Sa’d al-Dīn al-Hilālī is a professor of comparative jurisprudence at Azhar University, where he is acknowledged as an expert in both sharī‘ah and international legal systems. Perhaps for this acumen he was selected as a member of the Committee of Fifty tasked to amend the Egyptian constitution. But he does not know, because he was not one of the three members chosen to represent the Azhar officially as an institution. Instead he was picked in the category of ‘general personalities’, learned of his selection via the television, and has never received an explanation why. He is quite happy not knowing, as he can express his appreciation to God alone.
Hilālī provided his remarks in an interview with Arab West Report on January 5, 2014, at the Azhar University campus. Substantial student protests in favor of deposed president Muhammad Mursī were going on around this time, and the walls even of administrative buildings were covered in graffiti. He was upset and angry, and though the comments which follow on the political use of religion reflect his longstanding views, there was a force and passion behind them certainly influenced by current events.