BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK:

1- This book has been printed and published before in Cairo, Egypt, by Akhbar Al-Yom Press, in April, 1990, within a monthly series called Kitab Al-Yom, No. 306. It was never easy that this public, state-owned foundation like Akhbar Al-Yom would publish a book authored by ourselves; especially that printing and distribution circle of Akhbar Al-Yom Press was controlled by disciples of M. M. Al-Shaarawy (the most famous Wahabi Egyptian Azharite televangelist, imam, clergyman, and author who died in the late 1990s) led by Ahmed Zayn, as those disciples made lots of profits from reprinting many editions of books authored by Al-Shaarawy on interpreting the Quran, as Al-Shaarawy was a star in his gold age and whose power, authority, and wealth attracted many publishers and newspapers and magazines to publish his photos, statements, words of 'wisdom', fatwas, etc. At the time, Akhbar Al-Yom Press had the lion's share of publishing and printing many editions of books written by Al-Shaarawy. The Head Manager and Chairman of Akhbar Al-Yom Press and Akhbar Al-Yom Newspaper was a Coptic Christian man named Mr. Saeed Sonbol. His religious affiliation led him to leave religious affairs, books, articles, and topics printed by Akhbar Al-Yom Press and its newspaper to Ahmed Zayn, thus making him in charge of any religious material published in all publications of Akhbar Al-Yom Press books, magazines, and newspapers in sections and columns of religious thought. Ahmed Zayn controlled distribution and printing of published books tackling religious issues and topics. It was rumored at the time that Al-Shaarawy had waived his copyright as an author to his disciples in Akhbar Al-Yom Press; this caused them to fight any other religious thought that contradicts (or even that does not follow) that of Al-Shaarawy; let alone our school of thought (Quranism) that refutes Al-Shaarawy and his Wahabi thought using the Quranic text itself. Thus, an intellectual struggle of power and will took place inside Akhbar Al-Yom Press because of our book "Egypt in the Quran'' before it was actually published. The two adversaries/foes of that battle of opposing wills are two men: one good man representing the side of goodness and freedom of thought, Mr. Abdel-Warith Al-Disouky, and one evil man representing the side of obscurantist, fossilized Wahabi thought, Dr. Abdel-Moneim Al-Nimr, the former minister of religious endowments in Egypt.

