Shadows of Pomegranate Tree (1992), the first novel in Islam Quintet, by Tariq Ali,

an Anglo-Pakistani student of history and author, portrays the photo of Moorish

Spain, its fall in the hands of Queen Isabella and Ferdinand. The novel is set in
Gharnata (Granada). In this novel Ali depicts a mentally and socially rule country
Muslim concealment in the hands of totalitarian and mentally and socially second
rate country Christian in Spain in the late fifteenth century. The novel demonstrates
the severity of Christians on a family Banu-Hudayl that relocated from Dimashk in
237 AH (932 AD) and settled close Gharnata where they constituted their town
which owes their name. There they developed terrains and sets plantations, and
lead a rich life. The family's head at the season of the fall was Umar. After the fall of
Gharnata, alongside all Muslims of the district, they have additionally the three
decisions change over, battle or leave. To spare lives and property, some of them,
as Miguel, changed over while Umar's senior child Zuhayr chose not to leave or
proselyte, so he battled till the end.

Despite the fact that the novel gives us the historical backdrop of fall of Islamic
Spain which occurred in the late fifteenth century and the novel itself distributed in
the mid 1990s, even than it can come into the classification of Post-frontier writing.
In the opening part of the book "The Empire Writes Back" (1989) the essayist gives
definition to post-pilgrim writing as:

"We utilize the term 'post-provincial', be that as it may, to cover all the way of life
influenced by the royal procedure from the snippet of colonization to the present
day. This is on the grounds that there is a progression of distractions all through the
chronicled procedure started by European supreme animosity." (Bill Ashcroft
Indeed, even the author was most influenced from the pioneer period as he was
conceived and taught in the city of Pakistan, Lahore, which around then a province
of British Empire, and after that got to be autonomous. Besides it ought not be
overlooked that he was a closest companion of Edward Said (1935-2003) and their
kinship keep going for a long time until later demise. Said was one of the
establishing and most persuasive figure in post-pioneer writing and the author of
"Orientalism" (1978)

Presentation of Hostory in Novel

Shadows of Pomegranate Tree is one of the history, the structure of the novel is
encompassed as it claims reality. The entire novel, including Author's note, Prologue
and Epilog, all are limited as they are exhibiting the both, fictionality and factuality.

The novel has a fine chronicled establishment i-e Muslim-Christian genuine

relationship. In addition in novel we moreover find the Moorish history on the Spain,
close by their social traditions as identifies with from a fanciful gathering of alHudayl and the town owing its name. In another words, we may say that in Shadows
of Pomegranate Tree, we find history shows everywhere.

In the very start of the novel, we are given by a family tree of a fanciful family Banu
Hudayl. It contains the episodic names of the entire relatives who settled and
gathered a town close Granada, Al-Hudayl with the recorded dates from past when
the group of Hassan al-Hudayl moved in 932 AD till the present 1499. Later on in
the prelude, we get past the portrayal of a genuine event that happened early
December 1499 and that is the blasting of the books.
"On the first day of December in the year 1499, Christian warriors under the request
of five knight-officers entered the one hundred and ninety-five libraries of the city
and twelve estates where a part of the better-known private gatherings were
housed. Everything written in Arabic was taked." (Prologue)
The Christians were sufficiently clever, they were totally careful that Muslims are
outstandingly front line in pharmaceutical and others science, so their specialists
actuated "Ximenes de Cisneros" (1436-1517) to vindicated organizations with
respect to medication and stargazing.
"The day going before, analysts in the organization of the Church had convinced
Cisneros to exonerated three hundred creations from his pronouncement" (Prologue)
In addition, truly, it was that saved unique duplicates which made prepared for
Renaissance in Europe. Renaissance which was the extremely important occasion
ever, the re-origination in data and all fields of learning, of workmanship and of
science. The Renaissance was the end of faint ages in the European history and it
was the begin of the forefront ages. It was a period when Europe split up each
mental tie and crossed as far as possible. The way that Ali depicts in this novel that
it was not conventional data but instead it was the works of those Muslims which
cause Renaissance in Europe, can dumbfound to various perusers.

The seething of books in the rule street was not a commonplace scene. It was the
try to destroy social orders past and society. It was an endeavor to make the
brilliant past of Muslims diminishes and to make Muslims ward to the Christians and
it is the very pith of Colonialism.

"The total insight of the entire projection lay in the old silk market underneath the
Bab al-Ramla" (Prologue)
This event united each one of the masses of Granada and got up a sentiment
common identity considering the way that they all share a run of the mill history. It
was not a bursting of books; it was the seething of Muslim Civilization. Without even
a moment's pause the entire society came to watch their pummeling. They were all
that much mindful that the fire which is seething the sytheses one day it will blast
their lives as well.

