Return of the Pharaoh also tells about the ideological conflict which was, and still is, reigning in Egypt and many other parts of the Muslim world. It tells about the conflicting loyalties that the Muslims, in this case the Egyptian Muslims, face in their lives and in society. On the one hand, the loyalty of the silent majority of Muslims to Islam, traditional values and a way of life they can identify with. This is supported, enhanced and championed by the Islamic movement. And on the other hand, a minority of people uprooted from their origin, alien to the values of their ancestors, and who are, knowingly or unknowingly, serving as tools to safeguard the interests of the wealthy nations.
The severity of such a conflict can only be visualized by the appalling cruelty that Zainab al-Ghazali suffered at the hands of Nasir and his secret police. What happened to her could only happen in a country whose regime is above the law and unaccountable to any authority. Yet, the Muslim world, with rare exceptions, has been ruled, for a long time, by undemocratic regimes having no regard for law and human rights.
The growing tide of Islamic resurgence, usually called Islamic Fundamentalism by Westerners, is an open and growing protest against these undemocratic and selfish regimes.
In order to understand fully the context of the tragedy of Zainab al-Ghazali, one must have an overview of, first, the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) Organization; and second, the political and social conditions during which this important organization was founded.
The Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) was founded by Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) in the Egyptian town of al-Isma’iliyyah in 1928. The son of an Azharite scholar, who earned his livelihood by repairing watches, Hasan al-Banna showed from his early school-days an inclination and great zeal for calling people to Islamic values and traditions. His strong sense of religiosity and spiritual awareness drove him to join the Hasafiyyah tariqah, one of many Sufi tariqahs that were widespread in Egypt at that time. Even though he was not formally associated with this tariqah after he founded the Ikhwan, he, nevertheless, maintained a good relation with it, as indeed with other Islamic organizations and religious personalities, and persisted in reciting the litanies (awrad, pl. of wird) of this tariqah until his last days.
Though Hasan al-Banna joined a modern-type school of education, he promised his father that he would continue to memorize the Qur’an, which he did, in fact later, at the age of twelve. While at school, he took part in the activities of some religious associations and clubs which were promoting, and calling for, the observance of Islamic teachings. He also formed, while still at school, an association for the enjoining of good and forbidding of evil.
After finishing school, Hasan al-Banna joined Dar al-Mu’allimin in Damanhur, in 1920, and then went to Dar al-’Ulum in 1923 where he graduated in 1927 as a primary school teacher. He was then assigned to a teaching post in al-Isma’iliyyah.
Hasan al-Banna developed the habit of delivering speeches and organizing study circles in the Mosque near his residence. He used to convey to the people his deep sense of disenchantment with the state of the Muslim ummah, and the failure of the religious authorities, in particular al-Azhar University, to redress the status quo. He also expressed doubts about the prevailing political system, and the betrayal by most politicians of the values and principles of the Muslim nation. A group of young workers, who used to attend these speeches and study circles, were so impressed by his comprehensive approach to Islam, his diagnosis of the ills of Muslim society and the cures which he suggested, that they convinced him to form an organization which would take as its mission the revival of Islam. It was a humble beginning, but the speed with which the group grew in the span of just a few years reflected the centuries of Muslims’ discontent vis-à-vis what was taking place in their society.
The formation of the Ikhwan took place four years after the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate, the last symbol of Muslim strength and dignity. However, the signs of decay and degeneration of Egyptian society appeared centuries before, with Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha’s reforms, even though the reign of the latter and the subsequent deviations which came with it, were only logical ends to the deviations which preceded his reign.
The formation of the Ikhwan was no ordinary event. Had it been so, it would not have stirred Egyptian society, and indeed those of many other Muslim countries, the way it did. There were, at the beginning of this century, and subsequently, scores of Islamic associations, organizations and groups. There existed also different political parties. But the emergence of the Ikhwan was an extraordinary event. For out of the ruins of weakness, ideological doubts, still worse perversion to everything Islamic, emerged a group that advocated Islam in its entirety, without apology or complacency. This group was, as Hasan al-Banna pointed out in his Risalat al-Mu’tamar al-Khamis (Epistle of the Fifth Congress)1: (1) ‘a salafi message: for it calls for returning Islam to its pure sources, i.e. The Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger; (2) a Sunni path: for the Ikhwan oblige themselves to following the purified sunnah in all their deeds, especially in the domain of beliefs and acts of worship …; (3) a Sufi reality: for the Ikhwan know that the basis of righteousness is the purification of the soul, transparency of the heart, perseverance in work … and love for the sake of God …; (4) a political organization: for the Ikhwan demand the reform of political order from within and the revision of the relationship of the Muslim ummah with other nations … as well as teaching people and train them to raise their heads in pride and dignity …; (5) a sporting group: for the Ikhwan look after their bodies and know that a strong Muslim is better than a weak Muslim …; (6) a scientific and cultural league: for Islam makes the seeking of knowledge a religious duty …; (7) an economic enterprise: for Islam is interested in the acquiring of money and its use …; (8) a social endeavour: for the Ikhwan are interested in the ills of society and try to find ways for their cure …’ This comprehensiveness which Hasan al-Banna had in mind could have passed for a mere theoretical, idealist manifesto similar to countless other manifestos and declarations made by many organizations and religious or political personalities. But he did, in fact, turn all that he had in mind into a living reality. He surprised Egypt and the Muslim world with his leadership genius, though he was certainly more than a great leader. He left a lasting and positive mark on everyone he met. And this is perhaps why the Ikhwan gathered into its fold people with inclinations, interests and backgrounds which would have otherwise appeared impossible to reconcile. The other interesting characteristic about Hasan al-Banna is that he was wholeheartedly involved in what he was doing and he sacrificed everything for what he believed in. He built a strong and sound nucleus of believing men and women on whom the whole Islamic project would stand.
With Hasan al-Banna and the group he founded the bitter rivalry and conflict between the two main religious currents in Egypt at that time, namely the Salafist movement and the Sufi brotherhoods, was resolved once and for all. Al-Azhar, which had a monopoly over Islamic thought through its institutions and networks, was challenged with a new thought which restored to Islam its holistic stature.
In al-Isma’iliyyah, Hasan al-Banna started building the institutions of the Ikhwan which included a mosque, general headquarters, Hira’ Islamic institution and Umahat al-Mu’minin school for ladies. From these institutions and places of learning the Ikhwan message spread to neighbouring cities and villages.
Hasan al-Banna moved, in 1932, to Cairo, and with him the Ikhwan headquarters moved too. It was from Cairo that the message of the Ikhwan finally spread to the whole of Egypt.
In order that the voice of the Ikhwan al-Muslimun should be heard loudly and unequivocally, Hasan al-Banna published two journals, the weekly al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun and al-Nazir (the Warner). In these journals Hasan al-Banna published some of his small treatises and epistles, though his main concern was not writing books but building good Muslim characters.
As the Ikhwan organization became stronger, Hasan al-Banna showed his determination to bring about changes in society. He opened a bureau for community aid and a housing association. He established enterprises of which the most important components were: the Islamic dealings enterprise