Social values and moral themes in Arabian Nights stories

Political Thought and Social Values in Arabian Nights Telling stories was considered one of the best ways to transmit social values of purity, morality, and truth during Medieval Times. Over 300 myths and legends from Muslim times have been woven with magic and wonders still relevant today in the Arabian Nights. In this paper, I will primarily emphasize social values like the good social values of women and partly their unfaithfulness, the importance of storytelling in the Thousand and One Nights, the role of deception and its effect, the slavery of women, among others as presented in this paper. Therefore, it makes sense to present the promise of social value. Many recurring themes seen in Arabian Nights' five stories are still being vigorously followed after several centuries have passed. (Shahryar and Scheherazade, Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Forty Thieves, The Fisherman and Jinni) As presented in this paper, and teaching wisdom about mutuality through motifs, themes, and characters that are present in the political and mainly social values of today. Thus, this paper presents a reflection upon the Islamic world's storytelling tradition majoring in social values[footnoteRef:1]. [1: Zahoor, Aflah. “Mystery, Magic and Morals: Looking at Themes and Ideas in Select Indian and Arabic Literature.” International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences 5, no. 2 (March 24, 2020). https://ijels.com/detail/mystery-magic-and-morals-looking-at-themes-and-ideas-in-select-indian-and-arabic-literature/.]

This part summarizes what this part will present in light, as stated in the above introduction. In their stories, the Arabian Nights have distinct themes. These are selected for the following paper concerning today's social value system and its transformation within today's culture. In this story, storytelling and its importance, good social value by women, deception, magic, unfaithfulness by women, and an example of a bright and morally upright woman, court proceedings, misunderstandings, and frequent killings are emphasized. Since the subject matter in the Arabian Nights and European literature has been similar, much of Europe's literature has taken the themes from it. Both cultures mentioned in these two narratives are originated in different eras, from Islamic and European times, respectively; however, the similarity is not to be overlooked, which is still evident today[footnoteRef:2]. [2: Aliakbari, Rasoul. “The Arabian Nights in the English Popular Press and the Heterogenization of Nationhood: A Print Cultural Approach to Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities.” Canadian Review of Comparative Literature / Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée 43, no. 3 (2016): 439–60. https://doi.org/10.1353/crc.2016.0035.]

This part is about the good social values of women in The Thousand and One Nights and partly about their unfaithfulness. There are many good social value stories contained in this paper. The Thousand and One Night include many stories containing morals that teach simple lessons about women throughout the narrative despite being seen negatively. For example, a clever woman saves herself and the women in her kingdom from being killed by the king by using her wily ways. To achieve this, she marries the king and tells him bedtime stories each night that lead into the following day. The woman would intentionally not finish the story, hoping he would be fascinated by the ending that concludes her life and the women's lives in her kingdom, day after day.
Additionally, the mini-stories contain simple morals about women that teach lessons in addition to the main story. In The Thousand and One Nights, women are shown to have tremendous power through one very important moral lesson. Despite not holding positions of power, the story showed that women could still destroy or save a kingdom. This power is seen in the wife of the demon, Shahrazad (the daughter of the priest), and in the first wife of the king. King Shahrayar's first wife demonstrated that she was capable of destroying. She would never have imagined that her actions might end up destroying a kingdom, but it ironically happened that way. Also, women's unfaithfulness is depicted repeatedly in these stories since honour killings are still prevalent in today's society [footnoteRef:3]. [3: Shamma, Tarrek. “Women and Slaves: Gender Politics in the Arabian Nights.” Marvels & Tales 31, no. 2 (2017): 239. https://doi.org/10.13110/marvelstales.31.2.0239.]

This part talks about how powerful a slave woman was in the Thousand and One Nights and how women were sold for slavery. In "Thousand and One Nights," "The Tale of Sympathy the Learned" stands out. A young slave girl in this story has a great deal of education in many areas. This part shows that a slave woman was educated more than men then. She also knew about sculpture, logic, and philosophy, among other things. This creates a positive image of slave women. Several critics and readers have called the Arabian Nights tales demeaning to women. According to them, women could be purchased, sold, given away, or considered worthy of gifts after investing in them as objects of pleasure[footnoteRef:4]. [4: D’Lima, Tanya, Jennifer L. Solotaroff, and Rohini Prabha Pande. “For the Sake of Family and Tradition: Honour Killings in India and Pakistan.” ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change 5, no. 1 (April 30, 2020): 22–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/2455632719880852.]