2- Shortly before the first wave of arrest inflicted upon Quranists in Cairo, we were preaching in many mosques, moving from one pulpit to another, along with our fellow Quranists. Sunnite troublemakers typically chased us and caused as much trouble and problems as they could. Meanwhile, State Security Apparatus men were behind the scene, watching us closely, waiting for the orders to arrest us anytime. For nearly a year, we settled at one time at one mosque under construction in Zamalek District in Cairo, overlooking the Nile, to deliver the Quranist sermons of the Friday congregational prayers. This posh district was populated with upper-class citizens who are well educated and cultured. Among the frequenters of this mosque on Fridays was Mr. Al-Disouky. We did not get acquainted with him at the time, because we have not been accustomed to seek to know people; once we finished sermons prayers, we would return at once to our house in the Cairene (poor-class) Matariyya district. Months later, we settled in another mosque that Quranists had built in the Cairene (middle-class) Agouza District. Soon enough, Sunnite fanatics drove us out of it by force and occupied this mosque, aided by State Security Apparatus men, and we were arrested, along with some of our fellow Quranists in Dec. 1987. An article was written to defend us during our incarceration in Akhbar Al-Yom newspaper, and later on, the journalist/writer of this article wanted to meet us in 1989; he was Mr. Al-Disouky. Soon enough, we got to know that he used to listen to our Quranist sermons in Zamalek District and that he was a leading, famous journalist in Egypt, and his intellectual school of journalism trained many budding and promising journalists in the 1970s and the 1980s, but Mr. Al-Disouky always preferred to remain away from spotlights and the struggle for positions and stature as he never liked to obsequiously flatter political authority figures. He remained as a supervisor of editors in Akhbar Al-Yom and rarely wrote articles. Indeed. Mr. Al-Disouky witnessed many of his students get promoted and many became editors-in-chef to other newspapers, but he remained happy and content in his post and faithful to his philosophy in life, loved and respected by all as their God father because of his generous nature, his fatherly nurturing attitude, and his honesty, integrity, tolerance, and dignity. We met him in his office upon his request, and he gave us a column named "People's Opinion" to write as a freelancer in 1989. This column was stopped later on as we have been banned from writing in Akhbar Al-Yom by decrees issued from 'superior bodies' that controlled everything in Egypt during the Mubarak regime days. Later on, we knew that the head sheikh of Al-Azhar at the time, sheikh Gad Al-Haq, interfered to stop us from writing our column in the newspaper by filing a complaint against us at Superior State Security Police, because we have written an article proving, using the Quran, that interests of banks are permissible and not prohibited as Wahabis claimed at the time, whereas the Wahabi investment companies are prohibited as they are a fraudulent, swindling business to steal money of the gullible masses, but this is another painful story in our life. Mr. Al-Disouky gave us the chance to write a column every now and then, not on a regular basis, and we knew later on that he fought many battles inside Akhbar Al-Yom to make this available to us, as many opposed our writing in the newspaper. Our freelance articles were for free; we were not paid and we accepted this, and it was not expected that people controlling Akhbar Al-Yom would pay us when they condescendingly allowed Mr. Al-Disouky to publish our articles. People who were close to authority circles were paid handsomely for their meaningless pieces, whereas our articles calling for enlightenment and reform were never paid. We accepted this unfairness so that we dismantle obscurantist religious thought that oppose the Quran. We were very impecunious at the time, and our shabby clothes showed it, despite the rumors spread about us that we took large sums of money from 'outside' powers aiming to 'destroy' Islam! Mr. Al-Disouky (like a charitable father) realized how penniless we were, and he generously proposed a governmental post to us, but we refused politely, asserting that we need not any job that would hinder our reform endeavors. Indeed, he offered to give us remuneration from his own pocket but we refused politely again. As he wanted to help us financially by any possible way, we proposed to him an excellent idea; we would author a book to be published by Akhbar Al-Yom series of monthly books. Mr. Al-Disouky welcomed the idea very much but he advised us to choose a topic that would not stir any troubles against him or us. We chose the title "Egypt in the Quran", and he admired it immensely. We have written the book in one night, and we have given Mr. Al-Disouky a copy next day, and for his sake, we avoided controversial issues under this topic of this book, such as our deduction that Mount Al-Tur in Sinai (where Moses was talked to by God as per the Quran) was the real place/mosque to which Muhammad was carried in the Night-Journey, mentioned in the Quran in 17:1, to receive the whole of the Quran inside his heart at one time when he met arch-angel Gabriel. What we have decided not to mention has been added to this book that you are reading now. But at the time, have been careful so as not to cause any sort of troubles to Mr. Al-Disouky, and we have alleviated the tone of our book and diluted its writing style as much as possible. Yet, troubles did occur despite all this carefulness and cautiousness; days later, we heard about the battle inside Akhbar Al-Yom to stop our book from being printed and published, and our journalist Coptic friend Mr. Philip Gallab asserted this fact about such struggle/fight between Mr. Al-Disouky and his and our Wahabi foes, especially Dr. Al-Nimr. Inside Al-Hilal Magazine, Cairo, the journalist Ghoneim Abdou has written an article about the struggle inside Akhbar Al-Yom, and he criticized Dr. Al-Nimr who opposed a book about Egypt in the Quran, and so did Mr. Gallab in his article in Al-Ahaly newspaper, in his column called ''Secrets'', asserting that a famous Azharite sheikh (Dr. Al-Nimr) was behind stopping a book from being published, by the State-owned Akhbar Al-Yom Press, authored by a great Muslim Azharite thinker.                                        

