Rajabali by Abul Bashar [Hardcover]

The protagonist of this novel is Sargon of Canaan, or King Solomon. He begins as a king and later becomes a prophet. The weapons in his hands are not divine but made of iron. Throughout the novel, seeds of conflict are sown—the clash between divinity and monarchy. The monarchy challenges all the aspirations of divinity, and King Solomon, as a monarch, chooses to face the test.
The internal struggle between his royal persona and his prophetic identity becomes heartbreakingly poignant for him. Yet, whether through divine insight or human awareness, he was able to discover this heart. While the novel is based on the Old Testament and folklore, each character in Rajabali emerges as flesh-and-blood beings. Characters like Ishmael, Abraham, Bathsheba, and Anath are vividly brought to life.
Ultimately, this unique novel strives to explore the primal existence of humans embedded in religion and their all-encompassing history on a global scale.