INTRODUCTION:

(N.B.: This is the introduction we have written to the first, and last, paper edition of this book.)

1- The Arab conquest of Egypt was never a mere raid for looting, typical of Arabian tribes before and after Islam in Arabia, as Arabs intended to use deceitfully the banner of 'Islam' to unify the warring tribes into one endeavor masterminded by the Umayyads who controlled events from behind a curtain: to form a firmly established Arab Empire led and headed only by the Qorayish tribe, with Arabs settling in the conquered countries they ruled to enjoy its treasures. By the way, Arabs before the advent of Islam (i.e., the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad) used to raid south of Iraq and the Levant, for the sake of looting and never to settle there. This is unlike the Arab conquests that aimed to found a firmly established Arab Empire that would rule and settle in the conquered countries, leaving its imprint there in terms of culture, language, faith, history, etc. regionally and within the ancient world at the time. In addition, the Arab conquerors raised the banner of 'Islam' and manipulated the name of the new faith to unite all Arabian people into one dream: to conquer and rule most of the ancient world known at the time. Despite the fact that Islam is innocent of the crime of conquering other nations, raising the name of religion in the banners of such military actions was the main factor that allowed Arabs (especially of Qorayish) to get so ambitious as to desire to rule over all the countries they had conquered, and among such countries was, of course, Egypt.      

2- The Arab conquest of Egypt had its political aspect of change; Egypt turned from being part of the Byzantine Empire into part of the emerging Arab Empire that defeated the Byzantines before in the Levant and conquered the whole Levantine region, causing the Byzantines to flee into Egypt, but Arabs chased them out of Egypt as well later on. After the Arab conquest, Egypt continued to play its typical major political and strategic role during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, and this role increased in magnitude and importance during the Fatimid dynasty rule of Egypt and the dynasties that followed it inside Egypt. The religious and cultural aspect of the influence of Arab conquest on Egypt was primarily turning most Egyptians, gradually through the centuries, from being Coptic Christians into being Muhammadans (i.e., Shiites, Sufis, and Sunnites as well as Shiite Sufis and Sunnite Sufis that thought themselves to be 'Muslims'). Egypt has been deemed to be raising the banner of being an 'Islamic' country from the Middle Ages until the present moment.        

