The early 20 th century witnessed significant social, political, and economic events in the history of Egypt, eliciting attention from various artists and authors across the world. Events such as the unity of the Egyptian people in the face of hostility from other nations and regions and the religious schism between the Muslims and Christians in the region were among the salient points of focus. Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Return of the Spirit is an enchanting comic novel that describes the events that unfolded in the early 20 th century Egypt between the 1918 flu pandemic and the 1919 Egyptian Revolution (Ḥakīm, 1990). The character flaws of the characters depicted in the novel highlight the snowballing occurrences of the Egyptian society, creating a perfect manifestation of themes such as the Christian-Muslim amity, the ancient heritages and potential greatness of the Egyptians, their unity, virtues in relation to other nations, and the hostility and exploitation by non-Egyptians.
Unity of the Egyptians
Religion and politics are depicted as the fabrics that hold Egyptian society together. As with other literary works and articles in early 19 th century Egypt, there is comparable emphasis on solidarity amongst the Egyptians. The focus on the Egyptian national solidarity that is entrenched in all societal and class lines among the people signifies how much they were fixated on a harmonious living. The 1919 Egyptian revolution, for example, is one of the watershed events in the nation’s history that signifies the heights of solidarity (O'connor & Reid, 2016). The uprising was staged following the oppression by the British colonizers. Although the oppression was the precipitator of the revolution, the unanimity of the heart was the forward propulsion that compelled the people to be resilient in their quest from freedom despite the intimidation from their oppressor. Besides the solidarity at the national level, the author also manifests the unity of the people in different aspects of their everyday life. These include the crowdedness of some of the Egyptian households and the gregariousness of the people in the public transport systems. Even in adverse circumstances, the Egyptians find a way demonstrating their happiness and solidarity. In the novel, Hakim describes how Muhsin insists on eating with the musical troupe instead of with the guests (Ḥakīm, 1990). While many people may tend to dwell and interact with the royal, the Egyptian people preferred to mingle with the common people as a show of solidarity.
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Christian-Muslim Amity
The Egyptian society is strongly founded on the Islam religion, with the Sunni Muslim community constituting the predominant religious group. Other minority religious groups are the Shia Muslims and the Coptic Orthodox Christians (Hansen, 2015). As an integral part of their social identity, Egyptians value, and uphold the constructs and practices of their religions indiscriminately. In The Return of the Spirit , the positive relationship between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority is manifested in how the Muslims perceive the Christians and vice versa. When a traditional Muslim asserts that Islam is the only absolute religion in the country, and that one is either Muslim or nothing, a fellow Muslim interjects by pointing out that Egyptian Christians and Egyptian Muslims bear a resemblance in that they both have a heart. In this regard, Christians and Muslims are considered brothers (Ḥakīm, 1990). Religion in the early 20 th century Egypt was equated to having a heart. Unlike the modernized western civilizations, ancient rural Egypt was traditional enough to have a heart. In the Egyptian’s view, the true meaning of Islam was hinged on how a person viewed and threated their neighbor, and not how they worshipped. While all the people perceived that it was important to be religious, secular humanism and one-dimensional religion were as dangerous as the lack of religion.
The unity of existence and Christian-Muslim amity in the novel is manifested in Muhsin’s vision in the cowshed. In the vision, Muhsin comprehends the unified duality of emotions and logic when his rival Mustafa struggles to decide whether to express his feelings to his beloved. This vision is a manifestation of the contradiction between the mind and the heart. In trying to decipher the vision, Muhsin experiences what he believes is a “feeling of God” (Ḥakīm, 1990). The idea of the co-existence between a secular Islamic pantheism and a secular Christianity is depicted. On a larger societal scale, the coexistence between these two religious factions is manifested in the everyday lives of the Egyptians. Despite the fact that western society is modernized, the westerners highly regard the uneducated Egyptians because they have a rich culture and heritage to inherit. The educated westerners, on the other hand, has no inheritable culture. The two thus have to merge and share their cultures and experiences to create a better society that will benefit both of them. By accommodating the Christian minority, the Egyptian Muslim majority are demonstrated their hospitality and virtuous nature in the spirit of nation-building and solidarity (Robinson, 2010). In the same light, the Christian minority freely interacted with and lived among the Muslims without the fear of oppression or feeling disenfranchised. It is this religious coexistence that set the precedence for the solidarity and the Egyptian Revolution.
There are certain aspects of the early 20 th century Egyptian beliefs and practices that depict the rich heritage and the potential greatness of the Egyptian people. Unlike most of the pre-modern societies, The Egyptians strongly believed in an all-inclusive society, uplifting and educating the women. The family was regarded as the microcosm of the nation, and thus, a lot of emphases were put on protecting and safeguarding the welfare of the family. In The Return of the Spirit , Zanuba’s decision to divert some of the food budgets to charlatans and magic was vehemently criticized. While her actions were as a result of the lack of education, the society vilified denying women education, perceiving it as a danger to the family and Islam at large (Ḥakīm, 1990). By emphasizing on empowering and educating the women, the Egyptians demonstrated a potential for greatness and superseding other nations. Women are regarded as the pillars of the family units, which in turn form the basic society and eventually the nation. Thus, strengthening these societal pillars equates to strengthening the nation. The rise of the early 20 th century Egypt can be attributed to the education and inclusivity accorded to women.
In conclusion, ancient Egypt was founded on the constructs of religion, solidarity, and women empowerment. These aspects are manifested in different ways in Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Return of the Spirit , which describes the captivating events of the early 20 th century Egypt. In the quest to drive out the colonial oppressors, the Egyptians united at every social level, building formidable bonds regardless of religious differences.
References
Ḥakīm, T. (1990). Return of the spirit: Tawfig al-Hakim's classic novel of the 1919 revolution: first complete English translation . Three Continents.
O'connor, D., & Reid, A. (2016). Ancient Egypt in Africa . Routledge.
Hansen, H. L. (2015). Christian-Muslim Relations in Egypt: Politics, Society and Interfaith Encounters . Bloomsbury Publishing.
Robinson, F. (Ed.). (2010). The New Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 5, The Islamic World in the Age of Western Dominance . Cambridge University Press.
