Muhammad Mutwalli al-Shaʿrawi

1911 - 1998

Egyptian cleric.

Muhammad Mutwalli al-Shaʿrawi was born in Daqadus, Egypt, in 1911. He originally wanted to devote his career to farming, but his father encouraged him to study in Cairo. In 1937 he joined the faculty of Arabic language of al-Azhar. He was active in student politics and served time in jail. Shaʿrawi came to prominence as a cleric during the presidency of Anwar al-Sadat. He was famous for his utilization of modern media (television, audio-and videocassettes, pamphlets, and books) to disseminate his religious message. He was a firm believer in Islamic fundamentalism, but did not address political questions directly for fear of embarrassing his friend and protector, Sadat. He served as minister of Waqf from 1976 to 1978, but he was more famous for his televised religious sermons. As minister, he was behind the establishment of the Faysal Bank, the first Islamic bank in Egypt. Shaʿrawi never wavered from his loyalty to Sadat, which led his critics to accuse him of serving as the "sultan's cleric." Shaʿrawi has been credited (or blamed) for convincing a few well-known Egyptian actresses and singers - most famously, Shadya and Shams al-Barudi - to veil themselves and withdraw from show business.

Bibliography

Shaʿrawi, Muhammad Mutwalli. How Allah Provides. Cairo: Dar At-Taqwa, 1995.

— AS'AD ABUKHALIL