# III: Al-Tawajin, or “The Pipkins” explained — The Mercy of Allah

> Chapter companion for The Mercy of Allah by Hilaire Belloc.

## What happens

Mahmoud continues his tale, describing how he used his initial capital to monopolize the pipkin trade in a secluded valley, eventually becoming the 'Pipkin King' and selling the entire trade to the state for 500,000 dinars.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Inequality and Greed

Mahmoud's manipulation of the pipkin market and his exploitation of the widow and other potters highlight greed and the creation of inequality.

### Faith and Resilience

Mahmoud attributes his success to divine guidance and the mercy of Allah, showing resilience in his ventures.

## Character check-ins

### Mahmoud

The narrator and protagonist, who recounts his rise to wealth and power through the pipkin monopoly.

### The old man

Mahmoud's uncle, who is telling the story to his nephews.

## Key lines

> I began with due caution by investing a couple of thousand dinars in the merchandise of a potter who had recently died and whose widow needed ready cash to satisfy the sacred demands of the dead.

Mahmoud started his pipkin monopoly by buying out a dead potter's stock from his widow, who needed money for funeral expenses.

_This shows Mahmoud's opportunistic beginning in the pipkin trade._

> I approached the king and told him how, all my life, I had nourished the secret belief that a trade necessary to the whole community should not, in justice, be controlled by a private individual, but should rather be the full property of the state.

Mahmoud convinced the king that the pipkin trade should be nationalized for the public good.

_This is the key moment where Mahmoud sells his monopoly to the state for a huge profit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mercy_of_allah_se/chapters/iii-al-tawajin-or-the-pipkins
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mercy_of_allah_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mercy_of_allah_se/chapters