How does Mahfouz illustrate how fate is a major determiner of one’s happiness in life?

How does Mahfouz illustrate how fate is a major determiner of one’s happiness in life?

Throughout , or more so in the earlier stages of the novel, we see a conflict between Said's fate and his free will. Perhaps, one may argue that Said had many fates, such as his fate to live with Nur or to live a spiritual life, but he chose the fate for violence and revenge by free will. However, when see from Said's stance, the other two options were pointless in a way that it did not fit into his definition of the ideal world that has been set by being Rauf's companion in theft; when he was betrayed by his closest friends and was sent away to jail, he equipped the lens of hatred and vengeance with which he viewed the world after being free from prison. Hence, with such lens, he was predetermined to his fate. 

We can also closely link to one's upbringing and his/her fate. Said, when he was young, lost his dad from a mysterious death and saw his mom get kicked out from a hospital; he, from young age, experienced loss and ill-treatment by others, which later influences his fate and hinders him to pursue a happier life such as the path of love and spirituality. Therefore, Mahfouz is trying to address the importance of circumstance of birth as well as relationship with others in relation to one's fate and the pursuit of happiness.