finds an old neglected grave on the edge of the village he sees it as his chance He tells the villagers that he had a dream in which Saint Shah Sadeque spoke to him He covers the grave with a red cloth and declares it a holy mazar The innocent villagers believe him and soon he becomes their spiritual guide The narrator describes how religion fills the land There are more tupees than heads of cattle more tupees than sheaves of grass Manipulator of Faith Majeed uses religion not to serve God but to control people His sermons teach villagers about sin and the consequences of punishment He says It is well that a man should know it when he sins ignorance is the greatest sin of all His words sound holy but serve his selfish plan He earns money respect and power through fear and superstition He makes people depend on him for every problem whether it s illness crop issues or family matters He forces Khaleque to divorce his wife Amena by fabricating a false story about her alleged impurity Symbol of Patriarchal Power Majeed becomes a symbol of male dominance in rural Muslim society Using his authority as a so-called pir he controls not only the villagers but also the women around him He marries twice first Rahima the kind and obedient widow and then Jamila the young and lively girl He enjoys complete control over Rahima But Jamila challenges him and refuses blind obedience Her courage threatens his power Majeed calls her a snake her charm is a snare her sweet winsomeness a trap Through Majeed Waliullah shows how men in a patriarchal society use religion to silence women Existential Loneliness and Moral Fall Even after gaining wealth and power Majeed remains lonely and restless He cannot share his secrets with anyone not even with his wives His false identity isolates him from peace and truth He tries to hide his emptiness through strict religious control Yet his second wife Jamila s rebellion exposes his weakness When she defies him he kills her in anger But even in death Jamila destroys his pride Her feet face the holy mazar mocking his false holiness Majeed realizes that his life is built on a foundation of lies He is both sinner and victim proving his own words true Man is made both angels and devils sinners and innocents In conclusion Majeed is a tragic figure He is a man who gains the world but loses his soul His rise from poverty to power demonstrates his intelligence and determination to succeed But his greed fear and falsehood destroy him in the end He begins as a victim of hunger and ends as a victim of his own deceit