Egyptian officials routinely disobeyed Mehmed Ali’s regulations

Evidence

The fact that he took no heed of the authorities’ opinion on what he regarded to be a private matter and, moreover, the apparent abuse of his position, is an example not only of how difficult it was for the authorities to control the activities of its senior officials, but more generally, of the discrepancy between al-qānūn (the law, the regulations) and ḥukm al-wāqi’ (reality) that is characteristic of Mehmed Ali’s rule. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1086