ABSTRACT
Starting with an introductory section about Islam, this chapter provides an overview of the lives and thought of three late 19th/early 20th century Islamic reformers. Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani (1838–1897) was an anti-imperialist activist conjuring up numerous political schemes. He spread Pan-Islamic agitation but also expressed himself critical of Islam. His pupil Muhammad ‘Abduh (1849–1905) was involved in the Egyptian revolution of 1882. He joined al-Afghani’s Pan-Islamist propaganda but ultimately broke with his mentor. Having made his peace with Egypt’s British occupants, ‘Abduh died as that country’s highest jurisconsult. He represented a rationalist and down-to-earth understanding of Islam. ‘Abduh’s pupil Muhammad Rashid Rida (1865–1935) left his mark as a journalist, editing a reformist paper read throughout the Islamic world. While Rida shared ‘Abduh’s rationalist version of Islam, he increasingly faced Egypt’s secular-minded intelligentsia as his main antagonists. He is most famous for his blueprint for a rejuvenated Caliphate. Rida was also one of the spiritual fathers of the Muslim Brethren, which has dropped the more innovative ideas of these three thinkers and is often considered to be a fundamentalist organization.
