Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfalouti (1876–1924) is one of Egypt’s greatest modern prose writers and poets. He was born in the Upper Egyptian city of Manfalout to an Egyptian father and Turkish mother. He belonged to a noble family and his father and forefathers served as Sharia judges and heads of the Sufi Syndicates. He followed the steps of his fathers and memorized the entire Quran at a young age, and joined al-Azhar University in Cairo where he was taught by renowned scholars such as Sheikh Muhammad Abduh. His love of literature made him always inclined to reading literary works, especially those of al-Jahiz, al-Mutanabi and Abu al-`Ala’ al-Ma`arri.