Two pioneering Muslim reformists
In the 19th century, European colonial powers dominated much of the Muslim world, prompting a wave of revival and reform among Muslim intellectuals across the Arab world and South Asia. Two key figures, Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905) from Egypt and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) from the Indian Subcontinent pioneered modernization and reform efforts in their regions, focusing on socio-religious and educational transformation.
Despite extensive literature (especially in English) on the thought and legacy of these pioneering and later modernist/ reformist thinkers, a comparative analysis in Urdu was lacking. Dr Abdul Hamid Lone’s book, Sheikh Muhammad ‘Abduh aur Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Ek Taqabuli Mutala (2024), fills this gap by offering a comprehensive and comparative study of these two influential Muslim reformists.
The author is a retired Professor of Arabic, Higher Education Department, J&K, and his book has been published by Takbeer Publications Srinagar.
The book comprises seven (7) chapters, preceded by a ‘Foreword’ by Dr Jauhar Qudussi (pp. 7-9), ‘Preface’ by Dr Muzaffar Hussain Nadwi (pp. 10-14), ‘Introduction’ (pp. 15-16) by the author, and is followed by a 3-page Conclusion (pp. 96-99) and a Bibliography (pp. 101-105). The chapters delve into the lives and legacies of Abduh and Sir Syed, and highlight the similarities and differences in their thoughts and approaches, demonstrating how their ideas had an inherent spirit that spontaneously evolved into movements.
Dr Qudussi and Dr Nadwi commend the author for such a concise and comprehensive study, describing it as an “appreciable research work” on an “important topic” that aids in “understanding different dimensions of the life and ideas of these two pioneering figures” in a comparative manner (pp. 7, 9, 13-14).
Dr Lone outlines the objectives for writing this book in the Introduction, claiming that he not only identified many similarities in the thought of these reformist pioneers, but also that they have the capacity to bring solutions to the concerns and challenges faced by Muslims today (pp. 15-16).
The first chapter situates the biographical sketch of Abduh and Sir Syed within the socio-political and intellectual contexts of their respective countries, setting the ground for the discussions covered in the next chapters. Despite differing ideologies and view points, Abduh and Sir Syed converged on the imperative of “revitalizing Muslim ummah to ensure its survival and progress” (p. 19).
The second chapter compares their approach to the “Emphasis on the Acquisition of Education and Training” (pp. 24-51) highlighting their major initiatives, reforms, and approaches that emphasized modern education, reform of traditional education, promoting critical thinking, and focusing character development in line with the Islamic sources. Summarily, while both shared similar educational reform goals, their techniques and beliefs differed in terms of emphasis on Islamic education, religion’s role, methodology, and context.
The third chapter concentrates on the “Books and Literary Works” (pp.53-59) authored, compiled, and translated by Abduh and Sir Syed, revealing their areas and extent of interest and expertise, as well as their place in, and impact on, the Islamic intellectual tradition. For Dr Lone, “Abduh left behind a prodigious academic legacy, which was centered on exploring themes of reform and Islamic topics” with modern interpretations, and Sir Syed too has made “a commendable contribution through his prolific writings” (pp. 53, 57).
The fourth chapter focuses on the “Journalistic Services” (pp. 61-70) of Abduh and Sir Syed, who contributed their writings in different newspapers and periodicals aimed at bringing socio-religious, intellectual, and educational reform in their societies. While Abduh wrote in Arabic frequently on and advocated for Islamic reform, social justice, anti-colonialism, Muslim solidarity, and need for Muslims to return to the original sources of Islam, Sir Syed aimed to promote social reform and Muslim welfare and emphasized the importance of modern education, science, and technology for Muslim progress by adopting an accessible style in Urdu. Both leveraged journalism as a “powerful tool for promoting their ideas and thoughts, the central axis of which were the Islamic teachings” (p.70).
The fifth chapter, “Responses to Orientalist Criticisms” (pp. 71-79), focuses on the misconceptions, misconstructions, and prejudices espoused by some Orientalists and Christian missionaries in their publications about Islam and Islamic topics. It seeks to reveal their emphasis on Islam’s rational and intellectual traditions and on highlighting the real image of the Prophet (pbuh), which was distorted in various orientalist writings.
The sixth chapter looks at the “Contributions of Abduh and Sir Syed to the Quranic Exegesis and a (Critical) Review of their Opinions” (pp. 81-95), arguing that both thinkers employed a novel methodology to interpret the Qur’an combining rational and scientific approaches with the primary goal of facilitating “social and religious reform” (p.81). However, their commentaries faced criticism from the traditional Muslim scholars for deviating from the set principles.
These chapters are followed by brief ‘Concluding Remarks’ (pp. 97-98) which provide a succinct summary of the thoughts and contributions of these two reformists. It argues that the impact of their ideas was profound, inspiring a generation of Muslims worldwide to adopt their ideologies and eventually establish the “Aligarh Movement” and “Al-Manar Movement”. As Dr Lone astutely observes, “the ideas and thoughts of both these thinkers had an inherent spirit that spontaneously evolved into movements” (p. 99).
A notable limitation of this otherwise comprehensive yet concise and lucid study is the author’s decision not to translate the Arabic and English quotations and statements into Urdu (see, e.g., pp. 19, 67, 68, 69, 77, 95), which hinders the readability and comprehension.
Nonetheless, Dr Lone’s scholarly work constitutes a significant addition to the existing literature on reform and reformist thought, providing a comprehensive and comparative analysis and invaluable insights into the seminal contributions of these two reformist thinkers, shedding light on their shared concerns and distinct approaches. The book will prove invaluable to scholars and students interested in exploring Islam in modern times.
Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray is Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies, at GDC Ganderbal, Kashmir.