"The fire which seethed our books will one day pound all that we have made in alAndalus, including this little town produced by our predecessors" (P. 19)

Seething the books were the first walk to cordon them off to take after their religion,
gradually Christian would endeavor to deny them to make up for lost time their
lifestyle. Thusly in area 4 when Zuhayr was inspecting with his colleagues about the
current situation, he commented:

"They will soon deny us our vernacular. Arabic will be banned on torment of death.
They won't allow us to wear our pieces of clothing. Talk they will squash every open
shower in the country. They will confine our music, our wedding eats up our religion.
This and more will fall on our heds in a few year's shot."

From post-pioneer perspective, it symbolizes that how Christians expected to

mislead Muslims society, most importantly else they bursted Muslim's unique
duplicates and a tiny bit at a time they will endeavor to keep them from performing
their religious ceremonies and dressing and a while later open incitement places.
They endeavored to pummel Muslim's lifestyle and how a nation can live without its
lifestyle. This was a Christians endeavor to finish Muslims character. It comes into
the colonized believed that a colonized country should be without their lifestyle,
from now on it get the chance to be needy. So in the gathering, a vagrant drew
closer and began to jump on fire by saying:
"What is the reason for presence without our books of learning?"

In entire novel, the writer is basically concerned with depicting Muslim or Moorish
History and society, the way that Christian History is rarely present, i-e just in
epilog, is in light of the fact that writer tries to present a non-Eurocentric novel.

Epilog happens 20 years sometime later. The creator is concerned with the
savagery that Christians who were both useless in brains and preoccupation
towards the Muslims who were overwhelming from them in every walk around life.
They just need to finish each and every Muslim from Spain in this way they have to
oust Islam from Spain.

"The Church and the court have picked that your religion must be wiped out from
these landscapes for ever. They have the troopers and the weapons to ensure that
this is done. I understand that there will be resistance, yet it will be ludicrous and
self-pounding for your reason and finally we will overcome you."(p.
The novel moreover presents the Muslims normal and cutting edge approach to
meet and farewell, they by and large ask blessing to everyone when they meet,
consequently partially 2 when Zuhayr went to old man in the natural hollow he said:

"Peace be upon you, old man."

"In addition, upon you, Ibn Umar." (p. 27)
In addition, when Zuhayr was returning from the astounding old man's natural
hollow:
"Peace be upon you, Wajid al-Zindiq."
"In addition, you, my youngster."
It was not simply with Muslims they act like, they were moreover to a great degree
tolerable when then said farewell to Christians too. In this way in area 4, in an
especially strained talking of Umar with his friend Don Indigo, when the late tries to
impel Umar to change over into Christianity, Umer sophistically excuse him and tells
him that it is inconceivable for him to ignore the significant memories of past and
say farewell.
"In the blink of an eye in case you will excuse me, I must take my leave. Peace be
upon you, Don Indigo."(p. 74)

One another part that exhibits the parallels of pioneer speculations is that Muslims
reliably stay clean, they again and again shower to clean themselves, of course
Christian constantly stink in light of the fact that they don't clean themselves. So we
find Zuhayr inclination for showering at a youthful hour in the morning.

"Toward the start of today he felt a critical longing to talk with the occupant in the
sinkhole. He got out his room and entered the hammam."(p. 24)

So basic is cleanliness in Islam that a man who changes over himself into
Christianity has not to scour. The fact the cleanliness is the reason for qualification
between the two general public, it is address from the condition of Miguel, who
changed over in Christianity and went to the rank of Bishop a double crosser who
can talk and create Arabic, yet didn't generally uses it:

"Did you see that this time he was stinking, much the same as them
""Did he by and large stink?"

"By no means! In the times of yore, before he sold his soul and started respecting
pictures of depleting men stuck on wooden crosses, he was the cleanest individual
alive. Five gives a day in the mid year. Five movements of articles of clothing. I
recall those times well. In the blink of an eye he has a fragrance like a horse's
enduring. Do you know why?"

Yazid conceded his absence of mindfulness.

