Religious reform in contemporary Islamic thought: Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi as a model

Abstract

The reform movement in the history of the Arab Renaissance represents a prominent landmark of awareness spearheaded by a group of Arab and Muslim thinkers and reformers. The emergence of scholars such as Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, and Allama Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi was a contributing factor in supporting Arab aspirations to confront Ottoman and British occupation and all forms of tyranny and oppression experienced by the Arab peoples. This research, entitled "Religious Reform in Contemporary Islamic Thought – Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi as a Model," attempts to explore the ideas articulated by the scholar and reformer Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi by reviewing his life and writings in the field of religious and social reform. The research is divided into four sections. The first section addresses the concept of reform and al-Kawakibi's life from birth, tracing his upbringing and education. The second section examines the philosophy of Islamic reform and its intellectual trends. The third section discusses al-Kawakibi's writings on political tyranny and reform. The fourth section explores the intellectual and cultural exchange between al-Kawakibi and the Najaf religious establishment. It can be said that al-Kawakibi's calls for reform complemented those of his predecessors. The reformers, especially Sheikh Muhammad Abduh and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani... In writing this research, I relied on historical sources that discussed al-Kawakibi, the Arab Renaissance movement, and reform.