# Mohammed el Dheilan — Seven Pillars of Wisdom character guide

> Mohammed el Dheilan in Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mohammed, el Dheilan, Dheilan

**First appearance:** 0047-xl

## Snapshot

A Howeitat elder whose braided hair and weak, cynical eyes conceal a career of stabbings, prisons, and desertions across every court in Arabia.

## Who they are

Mohammed el Dheilan is the seasoned Howeitat voice at Auda's shoulder, a man whose long black plaits and loose, sensual mouth give him a good-humoured, half-cynical air. His past is a catalogue of expulsions — from Nejd, Kuwait, Hail, and the Sherifian police — each ending in stripes or a knife drawn too publicly. He matters because he embodies the tribal world Lawrence must navigate: loyal when useful, dangerous when slighted, and utterly unsentimental about the causes he serves.

## In the story

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xv)

Not directly mentioned in excerpts; omitted.

### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxxv)

Assists Lawrence in climbing a splintery pole to cut telegraph wires during the demolition work.

### [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxxviii)

Auda's politic cousin; part of the party at Wejh.

### [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xl)

Auda's cousin; helps teach Lawrence Arabic.

### [XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xlv)

Second man of the Abu Tayi; described as powerful, thinking, and cynical; joins Lawrence by the fire and later leads a pursuit.

### [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xlvi)

Present at the feasts, sharing food and offering select fragments to Lawrence.

### [Nebk: Strategy and Deception](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xlviii)

Mohammed is the butt of Auda's joke about a pearl necklace, having been forced to guest with tribesmen.

### [XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xlix)

Rides behind Lawrence with the Ageyl; asks philosophical questions about stars and other worlds.

### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/liii)

Chases fleeing Turks and is angry at the recklessness of the charge.

### [LVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lvii)

Involved in the alleged correspondence with the Turks; explains he used Auda's seal to trick the Governor of Maan.

### [LXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxii)

Mentioned as part of the party, helping with camp setup.

### [LXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxiii)

Blows up the fire at the coffee-place while Lawrence tries to get the old man to speak.

### [LXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxviii)

Helps with the exploder and wire during the ambush.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/characters/mohammed_el_dheilan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/characters