Please spend some time reading the HN commenting guidelines - there are a few about divisive topics and flamebait which are relevant to this comment.
At the time of posting, 40% of the comments on the article were pointing to a Guardian hit piece basically trashing the man's legacy.
I wasn't quoting from the article posted - I can't see where you quoted from OP's posted article - so I'm not sure what you mean. All I see is you referring to the guardian article as a "hit piece".
The other commenters are merely presenting the rest of the facts about him - I don't know why you're uncomfortable with this.
Anyway, please read the commenting guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
"He began his life as a porter — carrying bags and selling soft drinks and, later, sewing machines — in Egypt’s bustling Alexandria ..."
So I didn't "invent it", it's a direct quote from the article. Whether you judge the Guardian as a more reputable source of information than arabnews.com, that is your personal preference. (also note: news are not facts, they are interpretations of events written by laymen on a salary and a time constrain)
- These kind of "narratives" are about averages, and there's always exceptions. This is really just a variant of the ol' "my uncle chain-smoked his entire life and lived to be 89 therefore smoking isn't harmful!", "it was chilly this winter in Chicago therefore climate change is a hoax!", and similar non-arguments.
For these reasons I feel that any conclusion derived from Al-Fayed's life – positive or negative – are invalid. It doesn't prove "you can only become rich by being a crook" but also doesn't prove "anyone can get ahead with enough skills". It's a single data point, nothing more.
As for "trashing the man's legacy", Al-Fayed didn't exactly beat around the bush when it came to other people. I'm reminded by a Christopher Hitchens quote, which goes something like "I don't expect any kindness after my death, because I'm not dishing out any", or something along those lines.