When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, he went out of his way to uphold and honour Islamic practices, symbols and beliefs. A prominent Egyptian historian, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti, documented this period extensively. According to Arnold Toynbee, he is “on a list of candidates for the distinction of ranking as leading historians of civilized society up to date1.” According to David Ayalon, he was a ‘giant among dwarfs’ when compared to his contemporary historians (Thompson 1995, 144). al-Jabarti believed Napoleon was insincere in his honouring of Islam. This essay will explore al-Jabarti’s book Tarikh Muddat al-Faransis bi-Misr (تاريخ مدة الفرنسيس بمصر) and its translation ‘Napoleon in Egypt’ by Shmuel Moreh in exploring this question. This paper will discuss al-Jabarti’s account of Napoleon paying homage to Islam and al-Jabarti’s criticism of such displays.
Acts of Honour Displayed by Napoleon
al-Jabarti documented Napoleon’s considerable homage to Islam during his voyage to Egypt. As French soldiers entered Egypt, they distributed a proclamation from Napoleon which began with the basmalah. This is a ubiquitous Islamic invocation which is recited before starting all actions in Islam. It then mentioned the first half of the Muslim creed, “There is no God but Allah. He has no partners.” He must have anticipated questions about his Catholic background because he also stated, ‘He has no son2.”
In this proclamation, Napoleon claims to serve God, Prophet Muhammad and the Glorious Qur’an more than the ruling Mamluks. He declared, ‘The French are also faithful Muslims’ and that they destroyed the Papal See and expelled the Knights of Malta because of their exhortations to make war with Islam. He also paid homage to the Ottoman Sultan in this proclamation and calls him a friend. The Muslim populace held affinity to the caliphate, so this also wins their favour3.
al-Jabarti also recounts an incident where Napoleon insisted that the Mawlid Nabawi must be celebrated. Upon being told that there aren’t enough funds, Napoleon donates 300 ‘riyāl farānsa’ to ensure the celebration takes place. He also took part in the festivities and joined a local Shaykh for dinner.4
al-Jabarti’s Criticism
Despite Napoleon’s demonstrating more consideration for Islam than other colonial conquerors, al-Jabarti maintained that Napoleon was insincere
He quoted Napoleon’s proclamation and dissected it. He criticized Napoleon’s usage of the Islamic creed of “There is no God but God” by mentioning that Napoleon does not believe in the second half of this creed.5 The second half of the creed is ‘and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
al-Jabarti takes issue with Napoleon claiming to revere Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Qur’an. He responds that a person who does not believe in the prophet nor the Qur’an cannot legitimately revere them.6
In some of Napoleon’s later proclamations, he begins ascribing his will and God’s will together. Al-Jabarti considers these to be similar to ‘claiming Mahdihood or prophethood’7. This is a strong accusation from an Islamic angle as Prophet Muhammad has been reported to say that there is no prophet after him8.
The following quote sums up al-Jabarti’s stance on Napoleon quite well. “So those people are opposed to both Christians and Muslims, and do not hold fast to any religion. You see that they are materialists, who deny all God’s attributes, the Hereafter and Resurrection, and who reject Prophethood and Messengership. They believe that the world was not created, and that the heavenly bodies and the occurrences of the Universe are influenced by the movement of the stars, and that nations appear and states decline, according to the nature of the conjunctions and the aspects of the moon.9”
Conclusion
al-Jabarti was not convinced by Napoleon’s attempts to win favour of the Ulama and the Muslim populace. His criticism transcended beyond mere diplomatic critique as throughout this treatise he calls him a liar and ridicules french culture. He criticized the Arabic of Napoleon’s proclamations and seems to be deeply offended by these false pretensions.
References:
- Al-Jabarti, ‘Abd Al-Rahman. “Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the First Seven Months of the French Occupation of Egypt, June–December, 1798.” In Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798, 17–118. Translated by Shmuel Moreh. Princeton & New York: Markus Wiener Publishing, 1993.
- Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Hadith 71 (1842a), “The Book on Government,” sunnah.com, https://sunnah.com/muslim:1842a.
- Thompson, Jason. Journal of World History 6, no. 1 (1995): 144–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20078629.
1Thompson 1995, 144
2 ‘Abd Al-Rahman al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798, trans. Shmuel Moreh, introduction by Robert L. Tignor (Princeton & New York: Markus Wiener Publishing, 1993), 25.
3 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 26.
4 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 51.
5 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 28.
6 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 31.
7 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 112.
8 Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Hadith 71 (1842a), “The Book on Government,” sunnah.com, https://sunnah.com/muslim:1842a.
9 Al-Jabarti, Napoleon in Egypt, 34.
Sheikh Abdullah Ayaz Mullanee is a scholar from the Greater Toronto Area. He is passionately involved in several initiatives around Toronto and is regularly invited to speak at youth and community based events. Shaykh Abdullah currently teaches at Khairul Ummah Academy and Mathabah Institute while conducting online classes for Lubab Academy’s Arabic Language program. He is also the editor in chief for ‘Bridging The Gap’, the official magazine for the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians.