The period of writing these stories extended for many years, extending from 1987 with the story “The Smell” to 2013 with the story “May God prolong his life.” They were all written under the weight of heavy tyranny, which made our thinking almost paralyzed and made us free executioners and observers of ourselves. It is “natural” for most of them to be apologized for publishing, as happened with the story “The Smell” which was either apologized for publishing or was ignored by all the newspapers to which it was sent at that time, as well as It happened with several other stories.
All the stories are united by a single concern and a similar atmosphere. Their events take place in the imperial atmosphere, with the meaning of the emperor’s word. The reader does not need effort or help from anyone in deciphering it. They speak of a general concern that everyone feels the burden of, without exception. Some were vocal about it at the times when the stories were written. Some people kept it quiet, but despite the fact that the majority were forced to remain silent, and those who opened their mouths paid a heavy price for not remaining silent, for everyone it was a heavy burden that a person could not get used to, or at the very least hope that it would go away.
These stories were among the forms of expression of that general pain. Some of them were destined to come out to the screen - in some short periods of relief - to reach the audience, even in different formulations from the stories in the book, and some of them remained imprisoned until circumstances allowed them to appear on the pages of this book in your hands.
A book that deals with the journey of psychological questions to reach proofs of religion, which are interspersed with spiritual manifestations and proofs from real life in a narrative narrative form similar to personal memoirs. A journey that culminates in a meeting between the narrator and the Creator... a spiritual meeting.
... "وبعد… فهذا خِتامُ ما كتبَهُ "شمعون بن زخاري"، والملقب بشَمْعون المَصْري، عن أخبارِ بني إسرائيل في برية سين، وما كان من أمرِهم منذ عبور البحر وحتى وفاة موسى بن عمران. وأعلم أني ما كتبت في هذه الرقاع إلا أحَدَ أمرين، أمر شهدته بعيني أو أمر سمعته من رجل من الرجال الثِّقات. وأُشِهد الربَّ (إيل)، أني ما بغيْتُ بهذا الكتاب مجدًا ولا شرفًا، وإنما إظهار شهادتي على جيل من شعب بني إسرائيل، اصطفاه الله وأنجاه بمعجزة من عدوِّه، ثم غضب عليه وأهلكه في تلك البرية القفراء، بعد أن أذاقه شقاء الارتحال ومرارة التيه. هذا كتاب لا أدري من سيكون قارئه، فأيًا من تكن أرجو أن تتذكر كاتب هذه الأبواب بالرحمة وأن تَدعو له بالغفران" شمعون بن زخاري بن رأوبين الملقب بشمعون المصري تم في الليلة الأخيرة من الشهر الثامن لسنة ستين بعد الخروج