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Foreword

From time immemorial, Egypt has been a cradle of civilization. Its value and prestige was enhanced when Islam came to this land in the first century of Hijrah. In the course of the last 14 centuries Egypt has witnessed the rise and fall of several Islamic dynasties, and the emergence of colonialism and foreign domination, resulting in the destruction of many Islamic monuments and manifestations of Islamic history and culture. The establishment of the Ikhwan al-Muslimun or the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ in 1928 ushered in a new era of Islamic revival and hope of liberation for the people of Egypt. However, people with vested interests in and outside Egypt could not tolerate the rise of Islam once again which in a way heralded the death of the colonial legacy and an end to the corruption and nepotism that plagued the top as well as lower ranks of the Egyptian government. Therefore, in 1949, the Supreme Guide of the movement Hasan al-Banna was assassinated, and the whole leadership of the Ikhwan rounded up and eliminated by imprisonment, torture, assassination and exile. Its top leaders, like ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Awdah, Muhammad Farghali, and later on Sayyid Qutb and Yusuf Hawash, were hanged and many innocent followers were incarcerated in Nasir’s prisons. The humiliation, torture and persecution inflicted upon thousands of innocent and defenceless people by their co-religionists is a dark chapter in the modern history of Egypt. The new Muslim rulers surpassed their colonial masters in their savagery and brutality. All this was because the Ikhwan and its followers wanted to restore the supremacy and glory of Islam for both themselves and for the people of Egypt.

One of the outstanding leaders of the Islamic movement of Egypt and the pace-setter of courage, piety and dedication to Islam, Zainab al-Ghazali, was a victim of this savagery and inhuman persecution. Her perseverance for the cause of Islam, her patience in the face of all kinds of affliction and persecution, her steadfastness in resisting all temptations and worldly persuasions, her courage in the face of unimaginable odds and her many qualities of head and heart remind us of the life and time of many of the Companions of the Prophet and virtuous people in earlier generations of Muslim history. Islam has produced such outstanding figures in all periods of history who not only fought the forces of evil with great courage and fortitude but also left a shining example for posterity of how to combat the forces of Jahiliyyah and Taghut and restore the glory of Islam.

In Islamic history ladies have not lagged behind in the struggle to establish truth and eradicate falsehood, to uphold Islamic values and principles, and for that matter establish Islam as a living, thriving and forward-looking religion. Zainab al-Ghazali is no exception. Although now 77 years of age and in fragile health, she is young in heart and continues to inspire young and old alike by her powerful speeches and persuasive and lucid writings.

The present book, a kind of autobiographical study highlighting the painful events of her imprisonment, is a landmark in the annals of prison memoirs and a source of inspiration and guidance for millions of people who want to see Islam thrive and flourish as a world religion, as a viable new world order and as a source of peace and happiness for all mankind. The shameful way in which Zainab al-Ghazali, a helpless lady was humiliated, persecuted and physically assaulted by the soldiers, investigators and prison officials of President Nasir defies description and imagination. Torture of criminals and hard labour for convicts are known to many people in the Third World and perhaps in the civilized world, but the type of savagery and brutality that was unashamedly unleashed on this defenceless and virtuous lady is beyond imagination. Not only human beings but ferocious dogs, serpents and mice were used to inflict ingenious forms of torture, not on a criminal, but on a lady who is, by all accounts, an embodiment of virtue, piety and modesty. Can any member of the civilized world imagine such despicable behaviour from government officials being perpetrated on their own civilians?

Zainab al-Ghazali is such a towering personality who stood like a rock, successfully thwarting mighty waves of torture and temptation. No amount of persecution and persuasion could weaken her faith and resolve in Islam. On the contrary, her determination to establish Islam as a complete code of life (din) not only in Egypt but all over the Muslim world increased manifold. The conversation which she had with her husband prior to her arrest by Nasir’s secret police, reminding her beloved husband of the pledge he had made to her before their marriage, is a fine example of devotion to Islam and the height of commitment for the supremacy of Islam.

‘… let trust’, she said, ‘be full between us. A full trust between a man and a woman, a woman who, at the age of 18, gave her whole life to Allah and da’wah. In the event of any clash between the marriage contract’s interest and that of da’wah, our marriage will end, but da’wah will always remain rooted in me … I know that it is your right to command me and that it is my duty to obey you, but God in our souls is greater than our souls, and His da’wah is dearer to us than ourselves …’ [emphasis ours]

The horrors of the torture cells where Zainab al-Ghazali and many male and female members of the Muslim Brotherhood were brutally persecuted are so painful to read about, which not only bring tears to the eyes but generate anger and revulsion for Nasir and his administration.

Zainab al-Ghazali’s life, sacrifices and achievements have been discussed by both Muslim and non-Muslim writers and continue to be a topic of research in the academic institutions of the world.¹ The present prison memoir has been translated into several languages including Urdu, Bengali and English. The English translation produced from India needed many revisions and improvements. I am glad that my colleague Mokrane Guezzou undertook this task of re-translating the book from the Arabic original and make it accessible to many admirers of Zainab al-Ghazali in the East and the West. I am sure this will be a fascinating and inspiring book to read and will give a fresh insight into the history of the Ikhwan and its struggle against a so-called Muslim government bent upon eradicating Islam and foisting upon Egypt a foreign ideology whose demise in recent years in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has been witnessed by the world at large. I am grateful to Miss Susanne Thackray and Mr. Eric R. Fox for the careful editing and reading of the manuscript. We are especially grateful to the author Zainab al-Ghazali for giving us permission to translate and publish this book from the Foundation. May Allah reward all those associated with the production of this book and accept it as a humble contribution to the field of Islamic literature in English.

9 Safar 1415	M. Manazir Ahsan
19 July 1994	Director General

Note

1. Among Western writers on this author, see Valerie J. Hoffman, ‘An Islamic Activist: Zaynab al-Ghazali’ in Elizabeth W. Fernea (ed.), Women and the Family in the Middle East: New Voices of Change, Austin, Texas U.P., 1985; and Miriam Cooke, ‘Zaynab al-Ghazali: Saint or Subversive?’, Die Welt des Islams, Vol. 34, No. 1, April 1994, pp.1-20.