What 'Isa ibn Hisham Told Us. Muhammad al-Muwaylihi

إلى شدة ومن ويل إلى ويل فسلمت وصبرت ولكن لا صبر لي على هذه الخارقة فما أعظم الفاجعة وأشد النازلة، فَنِيَ مني الصبر ومن لي بفناء القبر.

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: The Pāshā heard what I had to say and reluctantly accepted the decree of fate. We duly accompanied the Policeman until we reached the Register of Convictions and Substantiation of Identity. There the Pāshā endured enough identity procedures to give anyone heart failure and turn his hair white. They stripped him of his clothes, examined him limb by limb, measured his face and body, stared into his eyes, and did all kinds of things to him. He just kept sighing deeply until they had finished with him. They asked about bail and discovered that he had none because the Adjutant—God curse him!—had refused to accept the verification of his bail which the Shaykh of the Quarter had provided, so that he could legally keep him in prison for the night.

      With that, they sent us over to the Parquet with the Policeman. When we entered, we found the Parquet Attorney with a load of cases on his hands and hordes of litigants waiting their turn. So we went over to one side to wait our turn as well. My companion turned to me.

      Pāshā Where are we now? Who’s this young fellow? What’s this mob of people?

      ʿĪsā We’re in the Parquet office. This man’s a member of the Parquet, and all these people are litigants.

      Pāshā What is this “Parquet?”

      ʿĪsā In this new legal system, it’s the judicial authority responsible for bringing criminal charges against offenders, acting on behalf of society. It was introduced so that no crime should go unpunished. Its duties are to uphold the truth and prove the guilt of the guilty and the innocence of the innocent.

      Pāshā What is this “society” on whose behalf it acts as deputy?

      ʿĪsā The people as a whole.

      Pāshā Who is this mighty person whom the people agree to act as their deputy?

      ʿĪsā The man you see in front of you is not a man of enormous importance. He’s just a peasant’s son whose father has sent him to schools where he’s obtained the certificate. He’s thus entitled to act as an attorney of the Parquet. His authority to deal with people covers matters of homicide, property, and finance.

      Pāshā In God’s eyes the martyr has an exalted status; in heaven, he occupies the very highest position.³¹ But you seem to have lost your mind! How can you suppose that martyrdom in the way of God and life here on earth can both apply to one man at the same time? What is even stranger and more confusing is that a peasant can have authority over people, and a farmer is the community’s deputy! I’ve gone from one misfortune to another but still remained calm and patient. But I can’t do so any longer in the face of this incredible state of affairs. What an utter disaster! What a terrible catastrophe! I’ve no patience left. Will someone help me return to the oblivion of the grave?

      ٥،٣3.5

      عيسى بن هشام اعلم أنّ هذه الشهادة ليست شهادة الجهاد بل هي ورقة يأخذها التلميذ في نهاية دروسه ليثبت بها أنه تلقى العلوم وبرع فيها وقيمتها لمن يرغبها ألف وخمسمائة فرنك.

      الباشا مه مه، كأنك تريد الإجازة التي يجيزها علماء الأزهر لمن حضر عليهم العلوم من الطلبة وفاق فيها. ولكننا ما سمعنا في دهرنا بهذه الأثمان وما عهدنا أنّ الأزهر الشريف يتعامل بالفرنكات.

      عيسى بن هشام ما هذه العلوم بعلوم الأزهر ولكنها علوم افرنكية يتلقونها في بلاد الإفرنج والفرنك عملة تلك البلاد وتلك القيمة يقال لها رسم الشهادة وهي لا تذكر بالنسبة إلى فوائدها فإنّ القاعدة في هذا النظام «إنّ الشهادة بلا علم خير من العلم بلا شهادة» وصاحبها إذا قدمها للحكومة يكون له الحق في الاستيلاء على مرتب وظيفة شهري يزيد على الدوام ويرقى.

      الباشا الآن كدت أفهم. أظنها مثل أوراق الالتزام وسراكي الروزنامجة في حكمنا.

      ʿĪsā You must realize that this “certificate” does not mean the same thing as martyrdom in holy war. It’s a piece of paper received by students at the end of their studies to confirm that they have studied and achieved excellence in the various branches of learning. Sometimes people who want to get one have to pay one thousand five hundred francs.

      Pāshā Oh, I see! You mean the certificate awarded by scholars at al-Azhar to the students who have studied with them and achieved distinction. But I never heard of such expenses in my time, nor have I heard of the noble al-Azhar dealing in francs.

      ʿĪsā The subjects they study are not the traditional al-Azhar ones, but Western ones which they learn in Europe. The franc is the French unit of currency, and they call that amount the fee for the certificate. It is a trifling sum when you bear in mind the many advantages it brings. In this system, the basic principle is that “a certificate without any learning is better than learning without any certificate.” Anyone with a certificate can present it to the government department and have the right to receive a salary and continuing increments.

      Pāshā I almost follow you now. I think this certificate corresponds to the tax-farm lists and ledgers of treasury officials in the time of our government.

      ٦،٣3.6

      قال عيسى بن هشام: وبينما نحن في هذا الحديث إذا بشابين رشيقين رقيقين أقبلا يخطران في مشيتهما ويعبق الطيب من أردانهما، ويترنمان بالحديث بينهما، ولا يلتفتان إلى من حولهما، أحدهما يلاعب الجو بعصاه، والثاني تلعب بالنظارة يداه. فشخصت الأنظار، ووقفت الأبصار، والحاجب يدفع الناس من طريقهما حتى وصلا إلى الباب فأمر النائب بطرد من كان واقفًا بين يديه من أرباب القضايا والدعاوى واستمرّ الحاجب يسحبهم ويجرّهم وينهرهم ويسبهم والنائب يطوي المحاضر ويسد المحابر ويستعجل في فض الزحام وإخلاء المكان استعدادًا لاستقبال الشابين. وسألني الباشا