Speak Bird Speak Again by Folktales

each of which has forces or powers that pull in its
direction. These forces range along a continuum from the immediate
and tangible to the more abstract and intangible. No clear line
separates a good man or woman, a pious one, a virtuous one, and a
holy one. The virtuous man (rajul salih) and the holy man (wili) are
both physical beings who also have spiritual powers. The holy man can
make himself invisible, and he can communicate with the souls of the
dead, with spirits, ghosts, and angels. These virtuous people occur
most dramatically in the last three tales, where a heroine (Tale 43)
and heroes (Tales 44, 45) are. assisted by supernatural powers in
bringing about material blessings for themselves and their families.
    The
evil forces, too, range along a continuum from the physical to the
supernatural. An evil person, such as an envious man who may possess
the power of the evil eye, is not totally disconnected from the
abstract-forces of evil. It is no accident that in the tales women's
sexuality outside the prescribed channels is often (Tales 2, 4, 8,
22) associated with ghoulishness or other evil forces. And in the
animal kingdom, the hyena and the monkey have a special significance.
Although a real animal, the hyena is traditionally linked with
supernatural forces, its effect on human beings being considered
similar to that of possession by the jinn. The same holds true for
the monkey (qird, or sadan). When the word sadan comes up in
conversation, people usually invoke divine protection by repeating
the basmala ("In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the
Merciful!"), as they would at the mention of a ghost, ghoul, or
devil. Likewise, whenever the jinn are introduced in the tales - and
they occur frequently - the teller usually invokes the name of Allah.
Along the continuum after the hyena and the monkey we find a range of
evil spirits, including ghosts (asbah), demons (afarit), the qarine
(female childbed demon), and the jinn.
    The
forces of good and evil are believed to work against each other
continuously in the life of the individual, on both the material and
the spiritual level. Allah may grant a couple a baby, for instance,
but the qarine is always ready to harm or kill it (Tale 33). These
evil spirits must always be defended against; if one is sensed in the
environment, the best protection is the invocation of the name of
Allah or the name of the cross. Moreover, although evil forces will
disappear the moment the good forces are called upon or mentioned,
invocation of the devil will not cause an angel to run away. The good
forces are thought to be more powerful than the evil ones, but not
powerful enough to eliminate them. The two forces must coexist, and
the best the good powers can do is to limit the influence of evil.
    Both
sets of forces have some measure of control over human behavior, and
in a sense they collaborate; if people are not behaving righteously
and acting according to the dictates of morality or religion, the
good forces may withdraw their protective influence and allow an evil
force to bring harm. Conversely, evil beings do not necessarily
embody pure, unmitigated evil, because they can bring good to human
beings. In such tales as 10 and 22, for example, ghouls and ghoulehs
assist the young protagonists on their quests. Similarly the jinn,
who according to the Qur'an are creatures of fire, are capable of
goodness. Some are even thought to be Muslims, for people see them
standing and praying, just like human beings. But some are certainly
evil: if one of these were to possess a human being, it could bring
about that person's death. The jinn nature, however, is capricious,
as we may observe in Tales 30 and 32, and the same jinni can cause
harm or do good.
    Given
this interpenetration of the supernatural and the physical, of the
spiritual and the mundane, life on earth becomes the stage on which
the meting out of rewards and punishments is performed. The
supernatural need not intervene in human