Hisham Sharabi: Embers and Ashes
CrossFireArabia- August 16, 2026
From Nur Masalha:
I first encountered the term “the opportunist” over 40 years ago, when I was a student in Jerusalem reading the books of the late Hisham Sharabi.
Including this book: “Embers and Ashes.”
In fact, I began reading Hisham’s books in Arabic long before I started reading his works in English or meeting him in person.
It’s likely that Hisham himself didn’t coin the term, but rather was influenced by its usage in our Arab popular culture and in the works of Hassan Hanafi and Sadiq Jalal al-Azm.
This term refers to students who consider themselves exceptionally intelligent and believe they can succeed in exams and in life without much effort.
Hisham (one of the most prominent modern Palestinian academics and thinkers) was right; there are no easy or quick ways to achieve true success, to produce great works of art, or to achieve groundbreaking scientific accomplishments.
It’s all about hard work, perseverance, and self-reliance.
And by the way, what applies to individuals also applies to the collective, and to our collective Palestinian national efforts.
