The Virgin Visits Egypt

The Author: Prof. Ismail Helmy
Original Book Title: العذراء تزور مصر
The Publisher: The General Egyptian Book Organization
Publication Year: 1996
Book Language:
ISBN: 977-00-7529-9

The author’s opening introduction

The author introduced his work with these words expressing the greatness of the appearance of the holy Virgin in Zeitoun 1968 by saying:
“In history there are events that shake the mind and the conscience and take away the reason, and do not pass by unnoticed; they need a pause, and they need thought, as God Almighty commands in His Wise Book: (أفلا تتفكرون ).[ الأنعام 50 ]”

Purpose of the book

And the author continued also to clarify the goal of his work, saying:
“… in our book the goal is to verify this appearance to determine the truth of the event and to explore the opinions of the witnesses at that time, Muslims and Christians. And Lady Mary the Virgin belongs to Muslims and Christians alike.”

Introduction of the Book by Pope Shenouda III

The author was keen to include a letter from Pope Shenouda III (Patriarch of the See of St. Mark) as an introduction to his book, and the text is as follows:
The appearance of the holy Virgin upon the domes of her church in Zeitoun caused a great stir in Egypt and abroad from April 1968 and throughout that entire year. Many Christians in various countries around the world wrote about it. But what distinguishes this book is that it is written by a Muslim author who believes, according to Islamic teaching that the Virgin Mary was purified by God and chosen above all the women of the world (AL-OMRAN 42).  (آل عمران (٤٢).
Prof. Ismail Helmy begins his book (The Virgin Visits Egypt) with a reflection on our beloved homeland, Egypt, and its glories. He then speaks about the coming of the Holy Family to Egypt, the first visit in which the holy Virgin came to Egypt, and from there he discusses her appearance in Zeitoun.
He presents the testimonies of a great number of people who witnessed that appearance, both Muslims and Christians, as well as the testimonies of those who were healed through the Virgin’s intercession during her appearance, also Muslims and Christians. The number of Muslims whose names he mentions is even greater…
He supports his discussion of the appearance with many photographs and with excerpts from what was written in Egyptian and foreign newspapers and magazines, providing images of these clippings. He also speaks about the appearance of the Virgin in the Church of Saint Demiana in Baba Doblo, Shubra.
The book is valuable and precious, and its presentation is engaging. We are pleased to invite everyone to read it.
April 1996
Signed: Pope Shenouda III

The author Prof. Ismail Helmy

A writer and Egyptian thinker who loves his homeland; he takes pride in Egypt, and he notes that Egypt was mentioned in Qur’an five times, and he cherishes that Egypt is beloved in the Gospel.

• He also prides himself on Egypt as the greatest of homelands and affirms the right of citizenship for all Egyptians without discrimination on the basis of religion, saying: “Egypt is, in truth, a homeland shared by Muslims and Christians alike, not a place for one group without the other.”
• Dr. Ismail Helmy has many Islamic writings, and as a Muslim he honors the holy Virgin Mary and believes she is the most exalted among all women, as he affirms in his book.
• Prof. Ismail rejects fanaticism and is broad-minded, and from this perspective he examined the appearance of the Virgin in Zeitoun. As he writes: ‘When we study any phenomenon, we must use reason and set aside fanaticism, which only leads us to disappointment and failure”
• In seeking the truth, the author relied on the testimony of those who witnessed the appearance and of those who were healed miraculously. He writes: ‘What I present in this book is simply a recounting of what the eyewitnesses described, for hearing is not like seeing. And we cannot deny the testimony of someone who saw, unless we were with him or near him at the time and did not witness what he witnessed.
• he author believes in what lies beyond what can be sensed, as he says:
“And the truth about which there is no room for doubt is that the universe has hidden forces which the mind will not be able to comprehend, for scientists have subjected matter and natural laws and used them and have succeeded in realizing what used to be described as superstition, for science changes and advances, and every day new ideas and new possibilities appear that were not previously known or believed in, nor did they fall within the bounds of perception before, and what happens in the universe will remain a riddle and unknown, and its realities will remain hidden from us, and we cannot deny the Almighty Creator, the Owner of everything in existence, the prerogative to reveal whatever He wills and to conceal whatever He wills, for that is beyond our understanding, and therefore these are miracles, and no matter how much science increases and advances, the human being will not attain the perfection of knowledge, for perfection belongs to God alone, no matter how far science advances.”