The divine was never meant to make man godlike; it was meant to remind him how easily he can forget he is human.

3. The Psychology of Pride

Tayyib al-Mahdi’s downfall, like that of many tragic figures in literature, arises from the most subtle and familiar of human weaknesses — pride. Naguib Mahfouz charts this descent not through grand rebellion, but through quiet self-deception. What begins as gratitude for divine favour soon mutates into the craving to be seen, obeyed, and revered. In a few short days, Tayyib evolves from a humble believer into a self-appointed saviour of humanity — and finally, into his own undoing.

At first, Mahfouz paints Tayyib’s humility with tenderness. The retired civil servant who murmurs, “All praise to God, Lord of the Worlds” (Page 1) is content, peaceful, and ready to fade into anonymity. But the dream changes everything. The divine messenger’s words — “Do with it what you please” (Page 1) — awaken not only awe but a secret longing for significance. For the first time, Tayyib feels chosen.

In the early miracles, he acts as a servant of the good. He repairs broken roads, drains filthy water, fills potholes, and restores small measures of justice (Page 3). His confidence swells, but so too does his self-importance. When he bursts the taxi’s tires in anger (Page 2), the moral boundary begins to blur — vengeance disguises itself as righteousness. Mahfouz’s psychological insight here is striking: evil rarely announces itself; it often enters wearing the mask of virtue.

Each new act deepens Tayyib’s delusion. By silencing the radio announcer (Page 3), punishing corrupt officials (Page 3), and fantasizing about reforming the world (Page 4), he begins to view himself not as God’s instrument, but as His replacement. His tone becomes prophetic; his heart, authoritarian. In one chilling moment of self-exaltation, he declares inwardly that he will be “the trusty popular censor of the dangerous media of mass communication” (Page 3). Mahfouz shows how effortlessly faith can curdle into fanaticism when the ego becomes the object of worship.

The climax of this pride comes at the zoo garden (Page 4). A beautiful woman passes by — and in a heartbeat, Tayyib’s moral fortress collapses. His desire, once restrained by discipline and devotion, overwhelms him. His attempt to use divine power to awaken love marks the ultimate betrayal: he turns a sacred gift into a tool for lust. The fall is immediate and irreversible.

When his powers vanish, the revelation arrives like dawn after a storm. The final page captures his awakening in quiet devastation: “He thought he was going mad… The miracle was gone — like a dream.” (Page 5). In that moment, he grasps the cruel irony — the true “awesome power” was never the ability to command the universe, but the strength to command himself.

Through Tayyib’s psychological unraveling, Mahfouz offers a timeless truth: Pride is not loud — it is seductive. It convinces the heart that service is superiority, that righteousness is control, that miracles are proof of one’s worth. In the end, the story becomes less about divine punishment and more about inner blindness. Tayyib’s tragedy is the tragedy of every man who forgets that the mightiest victory is not over others, but over the self.

Message

Through A Man of Awesome Power, Naguib Mahfouz delivers a timeless moral lesson: true power lies not in command, but in restraint.

Tayyib al-Mahdi’s journey from humble gratitude to spiritual ruin mirrors the quiet dangers that accompany divine favour. At the beginning, he is content in his modesty — a retired civil servant thankful for his life’s small blessings. But the dream changes everything. When the radiant figure tells him, “Do with it what you please” (Page 1), he is given not just a miracle, but a test — one that measures the strength of his heart more than the reach of his will.

At first, he uses the gift for good — healing small injustices, mending what is broken, and helping where he can (Page 3). Yet, slowly, the line between compassion and control fades. What was meant to serve others becomes a stage for his pride. The same power that once cleared filth from the streets begins to soil his conscience. By the time he uses his gift to silence a radio announcer (Page 3) and manipulate a woman’s affection (Page 4), it is no longer a divine blessing, but a curse born of ego.

Mahfouz’s message is sharp yet spiritual: when God favours one with a gift, it is not a crown to wear but a cross to bear. Power, talent, and influence are entrusted to us for service, not self-glory. When we use them selfishly, they consume us from within.

In the end, Tayyib’s loss of power is not divine punishment — it is divine mercy. It returns him to humility, forcing him to confront what he has become. “The miracle was gone — like a dream” (Page 5) is not merely an ending; it is a moral awakening.

