Religious Scholasticism, Sufism and National Politics in Egypt

The 'Illaysh and al-Qayati Families

Abstract

This article sketches a portrait of two 'ulama families in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, which illuminates the historic narrative about the religious establishment based at al-Azhar. Scholars tend to empha- size the marginalization of the 'ulama in the context of Egyptian state building and national cohesion during the 19th century. The 'ulama, in this view, abstained from active involvement in national politics and functioned as a religious rubber stamp for state policy or as a tool to discredit local and foreign rivals. By tracing the specific histories of the 'Illaysh and Qayati families, the article reveals a broad scope of the activity by Egyptian 'ulama in the period under discussion, namely, religious fervor and dissent that were translated into active involvement in key political events. Two examples of such events are the 'Urabi revolt of 1881-1882 and the 1919 anti-British revolt. The article also opens a window onto a multi-faceted world, of high and low culture, local-national identity alongside Islamic identity, and close interaction with other cultural centers in the region. Retrospectively, the main feature of Middle Eastern politics was, and remains, the politicization of Islam rather than its exclusion from the public domain. This development also ensured the perpetuation of the establishment 'ulama in the Egyptian nation-state.