3- Dr. Al-Nimr and the disciples of Al-Shaarawy, led by Ahmed Zayn, were the agents of evil who stood behind stopping our book titled ''Egypt in the Quran'' from getting published or a while, and the authority of Al-Shaarawy reinforced their tyranny.  We have discovered at the time that Dr. Al-Nimr hated us so much or a reason that we forgot all about, but he did not forget it; years before, there was a silent struggle between the dean of Al-Azhar University and his cronies on one side and Dr. Al-Nimr on the other side. Within stages of such ongoing struggle, we have been contacted by a third party to return to our post as an assistant professor in order to help 'reform' Al-Azhar University, but the real reason was to embarrass the dean and other personnel, as driving us to tender our resignation to end the persecution and inquisition-like interrogations was a grave error in terms of moralistic level and the legal level. The Al-Azhar Law stipulates that Azharite professors must undertake the mission to clarifying and elucidating facts of Islam to differentiate between facts and myths, and we did just that and was penalized for it, and we have been accused of defaming Al-Azhar by committing errors unfit for an Azharite scholar. Our persecutors were the ones who deserved this accusation because they hated innovative thinking and punished free thinkers like us who applied Al-Azhar law by assuming the role imposed by this law. They had inflicted upon us inquisition-like interrogation and stripped us from our financial rights and prevented us from teaching at Al-Azhar University. Indeed, they manipulated their authority to cause us as many troubles as possible as they hated us and our thought. the third party assured us that our victorious return to Al-Azhar University will make the case of our persecution be reopened to have our revenge against our previous persecutors. However, after deep thought, we refused to return; those who wanted us back do not share our faith (i.e., Quranism) and they wanted to use us as a tool to win their battle against another group for transient worldly gains; this would have been very insulting to our person. Dr. Al-Nimr was infuriated by our refusal to return to our post at Al-Azhar, and what infuriated him more was our refusal of the request of an Egyptian youth who was a journalist in a Gulf newspaper (named Al-Muslimoon, as far as we can remember) to who wanted us as a guest in a forum on Sunna and Azharite sheikhs (including Dr. Al-Nimr) would debate issues revolving around it with us. After months of negotiations, we adamantly refuse to travel to this Gulf State to attend such forum, because the journalist failed to guarantee that our statements will not be modified and changed upon writing about the forum in his newspaper. The Azharite sheikhs (including Dr. Al-Nimr)  felt furious because they wanted to get the large sums of money paid by this newspaper as remuneration to those who will participate in this forum, which was cancelled because of our refusal to attend it. the journalist told us that they cared not about the topic as much as they cared to get the money, and how they were disappointed as the forum got cancelled. They felt that we have arrogantly insulted them by not accepting to engage into a debate in a forum with them, and Dr. Al-Nimr sought to take revenge from us by stopping the publishing of our book at Akhbar Al-Yom Press.                           

4- Mr. Al-Disouky stood against the group of our and his foes, insisting on publishing our book titled "Egypt in the Quran". Mr. Al-Disouky was supported by Mr. Sonbol, and this drove the infuriated Dr. Al-Nimr to be so insulting toward Mr. Sonbol by accusing him (as a Coptic Christian) of desiring to destroy 'Islam' by allowing the chance of publishing a book authored by a denier of Sunna and hadiths. Mr. Sonbol withdrew his support, left the entire affair to Mr. Al-Disouky, and leaned toward safety! During the month of Ramadan, we went to the office of Mr. Al-Disouky at Akhbar Al-Yom to enquire about the book, and he advised us to keep a low profile and keep quiet so as not to give our foes the chance to find pretexts to oppose us the more, assuring us that he will defeat them eventually and impose on them publishing our book. The book was printed actually, and the government asked to copies to be delivered for a committee of Azharite scholars, deemed to be 'moderate' ones, to decide if the book would be distributed or not and if it contains any 'anti-Islam' remarks as asserted by Dr. Al-Nimr. Among the members of that committee was a former friend of ours; namely, Dr. Sayed Risk Al-Taweel, to whom we were a deputy in the early 1980s within the leadership of the Salafist Islamic Call Group in Cairo, and we were its leading preacher in it, before we left this group in 1985 as they rejected our Quranism. The report written by the committee members was fair enough; they found in the book no 'anti-Islam' remarks at all (i.e., they meant sentences and phrases ridiculing and denying the so-called hadiths), as asserted by our foe, Dr. Al-Nimr, who attacked the book without reading it. hence, the book was distributed in Cairo and Mr. Al-Disouky and ourselves emerged victorious.                  

