Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab (original) (raw)
Rendering Muḥammad Human Again: The Prophetology of Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (1703–1792)
Numen, Volume 60, Issue 1, pages 103 – 118 , 2013
Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (1703–1792), the founder of the puritan Wahhābī movement in Islam, has written a biography of the prophet that differs markedly from other later works of this genre. He passes over many episodes that are supposed to elevate the status of Muḥammad beyond that of an ordinary human, whereas he includes episodes that show him as human, or even fallible, such as the controversial “Satanic verses.” The purpose of this selection is to demonstrate that apart from events specifically related to revelation, Muḥammad was a human being whose actions can be imitated. However, the scope of Muḥammad’s actions is reduced to the eradication of unbelief and idolatry. This is supposed to suggest that Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb himself is completing what Muḥammad has begun and to legitimize the warfare of followers against the “idolaters.”
Shaykh Abd al-Mahmud al-Hafyan
This book is a humble attempt to introduce the Ṣūfi thought of Shaykh Ἀbd al-Maḥmud al-Ḥafyan [1915-1973], one of the most influential Ṣūfi thinkers throughout Ṣūfism history in Sudan. Therefore, this endeavour has been conducted to provide a historical perspective while exploring the most recurring themes of his thought, in the light of his original works.
"'Abdallah b. 'Umar b. al-Khattab", in: The Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2-2009, 20-22.
or for his shifting allegiances later on. He appears to have been an opportunist rather than an ideologue. Bibliography al-abarī, Ta rīkh al-rusul wa-l-mulūk , ed. M. J. de Goeje (Leiden 1879-1901) 2:1854ff. ; Ibn Asākir, Ta rīkh madīnat Dimashq , ed. Umar b. Gharama al-Amrawī (Beirut 1995), 31:216-23 ; Anonymous, Kitāb al-uyūn wa l-adā iq fī akhbār al-aqā iq, in M. J. de Goeje and Pieter de Jong (eds.), Fragmenta Historicum Arabicorum (Leiden 1869), 152ff. ; Khalīfa b. Khayyā , Kitāb al-ta rīkh , ed. Akram iyā al-Umarī (Najaf 1967), index ; al-Balādhurī, Ansāb al-Ashrāf , ed. Ma mūd al-Firdaws al-A m (Damascus 1997-2004) 7:165ff. ; Ibn al-Athīr, al-Kāmil fī l-ta rīkh , ed. C. J. Tornberg (Leiden 1851-76), 5:228ff. ; Julius Wellhausen, The Arab kingdom and its fall , trans. Margaret Graham Weir (Beirut 1963), 383ff. ; Gerald R. Hawting, The fi rst dynasty of Islam. The Umayyad caliphate A.D. 661-750 (London 1987), 99ff. ; Josef van Ess, TG , 2:240-5.
Transcending the Madhhab—in Practice: the Case of the Sudanese Shaykh Muḥammad Majdhūb (1795/6-1831
Islamic Law and Society, 2003
Muḥammad Majdhūb was one of many Muslims who in the nineteenth century argued against strict adherence to the established madhhab system and sought ways to overcome it. This case study, based on an examination of Majdhūb’s writings and contemporary documents, analyses what this position meant in practice, how it was expressed, and what it signified in a given social context. The challenge to madhhab affiliation appears to have been more radical in theory than in practice. While dismissing fiqh rationality and basing himself on Prophetic Tradition and inspiration, Majdhūb’s practical conclusions consistently—if implicitly—agree with the Shāfiʿī school. In the context in which such views were propagated, however, we find interesting social and political factors that contributed to their attractiveness. Here, they served to transcend a politicised deadlock between proponents of different madhhabs while lending ‘Prophetic’ support to the local as opposed to the ruling Ottoman party.
The Pious Rebel: Analyzing The Impact of 'Ali 'Abd Al-Raziq's Work And Legacy
In Islamic political theory, one of the most discussed topics remains the relationship between Islam and the State. Though a countless number of accomplished scholars, thinkers, religious elites and leaders have contributed to this discourse, none have left as contested a legacy as 'Ali 'Abd al-Raziq. An Egyptian Shariah court judge and thinker, 'Abd al-Raziq in his best-known work, Islam and the Foundations of Governance, argued against the necessity of the caliphate institution. As an alternative, he urged the Muslim community to adopt any other form of governance, which would address the needs of modern times. This sentiment immortalized him as the father of Islamic reform and liberalism. Ninety years later, 'Abd al-Raziq's ideas continue to polarize various thinkers including; the Revivalists, Muslim Laicists, and Modern Liberals. This paper analyzes how modern political theorists along with the Revivalists, Muslim Laicists, and Modern Liberals have received 'Ali 'Abd al-Raziq's ideas since 1925 and how his legacy has contributed to Islamic political theory overall.
Master Thesis , 2019
The history of doctrinal affiliations in the Gulf countries is a scarcely studied topic. At a time when religion and politics were deeply entwined, the Āl-Thānī family in Qatar adopted Wahhabism while maintaining a separate political orientation from the Saudi state. This study examines the adoption of Wahhabism in Qatar from the late eighteenth until the early twentieth centuries. It draws first on contemporaneous historical chronicles narrating early Saudi Wahhabi attempts to expand towards Qatar. It then focuses on the neglected writings of Shaykh Qāsim Āl-Thānī (1827-1913), Qatar’s founding Shaykh and a pivotal figure in its turn towards Wahhabism in the nineteenth century. Based on a study of Shaykh Qāsim’s correspondence, poetry, and will, I examine the interaction between the religious and the political in his career. I analyze these texts in relation to their social and economic contexts and in light of Shaykh Qāsim’s political practices and alliances.
Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, 2018
Most studies of the distinguished 19 th-century Arab scholar and reformer Muḥammad ʻAbduh focus on the religious reforms he instigated. Very few studies discuss his vision for modernisation through educational, social and political reforms. 'Abduh realised these reforms were necessary for creating a civil society based on a new mode of urbanity (madaniyya). This article examines how Muḥammad ʻAbduh managed to bridge the gap between secular modernists and religious traditionalists by reinterpreting Islamic doctrine with a contemporary outlook and emphasising how the Islamic faith could shield people from the moral temptations, traps and pitfalls that modern European people were facing. In his view, achieving this new mode of urbanity was mandatory for the Arab world to keep up with the urban development, social progress and scientific advancements occurring in the West.