By Khaled Dawoud Nearly a million people packed the streets of Daqadous on 17 June, grieving for the man they considered something of a saint. Many people lining the funeral procession in Sheikh Mohamed Metwalli Shaarawi's home village, in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya, tried to get close enough to touch his coffin, believing that his blessings would somehow be imparted to them. The following day, thousands of people jammed Hussein Square in Fatimid Cairo where Al-Azhar Mosque had erected a huge marquee to receive callers wishing to offer condolences. Mourners included Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri, Pope Shenoudah III of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and nearly all cabinet ministers and opposition leaders. And, there were the masses of devout followers who venerated the sheikh like no other. The 87-year-old Shaarawi, an Al-Azhar graduate, enjoyed unprecedented popularity which earned him the title "preacher of the century." He was highly effective in using television as a medium to propagate his religious views. He had a unique style of interpreting the Qur'an that endeared him to the hearts of millions by using simple language to expound complex meanings. But the simple, colloquial dialect was not his only tool. Seated on a high chair in the middle of a sprawling hall inside Al-Azhar Mosque, Shaarawi also used body language and facial expressions to convey his meaning to the hundreds who sat around him. He would ask his listeners to fill in the blanks of sentences or Qur'anic verses he had said or read out to make sure they were paying attention. Shaarawi did not describe his style as interpreting the Qur'an, but rather as his own "reflections" and understanding of the holy book. Time and again, Shaarawi would proudly proclaim that, for the past 50 years, he had stopped reading all books save the Qur'an. Born in April 1911, Shaarawi received his primary education at the village's kuttab, the traditional way of teaching at the time whereby a mosque preacher would gather children around him and ask them to learn by heart verses of the Qur'an. Children were also taught Arabic grammar and basic mathematics: how to add, multiply and divide. A stick in the preacher's hand was always at the ready if a child failed to answer a question or was found not paying attention. Usually, as Shaarawi recounted in his memoirs, poor children who could not afford to pay the preacher the full amount, were hit the most. Shaarawi later went to Al-Azhar schools, graduating from the Faculty of Arabic Studies in 1941. He received a special teaching certificate from Al-Azhar in 1948 and commuted between Tanta, Zaqaziq and Alexandria, where he taught Arabic grammar and literature. He was such a master of the Arabic language that he became known for his ability to improvise poetry on the spot on special occasions. In 1950, Shaarawi began lecturing at King Abdel-Aziz University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a move which had a strong influence on his future career, religious views and charity activities. In 1960, he returned to Egypt where he held several posts at the Ministry of Al-Awqaf [religious endowments] and Al-Azhar. In 1966 he travelled again, this time to Algeria, to preach. Shaarawi's rise to fame began after the death of President Gamal Abdel-Nasser. Nasser's successor, Anwar El-Sadat, sought to curb the influence of his leftist and Nasserist opponents, thereby encouraging the activities of political Islamist groups as well as preachers like Shaarawi, who stunned many Egyptians a few years ago by confiding that he had offered a special prayer of thanks to God for the June 1967 defeat at Israel's hands. "[The defeat] came about "because we threw ourselves into the arms of communist Russia... so we were hit on the head and defeated. The defeat was a correction sent from heaven for mistakes made on earth," Shaarawi said. In 1976, Shaarawi was called to Cairo from Saudi Arabia, where he was doing second stint of teaching at King Abdel-Aziz University, to take over as minister of Al-Awqaf. His acceptance of the post led critics from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other militant organisations to brand him a "government preacher." Shaarawi strongly defended Sadat in the face of growing opposition from Islamist groups, particularly after the president visited Israel in 1977 and acted to develop stronger relations with the United States. In a recent interview, Shaarawi said that he had always believed that the role of an Islamic preacher was "to provide advice" and not to take action, which, he added, should be left up to the country's ruler alone who is accountable before God. Shaarawi's popularity made him almost impervious to criticism and only a few, mostly leftists, dared challenge his religious views. Shaarawi did not respond to his critics personally, leaving the task to his legion of supporters, including several prominent writers. Shaarawi's views often clashed with those of proponents of science and rationality. He opposed organ transplants, arguing that the human body was a gift from God which should not just be used as man sees fit. He said that donating human organs was tantamount to opposing God's will by seeking to make a human being live longer than he or she is destined to. He was against women working, insisting that "home is the right place for women to look after their children." Once, Shaarawi picked the wrong horse. He supported private investors who, in the early 1980s claimed they were establishing a new "Islamic economy" through so-called Islamic money investment companies. But the saving schemes were dubious and later collapsed. Thousands of Egyptians lost their life-savings. But Egyptians were willing to forgive the sheikh's poor judgment, focusing instead on his Friday sermons -- and benevolence. He headed a series of charity activities through which he donated nearly LE6 million, according to family sources. His biggest single contribution was to building Al-Shaarawi Medical Complex and a mosque in Daqadous. He would order the slaughtering of at least 10 sheep and cattle a day, distributing the meat to the needy and patients in government-run hospitals, family sources added. His health deteriorating -- he suffered from respiratory problems -- Shaarawi insisted on continuing to involve himself in public affairs until shortly before his death. He initially opposed a new law introduced last month by Tantawi reducing the four-year programme at Azharite secondary schools to three years. But he later reversed his position following a visit by Tantawi, accompanied by the minister of Al-Awqaf and the head of Al-Azhar University, to explain the changes. Both opponents and proponents of the law, aware of Shaarawi's massive popularity, were certain that his support was essential in the battle to sway public opinion.