5- Another stage of conspiring began, of course. Typically, journalists and writers of Akhbar Al-Yom newspaper write about the new book within the series of monthly books, as part of propaganda; this never happened in the case of our book. Typically, every new book of this series of Akhbar Al-Yom Press monthly books should be distributed and put in prominent locations within newsstands and kiosks; yet, our book never received such distribution policies honored by Akhbar Al-Yom Press, as complaints were received about how newsstands and kiosks owners had hidden copies of our book and to never sell any copy unless the potential buyer ask for it by the title itself after insisting on buying it! We have discovered that the distribution office of Akhbar Al-Yom Press had dictated such orders on all kiosk and newsstands owners and all Akhbar Al-Yom Press vending outlets and bookshops in Cairo! They had hidden copies of the book intentionally, and we ascertained this fact ourselves when we have bought some copies.  

6- Thus, it seemed impossible at first that our book would be a best seller or be distributed a lot. Yet, the impossible occurred; Akhbar Al-Yom Press has printed several thousands of copies of our book (we were not sure at the point about the exact number), each copy was sold in return for 1 L.E. (one Egyptian pound), and the contract stipulated that we would receive 10 piasters from each copy sold from this edition. When Akhbar Al-Yom Press gave us a check of L.E. 2000, we deduced that the copies sold were at least more than 20 thousand copies within less than one week of distribution. This proved a grave shock to disciples of Al-Shaarawy inside Akhbar Al-Yom Press, who used to reprint several editions of each of the books of Al-Shaarawy, with which people got bored, and selling rates of such books dwindled. Indeed, propaganda for books of Al-Shaarawy was ever-increasing to no avail; as piles of his books remained untouched at kiosks, newsstands, and bookshops. It was rumored at the time that reprinting of such non-selling books was a way to steal money from Akhbar Al-Yom Press, which lost money that entered into the pockets of the disciples of Al-Shaarawy. People who got bored with books of Al-Shaarawy at the time showed this by buying the new book authored by us that gives new perspective and information; they liked the fact that the author of ''Egypt in the Quran" never copied sentences and notions of traditional books of hadiths, fiqh, Quran interpretation, historians' accounts, etc. about Egypt, but has derived all ideas of the book from the Quran directly and compare them to what is known about Ancient Egypt of the pharaohs in an intellectual way with a refreshing new outlook, while avoiding jargon and difficult terminology. Our book thus proved a great success and everyone asked for a copy. The disciples of Al-Shaarawy were enraged by the prospect of losing their source of ill-gotten money and they were afraid to lose their stature and that their sheikh might lose ground  and collapse. Indeed, at the time, the book market in Cairo, and other governorates and cities, were saturated with many titled of Al-Shaarawy and his speeches and sermons on Egyptian radio stations and his shows on Egyptian TV channels. The disciples of Al-Shaarawy had to react fast before losing more grounds as they were defeated and proven wrong by ourselves and Mr. Al-Disouky; they re-collected all the rest of distributed copies from all kiosks, newsstands, and bookshops as well as outlets and venues of Akhbar Al-Yom Press, thus, they confiscated thousands of copies and threw them into basements/storehouses inside vaults of Akhbar Al-Yom Press. Thus, those 'trusted' cronies confiscated a book that brought profits to Akhbar Al-Yom Press and books of Al-Shaarawy remained stacked in piles all over the capital and the other cities despite their being unsold and causing financial losses to Akhbar Al-Yom Press. This is always the evil ways of 'trusted' cronies when they control anything, any location, and any people, in a corrupt country. Months later, a sheikh related to those disciples of Al-Shaarawy has published another book using the same title "Egypt in the Quran", as if to make use of a title that was catchy and sold before. Of course, the book failed to sell much; its author filled it with narratives and accounts of historians and theologians from traditional books. Months later, the confiscated copies of our book began to appear within the Cairo International Book Fair, held annually for three weeks in January-February, and we managed to buy few copies, and within the main bookshop of Akhbar Al-Yom Press in Cairo that opens all year. Soon enough, all copies of the first (and last) edition in print of our book sold out.