3- Egypt was conquered by Arabs in 640 A.D., and before this Arab conquest, it had a very long, glorious, and eventful history of about 50 centuries. Indeed, it is a very well-known incontestable fact worldwide now that human history began in Egypt, the one great nation where the dawn of civilization emerged. Ancient Egyptians were the first humans to know and practice settling by river banks, agriculture and cultivation of lands, forming a State, the idea of religion, establishing civilizations, the art of writing, political systems, many forms of art, architecture, forming and training armies, etc. Indeed, it is very well-known now that prehistory Ancient Egyptians had established elevated, refined, grand, and highly sophisticated civilizations, within many cities and governorates along the fertile River Nile Valley, but the whole land of Egypt (i.e. the Lower Egypt and the Upper Egypt that were two separate kingdoms) was unified by Menes (or Narmer), the pharaoh of the early dynastic period who found the very first Pharaonic dynasty, with Memphis as its capital, in circa 3200 B.C. and before the Arab conquest by about 3840 years. Before the Arab conquest of Egypt, 30 Pharaonic dynasties, that included tens of pharaohs, ruled Egypt within three stages divided by historians (the Old Era, the Middle Era, and the New Era), and this Pharaonic rule ended upon the Persian conquest of Egypt in 525 B.C., and later on, the Greeks conquered Egypt in 332 B.C. The Romans conquered Egypt in 30 B.C., and later on the Byzantine Empire (of the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital was Constantinople) reigned over Egypt until it was conquered by Arabs in 642 A.D. We know then that the Arab conquest was not the very first conquest of Egypt: the Hyksos were the very first conquerors of Egypt and reigned over it for about 100 years, until a Pharaonic dynasty liberated Egypt from them, chasing them away to the deserts beyond Sinai, and restored Egypt to the Egyptians, and then Egypt was conquered in later eras by the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and ruled by the Byzantines until the Arab conquest. To what extent had the Arab conquest of Egypt influenced its political strategy? This is the pivotal question that we tackle in CHAPTER I of this book. Egypt before the Arab conquest had witnessed and submitted to so many civilized and barbarian conquerors from the East and the West; yet, before such conquests took place, Egypt had firmly established its peerless civilization, dominant culture, and most ancient form of religion throughout the stages of its millennia-old history, and the main factor that helped such firm foundation is the relative isolation of Egyptians in the River Nile Valley within stability, security, safety, and plentiful crops, while deserts surrounded them from the East and the West, thus making the strong attachment to one's land that made the Ancient Egyptian civilization flourish, crystalizing in the process the unique character and unparalleled traits and features of Egypt and Egyptians, apart from other emerging civilizations elsewhere that were influenced by the presence and weight of Egypt. Such long heritage of the matchless Egyptian civilization made Egyptians influence – and not to be influenced by – the conquerors, who were in fact amazed and inspired by Egypt. Thus, Egypt had Egyptianized any new trends brought into it by civilized and barbarian conquerors. For instance, the barbaric Hyksos used to worship the Egyptian gods and imitated the pharaohs and Egyptian lifestyle. Alexander the Great, the cultured man and ruler who studied philosophy, decided to go himself to the temple of Amon in Siwa oasis to be proclaimed as a son of Amon, thus submitting to the Egyptian traditions, and the Ptolemaic rulers followed his footsteps and adopted Pharaonic/Egyptian customs and religious values more than the Greek ones. The Arab conquest introduced gradually a new religion that contradicts the real character of the Egyptian civilization and ancient religion of the Egyptians. To what extent had the Arab conquest of Egypt, that brought a new religion, influenced the character of Egypt? To what extent had the element of Egyptianization influenced the qualities of religiosity and the religious aspect in Egyptians' lifestyle and features? These are the questions that we tackle in CHAPTER II of this book.

4- Of course, the Arab conquest of Egypt and of other countries was never an ordinary event in world history, in terms of the military, political, and religious aspects; Arabs put an end to the Persian and Byzantines empires and the Arab Empire borders reached between the Pyrenees Mountains in south of France and the China Great Wall in a very short time unparalleled in history. As for the religious aspect, the conquered nations in three continents got the chance to know about the Quranic and monotheism, and the Quran became for them the criterion to judge what was right and wrong, just and unjust, as far as rulers were concerned even if they had hidden their crimes. Thus, the unprecedented Arab conquest of Egypt that had influenced the character of Egypt in many aspects (until now) and made Egypt have its influence and imprint on the faith notions of the Arab Muhammadans (and on Christianity/Christians and Judaism/Jews before) is a topic that whets the appetite of a historical researcher to examine this mutual influence, because the Egyptian heritage and civilization of more than 3840 years before the Arab conquest were based on religious notions that contradict Islam, and when know that Egyptians used to Egyptianize any new religion, trend, notion, and culture that came from outside Egyptian soil. We know as well that the 14-century Arab Era (until now) in Egypt is less than one-third of the millennia-long Egyptian civilization and existence. To what extent the Arab conquest had been a major event that has influenced the character of Egypt, bearing the factor of Egyptianization in our mind? This is the central question that we attempt to answer in this book. This topic, of course, is difficult and filled with thorny, controversial issues, and we do not claim that our book is to be described as perfect or infallible; yet, this will not impede us from trying to reach and verify the truth as much as possible, even if some readers might think that we have made few mistakes in this book. Allah says in the Quran: "..."Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear; and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord and Master, so help us against the disbelieving people." (2:286).

Signature:

Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour

1984, Cairo, Egypt