Mahfouz leaves his readers with quiet wisdom:

When God blesses us with a gift, its purpose is to lift others.

When we turn it inward, it becomes the weight that breaks us.

Classroom / Exam Angles

This section offers practical insights for classroom discussion and examination preparation.

Key Quotes to Remember

1. “From this moment onward … you shall have the power …” – The divine promise that begins the moral test.

2. Tayyib “filled with confidence, inspiration and joy.” – The purity of his early faith.

3. The exploding taxi tires scene. – A symbol of how justice turns to cruelty.

4. His moral crisis: when power fails, when desire distracts him. – The cost of losing purpose.

5. The final sadness: realization of limits, regret. – The wisdom born of loss.

Essay / Discussion Questions

1. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
   Discuss this statement in relation to A Man of Awesome Powers. How does Tayyib’s moral decline illustrate the dangers of unchecked authority?

2. When God favours one with a gift, they should endeavour to use it for the good of others. However, when they misuse such gifts, they may end miserably.
   Using examples from the story, explain how Tayyib’s misuse of power transforms a blessing into a curse.

3. Why does the power ultimately fail Tayyib?
   Is it divine punishment, moral weakness, or the natural end of arrogance?

4. Is the story a warning or a reflection of hope?
   Does the ending suggest redemption through regret?

Table: Lessons on Responsible Leadership from “A Man of Awesome Power”

Leadership Aspect	Tayyib’s Example	Lesson / Interpretation	Supporting Moment
Moral Foundation	Begins as a pious, self-disciplined man who thanks God for his life.	True leadership begins with humility and gratitude.	His nightly prayers and quiet life before the dream.
Power and Responsibility	Sees himself as chosen to reform society.	Leadership is stewardship — power must serve others, not self-glory.	His resolve to fix roads, drains, and social evils.
Control of Emotion	Allows anger to dictate decisions — punishes taxi driver, humiliates announcer.	A leader who cannot master emotion will misuse authority.	The tire explosion and the sneezing punishment on radio.
Justice vs. Revenge	Acts as both judge and executioner without reflection.	Justice must be guided by fairness, not personal irritation.	When he curses the taxi driver and slaps moral offenders.
Public Service	Performs visible good but without accountability.	Leadership needs transparency, teamwork, and institutional reform — not miracles.	His unplanned interventions in public places.
Private Integrity	Betrays his wife with a younger woman.	Personal morality anchors public trust; private corruption weakens public virtue.	His affair at the zoo café.
Relationship with Power	Grows proud, treats himself as God’s equal.	Leadership detached from humility becomes tyranny.	“He utterly forgot both his faith and his life.”
Accountability and Loss	Refuses to repent or seek forgiveness after failure.	True leaders admit faults; denial leads to downfall.	His power fades, leaving him haunted by regret.

Core Message:
Mahfouz teaches that power without self-control becomes self-destruction. Responsible leadership demands humility, moral restraint, and awareness of one’s limits — even when intentions begin as noble.

Naguib Mahfouz’s A Man of Awesome Power is more than a story about miracles — it is a parable about moral discipline. It warns of how quickly virtue can become vanity, and how easily faith can falter under the weight of ego.

Tayyib al-Mahdi’s journey is not merely personal; it is universal. Every reader, at some level, carries a spark of his temptation — the urge to control rather than serve. And in the quiet echo of his loss, we hear Mahfouz’s timeless reminder: power without humility is the most dangerous illusion of all.

In the classroom and beyond, A Man of Awesome Power speaks to anyone who has ever held influence — whether as a leader, parent, teacher, or believer. Mahfouz’s warning is universal: unchecked power, even when wrapped in good intentions, easily becomes tyranny. Tayyib’s fall is not the failure of a wicked man, but of an ordinary one who forgot that greatness lies in humility. His tragedy mirrors the dangers of modern life — where people, entrusted with small powers, from technology to authority, can lose sight of service in the glare of self.

Ultimately, Mahfouz invites us to reimagine power not as domination, but as stewardship. To lead is to serve. To be gifted is to give. The miracle, he reminds us, is not in bending the world to our will — it is in mastering the will itself.

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Recommended For:

• Students studying African or Arabic short stories

• Teachers preparing KCSE Literature lessons

• Readers interested in moral and philosophical fiction