7- Thus, our book ''Egypt in the Quran'' was resisted and fought before and after it got printed, published, and distributed, but it has emerged victorious over its haters despite their power, wealth, and authority. This victory asserts the following facts.

* If Quranists would be allowed the chance of having 1/100 of the tools, facilities, venues, different media, and financial aid available to Sunnites/Wahabis,  the history of Arabs and 'Muslims' will change for the better and the same applies to history of the modern world. Let us imagine that Quranists one day would own a media institution (like Akhbar Al-Yom Press), with an institute to qualify Quranist preachers, plus a satellite channel, and a great, big website that reaches millions of people and attracted high traffic daily. If such dreams come true one day, Quranists will be influential enough to show real Islam (i.e., Quranism) to the whole world, and they will play a great rule in establishing international or global peace and security of the planet.

* Earthly religions, like the Sunnite Wahabism, cannot stand by themselves; they always need power and authority of people to protect it against criticism and refutation and to impose them on citizens as if they were 'Islam', and to make people buy it and accept it, clergymen confiscate nay new thought, especially the school of thought of Quranism that debunks Sunnite Wahabism, Sufism, and the Shiite religion from within Islam itself (the Quran alone). This explains why Quranists are persecuted, quelled, and suppressed in many countries and they rarely declare their faith in public in the Arab world, despite their being too impecunious to reach the general public, as they have but one website within cyberspace.     

* Another problem is that rarely there would be real humane, courageous persons (like Mr. Al-Disouky) who will readily stand for and defend the higher Quranic values of Islam (justice, truth, human rights, human dignity, absolute freedom of speech, thought, expression, and religion, etc.) despite the might, wealth, and authority of foes of the Quran. The good people like Mr. Al-Disouky are distinguished by their dignity and honesty as well as their ability to do without transient possessions and ambitions of this world to preserve their integrity, self-respect, freedom of action and thought, and dignity. Mr. Al-Disouky was a great example of honest writer within an environment that was up to its ears in corruption and seeped with falsehoods spread in order to intentionally corrupt and control minds of citizens: the press or journalism. Very few of his students followed his example; most of them moved their conscience aside in order to be promoted and gain a measure of wealth, stature, fame, and authority. They got rid of all higher values in return to transient worldly possessions and posts, while they are morally bankrupt. They fell into the trap of devils based on their own choice and free will, whereas Mr. Al-Disouky chose to live honestly and respectfully, while disdaining money and tyrants. Egyptian tyrants never force anyone to dance in their processions and glorify them; the likes of such mean, base, vile people are so many; a dime a dozen. Sadly, in third-world countries, the likes of such are given leeway to control and shape the minds of masses and distort their collective memory and awareness; indeed, many generations of Egyptians fell victim to them and lost their identity and their reasoning abilities.          

8- After decades of such a battle fought against this book by our foes, we re-publish it here on our website. Mr. Abdel-Warith Al-Disouky passed away, Philip Gallab and Saeed Sonbol died, and Al-Shaarawy, Dr. Al-Nimr, and Ahmed Zayn perished, but our book has remained and will remain. 

9- "Do you not see how God presents a parable? A good word is like a good tree-its root is firm, and its branches are in the sky. It yields its fruits every season by the will of its Lord. God presents the parables to the people, so that they may reflect. And the parable of a bad word is that of a bad tree-it is uprooted from the ground; it has no stability. God gives firmness to those who believe, with the firm word, in this life, and in the Hereafter. And God leads the wicked astray. God does whatever He wills." (14:24-27). We begin below to publish the book, which was published and printed before in Cairo, Egypt, beginning with its Dedication and Foreword.