Saints, Impostors and Believers in Egypt

Mahmud Taymur's 'The Saint' and its Historical Context

Abstract

Mahmud Taymur, an outstanding writer of ،The Modem School’ literary group in Egypt, depicts in his story ،The Saint’ the sacred ritual surrounding a holy sheikh, from whom pilgrims ask for miraculous healing. During the 19205 this was a common theme in his work and in that of other writers of ،The Modem School’, who often dealt with popular Islam and the worship of saints. This article presents a Hebrew translation of the story, followed by a discussion of its historical and intellectual context: the biography of Mahmud Taymur, the agenda of ،The Modem School’ artists, and the political and cultural atmosphere in Egypt during the first half of the 20th century. The discussion reveals the complex meaning of the portrayals of popular Islamic rituals found in this story and in other literary works. Writing about popular Islam enabled the author to describe the culture of the lower strata and the peasantry, which he considered representatives of an authentic Egyptian culture, but also to criticize corruption in these religious circles. Furthermore, engaging Egyptian-Islamic themes in a Western genre - the short story - enabled the writer to establish his unique and authentic cultural stance, and to protest against Western colonialism despite his admiration of Western culture. Finally, TaymOr - the son of a foreign upper-class family - hoped to reach a wider readership while affirming his own Egyptian nationality.