Examining Religion's Effect on Individuals

Although religion can be inspirational, sometimes the radical ideas it presents can impede one's dreams. In Alifa Rifaat's Distant View of a Minaret, a Muslim woman lives with her husband and son in an apartment, which overlooks a mosque's minaret. In the short story, the wife believes her life has succumbed to "a world from which she had been excluded" (509) after she marries her husband. She abandons her own dreams to satisfy him. Despite her dissatisfaction with the outcome of her marriage, she sees the Muslim religion as an entity that keeps her grounded in society. In Rifaat's short story, religion's prevalence shapes her individuality and decisions because her faith is the major guiding force in her decisions, even when they may not favor her. Religion's impact on her life is especially shown through her consistent obedience to her tyrannical husband.

Religion provides a profound meaning to a follower's lives because it shapes his or her own individuality. As evidenced in the narrative, daily prayer is an essential ritual to the Islamic faith. The woman is clearly a Muslim devout because she views prayer as a unique form to define her actions and decisions. "Her five daily prayers were like punctuation marks divided up and gave meaning to her life" (510). The prayers are distinctive to the Islamic faith, which provides her a personal sense of direction in life. She compared the prayers to punctuation marks, which give meaning to a senseless sentence. A sentence without punctuation marks lack meaning and purpose, which is why the wife explains that the five daily prayers added significance to her life. She further mentioned that "each prayer for her a distinct quality, just as different foods had their own flavours" (510). She expresses the importance of religion in her life through expressing how each individual prayer is unique. This comparison to the flavors of different foods further elaborates on how each prayer has a distinct impact on her life. Religion, in a similar manner as food, is an essential aspect of her life that is the source of her inspiration and motivation.