an investigation into female characterization in najib kilani's novels (case study of the novels: the long path, killer of hamza, the man who converted to islam)

fiction has a special position because of its charisma and special charm and is considered as an important literary device; the most important task of story is to promote the moral and spiritual virtues of characters and to fight evil and injustices. therefore, dedicated novelist should try not only to entertain the reader but also to be aware of his ultimate goal; which is to teach and to inform his reader. najib kilani, a prominent islamic scholar and novelist in the contemporary period, also believes that by engaging different characters in the story, they can educate islamic duty and religious lifestyle to the younger generation. in this article, we try to assess the female characterization in three novels by najib kilani entitled the long path, killer of hamza, the man who converted to islam which have social, historical and islamic themes, respectively. kilani has used direct and indirect characterization methods and employed every type of personality, including static and dynamic, positive and negative. female characters in all the three novels are secondary type which kilani has used with expertise to achieve his main goal promoting islamic culture.