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Holi da y Rul es
Holi da y Rul es

Al-Sayyid Jamal Al-Din’s Political Philosophy

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Soffar, Professor of Political Science at FEPS

Translated by : Nadeen Hesham

In the 11th issue of Al-Urwah Al-Wuthqa (The Firmest Bond) behavior is motivated by the quest for dignity and stature, to a
journal, which was published on 19th June 1884 from Paris far greater extent than any material or economic motive.
where Al-Sayyid Jamal Al-Din was editing this journal with Hence, the pleasure of honor and status is the highest form of
the help of his Egyptian student Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, pleasure for man; any other kind of pleasure falls beneath it
Al-Sayyid wrote a short article of not more than eight pages and is only instrumental to its achievement. Life itself is
whose title was two Quranic verses: “for no one loses hope in therefore merely a field that man crosses to reach the purpose
Allah ’s mercy except those with no faith ” and “Who would of glory.
despair of the mercy of their Lord except the misguided? ”
These two verses, in my opinion, sum up the topic of the After establishing for his readers the status of this divine
article, which is Al-Sayyid Jamal Al-Din ’s political formative rule and its power to direct human behavior, Al-
philosophy. This article is a concise and concentrated analysis Sayyid dives into the depths of the human psyche to arrive at
of political reality from a psychological Tawhidi perspective, the nature of glory, which Allah inspired man to seek, and
if I may put it this way. thus, the author does not leave us with a hollow, ringing
concept of glory. Al-Sayyid establishes and roots his
Al-Sayyid started this article, as he usually did in most of the perception in the depths of the human soul; and it is a
intellectual articles in Al-Urwah Al-Wuthqa, with a general perception built on patterns and rules. Glory, according to Al-
basis that is Allah ’s formative rule for his human creations. It Sayyid, is a condition where people accord and recognize an
is the deep-seated psychological motivation for humans to individual ’s honor and stature, thereby obeying him and
seek glory and high status; an individual seeks high status submitting to him and to all persons related to him such as his
among his people and a nation seeks high status among all relatives, clan and nation. Since the motivation to seek glory is
other nations. This innate drive of mankind, individually and innately central to man, he does not rest until people accord
collectively, is based on a divine care for humans as a species him what Jamal Al-Din calls Al-A ’alawiyah (superiority; state
above all other creatures. Notice here how Al-Sayyid of being on top), enduring unimaginable physical exhaustion,
represented this formative psychological imperative, both abstention from pleasure and confrontation of perils
individual and collective, as the embodiment of divine throughout this process.
kindness and grace towards human beings. Thus, the innately-
driven glory-seeker will overcome the obstacles and hardships Man ’s conviction that glory is his life ’s purpose leads him to
on his path and will keep walking until he reaches his purpose. belittle and demean this mortal life and care little if he were to
And if he were prevented from continuing his path, he would lose it for the sake of defending or seeking glory. Furthermore,
fidget restlessly as if he were walking on hot stones. Al-Sayyid arrives at a profound depth within the human soul
when he brilliantly distinguishes between glory, on one hand,
Al-Sayyid reached this formative rule and constant whose core is hope (as a guiding knowledge in trouble and a
psychological basis, not through Allah ’s written word, but motive that awakens one ’s determination) and wishfulness and
through His created one. Al-Sayyid sees that observing the lust, on the other. Hope, for Al-Sayyid, is a wish coupled with
deeds and circumstances of humans confirms that their work and pushing oneself to do what it does not like to do,

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