Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
Philosopher of Afghanistan; Sayyed Jamal al-din Afghan (Part 35)
The King’s Resentment Against Sayyed Jamal al-din
Instead of acting upon Sayyed Jamal al-din’s advice, the king took a grudge against him and opposed the reform programs of the honorable government. This situation caused instability in the country’s political atmosphere and stirred the people. Sayyed Jamal al-din was considered one of the greatest leaders and driving forces of these uprisings. Meanwhile, Tawfiq Pasha, encouraged by the French consulate and collaborating with Riyad Pasha, the Prime Minister, took measures to suppress the reformists.
He took the first step by imprisoning those who demanded a constitution and then tried to silence revolutionary movements through assassination and threats. As Brown writes in the book Al-Thawra al-Farisiyya (The Persian Revolution), the British government forced the young king to exile Sayyed Jamal al-din from Egypt. Thus, in August 1879 / 6 Ramadan 1296 AH, when Sayyed Jamal al-din was walking at midnight from the Matatia café towards his house, he was arrested by agents and taken to a detention center.
He spent the night among criminals and rowdy people and the next morning, together with his servant Abu Turab, was sent by a covered carriage (dabbah) to Suez; he did not even have the chance to change his clothes and was immediately deported to India by a passenger ship.
Government Propaganda Against Sayyed Jamal al-din
After Sayyed Jamal al-din’s exile, the Egyptian government issued an official declaration on August 26, 1879, through its press office, full of lies and slanders. In this declaration, Sayyed Jamal al-din was accused of atheism and hypocrisy, and his name was distorted as “Zilaluddin.” Egyptian newspapers were ordered to carry out extensive propaganda against him, portraying him as the leader of a secret group engaged in corruption in religion and the world.
Newspapers that disobeyed this order were censored; for example, one paper whose editor was a student of Sayyed Jamal al-din was shut down for this reason. The text of the declaration published in the Al-Ahram newspaper on August 28, 1879, was as follows:
“The government has learned that there is a secret society in Egypt consisting of dissolute youth that leads people into corruption in religious and worldly matters. The head of this group is a man named Jamal al-din Afghani who was previously exiled from his country and had corrupted the caliphate’s court. Therefore, the Egyptian government deemed it necessary to uproot this corruption and decided to exile him from Suez to Hejaz so that others would learn a lesson and not step into corruption.”
Sayyed Jamal al-din and His Legacy in Egypt
Although Sayyed Jamal al-din was exiled from Egypt, his teachings and students remained there, and the revolution he had ignited continued to burn in people’s hearts. His presence in Egypt served as a political and intellectual school for himself and the people of that country.
Sayyed taught his students that a real parliament has power only when it originates from the will of the people; if it is established by the king or foreign powers, its power is illusory and short-lived. He believed that history had not shown any king who voluntarily gave up power so that the nation could govern its own destiny. The greatest wish of oppressed nations is to be freed from foreign domination and despotic regimes.
Sayyed Jamal al-din’s Students and Continuing His Path
After Sayyed Jamal al-din’s exile, his students continued his path. When Muhammad Abduh was exiled to his hometown and Egypt’s political atmosphere became tense, scholars rose and requested the Sheikh al-Islam, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, to issue a fatwa declaring Tawfiq Pasha unfit for the throne. During this period, Mouelhi, Attar, and Razi encouraged the National Assembly representatives to struggle for drafting a constitution, while Abdullah Nadim’s fiery speeches invited people to protest foreign interference.
Dr. Ali Hadidi writes that Sayyed Jamal al-din nurtured each of his students so that they could spread his ideas in the future. One of these students, Abdullah Nadim, a skilled preacher and orator, was deeply influenced by Sayyed. Sayyed treated him as if aware of his future, knowing he would become Egypt’s first revolutionary preacher calling people to freedom.
Nadim regularly attended Sayyed Jamal al-din’s lessons for four years without interruption; after daily classes, he would immediately rush to his teacher’s presence and follow him like a shadow. He understood his teacher’s lessons well and applied them in his speeches and writings. Thus, Sayyed Jamal al-din’s ideas took root not only in his students’ hearts but also became a revolution that mobilized the people of Egypt.
The Start of the Urabi Revolution and Sayyed Jamal al-din
It was he who inspired Urabi and his military brothers to rise against tyranny and oppression, so the nation could act and engage in a sincere full-scale revolution against internal despotism and foreign interference. Historians unanimously agree that at the core and axis of this revolution was Sayyed Jamal al-din, the first to spread the call for freedom everywhere.
This revolution triggered reform within the military forces, freeing Egyptian officers from the control and dominance of Circassian Turks. The movement became Islamic and revolutionary, embodying the nation’s aspirations, voicing the people’s demands against foreign interference, financial crisis, lack of freedom, and the violation of human dignity. These pains and hopes spread like lightning, taking a clear form. The revolution worked and struggled to realize them, beginning with military reform and demanding life under the rule of law.
Sayyed Jamal al-din’s Response to Threats and Hardships
Jamal al-din resided in Hyderabad, where his residence was previously established. Before news of the Urabi revolution had spread across India, signs of a similar revolution appeared in India. Therefore, authorities transferred him from Hyderabad to Calcutta and compelled him to live there under strict supervision. Sayyed spent seven months in ignorance and against his will.
Later, the British released him, which coincided with their occupation of Egypt. The Urabi revolution failed due to conspiracies, foreign plans, reliance on foreign countries, and Ottoman indifference. The British allowed Sayyed to travel anywhere except Islamic countries, fearing that his presence might disrupt British plans in the Middle East.
Continues…
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