Preaching and the epistemological enforcement of ‘ulamā’ authority: The sermons of Muhammad Mitwallī Sha'rāwī

Abstract

The changes that have taken place during the modern era have threatened the overall authority of the ‘ulamā’ as transmitters of knowledge. The ‘ulamā’ nevertheless retained their status by adapting their past discursive forms. Based upon interviews and content analysis, this study found that the ‘ulamā’ in Egypt continue to use the medium of preaching as a means of instructing the public. They still interpret the Qur’ān and ḥadīth to bring forth new responses, ones attuned to their particular environment. Additionally, ‘ulamā’ communications to the believing public have become the texts of suitability, which represent continuation and adaptation, or textual traditions melded with the present concerns of adherents. One Egyptian ‘ālim preacher, Muhammad Mitwallī Sha‘rāwī, relied on his authority as a man of knowledge engaged with the past Islamic interpretive understanding to demonstrate the necessity of the religious specialist in his sermons to the people. He needed to reiterate the necessity of his expertise because many social and political forces were threatening his authority during his lifetime.