Emotional intelligence (EI), first conceptualized by Daniel Goleman, refers to the ability to recognize, regulate, and manage personal and social emotions. Comprising the dimensions of self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation, social awareness, and relationship management, this concept provides an effective framework for analyzing the psychological layers of literary characters. Accordingly, this study adopts a descriptive–analytical approach to comparatively examine the dimensions of emotional intelligence (EQ) in two prominent novels: Cheshmhaayash by Bozorg Alavi and Ra’aytu Fīmā Yarā al-Nā’im by Najib Mahfouz, based on Goleman’s theoretical model. The significance of this research lies in the distinguished position of these two works within Persian and Arabic literature, as well as in the capacity of emotional intelligence theory to bridge psychology and literary criticism through an interdisciplinary perspective. The main objective of the study is to analyze the emotional intelligence dimensions of the characters in both novels and to clarify their functional differences: a socio-political function in Cheshmhaayash and an existential–identity function in Ra’aytu Fīmā Yarā al-Nā’im. The findings reveal that Alavi constructs characters shaped by political struggle and resistance, whereas Mahfouz, through a surreal narrative mode, explores the depths of the human psyche. In Cheshmhaayash, emotional intelligence is primarily employed to advance political agency and collective resistance, while in Ra’aytu Fīmā Yarā al-Nā’im, it manifests as an innate and internal capacity enabling the protagonist to confront existential and identity crises. Despite both authors’ shared reliance on emotional intelligence to deepen character psychology, their ultimate orientations differ: Alavi emphasizes action within the external socio-political realm, whereas Mahfouz foregrounds introspection within the internal, individual-existential sphere. The study thus confirms the effectiveness of Goleman’s model for analyzing deep psychological dimensions in narrative literature across diverse cultural and stylistic contexts