This part talks about the social gatherings seen in the Thousand and One Nights and the importance of storytelling. Here, princes and viziers were seen in the presence of Muslim kings not just as entertainment but also for social gatherings for political discussions and pondering over state affairs. The exhibition of extravagant meals at social events is a method of controlling social power by politicians today; thus social aspect gains more power. A stunning arrangement of modernism can be seen even in the display of meals and decorations made even more stunning through their contact with Persian culture. For ages, deception has been a component of Arabian Nights storytelling. Aladdin's account manager, Jaffar, asked Aladdin to acquire the magic lamp for him in exchange for whatever he desired from the enchanted cave.
Another example is the fisherman and Jinni, who stopped Aladdin from realizing the cave was collapsing. These tales, aimed at a broad audience, follow a narrative arc that begins with immorality and ends with restoration, according to a paradigm that aligns with Islam's social state. As evidenced by its influence on each character's decisions and resolutions, no theme is more prevalent throughout the tales of One Thousand and One Nights than the common idea of storytelling. This theme is so fundamental to the plot itself. For example, as we have read, Shahrazad tells many tales and legends that reflect this powerful theme
[footnoteRef:5].  [5: D’Lima, Tanya, Jennifer L. Solotaroff, and Rohini Prabha Pande. “For the Sake of Family and Tradition: Honour Killings in India and Pakistan.” ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change 5, no. 1 (April 30, 2020): 22–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/2455632719880852.]

This part continues to explain the part of slavery and the use of deception in the political line in the Thousand and One Nights. The wily fisherman duped the Jinni back into the bottle, who was determined about exacting retribution on humans for enslaving him for so long. These days, lying and dishonesty are an inextricable component of political leadership, and they have been embedded in our common cultural norms. Government-based institutions are notorious for lying in public and denying it regularly. Political leaders rose swiftly up the ranks due to their celebrity and ability to go unnoticed despite deceptive facts, which an average citizen would not believe is feasible[footnoteRef:6]. After the election, presidential campaigns and pledges to the public are abandoned, offering another example of deceit and lying. Common and unnoticed forms of lies and deceptions include asking a family member to lie on the phone to a friend that he is not at home so that he should not talk to him. Despite the deception aspect, Islam still advocates and teaches the aspect of truth and equality[footnoteRef:7]. [6: Ruth, Bottigheimer. “Kudos N O 9,” 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118585344.ch18/summary.] [7: Aliakbari, Rasoul. “The Arabian Nights in the English Popular Press and the Heterogenization of Nationhood: A Print Cultural Approach to Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities.” Canadian Review of Comparative Literature / Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée 43, no. 3 (2016): 439–60. https://doi.org/10.1353/crc.2016.0035.]

Also, this part emphasizes more about the stories in One Thousand and One Nights and their importance. Aladdin, forty thieves and Ali Baba, and The Fisherman and Jinni are just a few Arabian Night stories that feature magic and storytelling. Magic lamps, magic carpets, and genies have all been used in memorable storytelling to disseminate the narrative's morals by keeping the reader engrossed and begging for more at the conclusion. Mysticism and mythology have been preserved via the employment of fantasy elements. The confluence of fantasy and modernism has been widely used to help modern-day social animals realize their cultural identities. As a result, the Arabic literature has thoroughly portrayed how diverse people's groups were established and how their links and affiliations produced new wonders that encouraged cultural contacts and contributed to a good role[footnoteRef:8]. [8: Ruth, Bottigheimer. “Kudos N O 9,” 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118585344.ch18/summary.]

Stories and illusions have been shaped in modern times, particularly by the entertainment industry, which, with the help of powerful political hands, projected American invincibility in the aftermath of 9/11, social characteristics in male dominance, and feminine sexuality in movies and advertisements. The Presidents' attitude in front of the public to demonstrate American' American' salvage and defend' dreams was a tale in and of itself for the people to trust them with their political contestation and democratic security, and it even adds to the improvement of the social element. Misunderstandings and frequent killings, such as in The Three Apples, Shahryar and Scheherazade, and Ali Baba and Forty Thieves, have been conspicuous themes in Arabian Nights for a long. Killings, murders, and violence have been narrated in several of the stories of Arabian Nights, sometimes on having being proven guilty and sometimes on mere prediction or misunderstandings created by some other character. 
This part emphasizes the results of deception in One Thousand and One Nights. Deception and misrepresentation have played a key role in the deaths and bloodshed that have resulted.