The Days (Al-Ayyām) is a three-part autobiographical novel by Egyptian writer Taha Hussein. It was destined for Taha Hussein that the lights of his sight would be extinguished, yet his heart became a beacon that illuminated his path. He was that child once overwhelmed by despair to the point of contemplating suicide, who then transformed into an extraordinary figure unlikely to be repeated, achieving what millions of the sighted could not.

“Al-Ayyam” (The Days) is not merely an autobiography; it is an experience from which successive generations can learn. It also serves as a lens through which to study Egyptian society in the twentieth century, revealing its decline and the spread of ignorance. The author left his rural village for Al-Azhar in search of religious knowledge but did not find what he sought there. He then turned to the Egyptian University, which sent him to France to continue his studies. There, he absorbed Western culture and returned to Egypt to spread the light of knowledge he had gained.

It is the journey of the “Dean of Arabic Literature,” who transformed disability into determination.