"With the objective that nobody can point the finger at him for being a Muslim under
his cassock. Stinking Catholics!"(p. 6)

So basic is the cleanliness in Islam that it transforms into the trademark of Islam
and lack of sanitization to Christian. Exactly when Miguel came next time to Banu
Hudayl, all the family was sat to lunch, on the spot Zahra asked in the matter of
whether you washed your hands, in the answer Miguel just expected to divert the
request, yet miss the mark in antagonism with Zahra, so mortified, he needs to
wash his hands. This capability is further clear from the diverse shower scenes
present in the novel:

"The room was stacked with serving women, who were stripping Yazid's mother and
Kulthum. Yazid inquired as to why his mother had all the earmarks of being
imperceptibly pushed. Possibly the experience had tired her. Perhaps it was
Zuhayr's fever. H quit thinking as Hind revealed. Her own particular house guardian
specialist rushed to pick the discarded articles of clothing from the floor. The three
women were soaped and scoured with the mildest wipes on the planet, then
compartments of clean water were poured over them. After this they entered the
broad shower, which was the compass of a little lake. The stream which coursed
through the house had been piped to give a standard supply of new water for the
showers." (p. 9)
On another event, when Zuhayr returned from the old peculiar man of the opening,
his mother asking for that he clean up.

"Go and bathe, Zuhayr. Your hair is overflowing with dust."

"Likewise, he has an aroma reminiscent of steed sweat!"

Else there were plus or minus sixty open showers in the city where people cleanse
themselves with steam, there were moreover shower escorts. Before the fall of
Granada, people were easygoing; from now on they value that gives associates
saying sexual verses and so on. Regardless, after the fall they look at about the
legislative issues and about the people who changed over their religion just with the
end goal of property.

Another variable that depicts the commonness of Muslims over Christians is Yazid's
chess piece that is made by Jaun, the Carpenter. The chess board symbolizes
diverse social orders. In spite of the way that Jaun was Christian by religion, on the
other hand he consigned white shading to the Muslims and dim shading to the
Christians. It was developed to the point that it is all in all the pieces having a spot
with the bona fide living, as pawns were taken after to Yazid and Knight was
identifying with Ibn Farid, Yazid's granddad.
In the chess pieces, Jaun has offered greatness to Moorish people by distributing
them white shading and building so amazing "Their Queen was a fair wonder with a
cover, her life accomplice a red-shaggy ruler with blue eyes." (p. 2). In their
distinction the Christians are given less greatness by assigning dim shading to them
and building up their structure underhanded. "The Christians were not simply dim;
they had been cut as animals. The dull Queen's eyes shone with savagery, in

hardhearted show up distinctively in connection to the littler than ordinary Madonna

hanging round her neck. Her lips were painted the shading of blood. A ring on her
finger demonstrated a painted skull . The knights raised blood-recolored hands.
The two religious managers were scratched perfectly healthy of Satan Jaun had
never set eyes on Ximenes.
Conclusion
For finding new measures for postcolonial theory, the chronicled academic works
must be given much centrality. Tariq Ali, a British-Pakistani curator and an author, in
this novel shows the Western rationale and Eastern communitarianism. The way
that this novel was a non-Eurocentric disregarding the way that the peruser and the
writer of this novel is basically an European living game plan. It is further affirm by
the less looks of Western history, even in plus or minus all the novel the Western
history in non-exists beside in the Epilog which is not a bit of genuine novel. In
reality, even in it Ali accomplishes a low-motivation behind Western history and that
is its covetousness of Western Imperialism.

The novel shows the authentic background of Moorish Muslim as they were
smothered by the Christian after the fall of Granada. With the passage of Ximense
all the condition in Spain changed in light of the fact that he was of the point of view
"the future can be secured through steadfastness and discipline and not through
worship and guideline." That's the reason he asked for each one of his forces to
assemble each one of the first duplicates of Islam and duplicate it. Likewise, it was
not the last, while it was the starting
Despite the fact that, around then, individuals trust that no issue that every one of
the valuable original copies are smoldered, however the information that is
available in their heart can never be blazed

'The paper ye may blaze,

In any case, what the paper holds ye can't blaze;

'tis safe inside of my bosom.

Where I evacuate, it runs with me;

Lands when I land,

What's more, my tomb will lie.'

In any case, they were mixed up, as they were then stayed in the time of Inquisition.
After it they were not permitted to perform their religious ceremonies even, and
again they were socially smothered by then i.e they were not permitted to
communicate in Arabic or to wear their formal garments. Rightly they were pushed
with only three decision; change over, battle or flee. So the greater part of the
Muslims, keeping in mind the end goal to spare their property and life, changed
over into Christianity.

Typically it demonstrates the oppression of Christian over Muslims and as the

Postcolonial hypothesis "endeavors to concentrate on the mistreatment of the
individuals who were ruled under colonization", and as Muslims of Spain were living,
around then, as the colonized individuals, so we can say that the novel "Shadows of
the Pomegranate Tree" tries to demonstrate the historical backdrop of Moorish
individuals through Postcolonial point of view.