Muhammad Abduh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Muhammad Abduh
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Alma mater	Al-Azhar University
Personal
Nationality	Egyptian
Born	1849 (1849) Shubra Khit, Egypt, Ottoman Empire
Died	11 July 1905 (aged 56) Alexandria, Egypt, Ottoman Empire
Cause of death	Renal cell carcinoma
Influenced	Rashid Rida, Abul Kalam Azad, Hassan al-Banna, Muhammad Asad, Mahmoud Taleghani, Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Mahmud Shaltut, Mustafa al-Maraghi, Mohammed al-Ghazali, Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Muḥammad 'Abduh (1849 – 11 July 1905) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, a jurist (someone who studies law), and a theologian (someone who studies religion). He is also known as a mujaddid, which means a reformer or renewer of Islam. He wrote important books, including "Treatise on the Oneness of God." He also helped publish a journal called Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa, which was against colonial rule.

His Early Life and Education

Muhammad Abduh was born in 1849 in the Nile Delta region of Egypt. His father was Turkish, and his mother was Egyptian. His family was well-known and respected in Egypt.

When he was 13, he went to the Aḥmadī mosque in Tanta, a large school in Egypt. Later, he ran away from school and got married. In 1866, he enrolled at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. There, he studied logic, philosophy, and Sufism, which is a mystical part of Islam.

Abduh was a student of Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani. Al-Afghani was a philosopher and a Muslim reformer. He taught Abduh about the problems in Egypt and the wider Islamic world. He also showed Abduh the technological progress in the Western world.

Becoming a Teacher and Reformer

In 1877, Abduh earned his 'Alim degree, which means "teacher." He began teaching logic, theology, and ethics at al-Azhar. The next year, he became a history professor at Dar al-Ulum, a teachers' college in Cairo. He also taught Arabic at another school.

Muhammad Abduh is seen as a key founder of Islamic Modernism. This movement aimed to update Islamic thought using reason. He believed that education was the best way to improve Egyptian society. He supported both religious education, to build good morals, and scientific education, to help people think clearly.

Exile and Return

Abduh became the editor-in-chief of Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya, the official state newspaper. He used his articles to criticize corruption and the lavish lives of the rich.

Because of his political activities, Abduh was exiled from Egypt in 1882. He had supported the Urabi Revolt, an Egyptian nationalist uprising. He spent six years away from Egypt.

During his exile, he lived in Ottoman Lebanon and helped set up an Islamic education system. In 1884, he moved to Paris, France. There, he joined his teacher al-Afghani to publish Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa, a journal against British rule. He also visited Britain to discuss Egypt and Sudan with officials.

In 1888, Abduh returned to Egypt and started a career in law. He became a judge and later a consultative member of the Court of Appeal.

Grand Mufti of Egypt

In 1899, Muhammad Abduh was appointed Grand Mufti of Egypt. This was the highest Islamic legal position. He held this role until his death. As a judge, he made some liberal decisions. For example, he allowed Muslims to eat meat prepared by non-Muslims.

While in Egypt, Abduh worked to reform Al-Azhar University. He suggested ways to improve exams, the curriculum, and working conditions for teachers and students. He also founded The Society for the Revival of Arabic Literature in 1900.

He traveled widely and met with European scholars at places like Cambridge and Oxford. He studied French law and read many European and Arab books. He concluded that Muslims suffered from a lack of knowledge about their own religion and from unfair rulers.

Muhammad Abduh passed away in Alexandria on July 11, 1905. Many people around the world mourned his death.

His Ideas and Beliefs

I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam.

—Muhammad Abduh

Muhammad Abduh believed that Muslims should not just rely on old interpretations of religious texts. He thought they needed to use their own reason to understand Islam in changing times. He said that people were given intelligence to be guided by knowledge, not just to follow blindly.

Abduh believed that Islam encourages people to think for themselves and not just copy traditions. He said that independence of will and thought were the greatest gifts for understanding religion. He thought these principles helped Western civilization grow.

His followers called him a wise leader and a reformer. He believed that Islam is the only religion whose teachings can be proven by reason. Abduh was against polygamy (having more than one wife) if it led to unfairness. He wanted an Islam that would free people and end racial discrimination.

Abduh saw Islam as a way to empower Arab societies against Western influence. He believed Islam could solve political and social problems.

Promoting Unity

Abduh often called for better friendship between different religious groups. He worked hard to encourage harmony between Sunnis and Shias. He also preached brotherhood among all Islamic schools of thought. However, he criticized what he saw as errors, like superstitions from popular Sufism.

Since Christianity was the second largest religion in Egypt, he made special efforts to build friendships between Muslims and Christians. He had many Christian friends and often defended Copts, who are Egyptian Christians.

Freemasonry

At 28, Abduh became a Freemason and joined a Masonic lodge called Kawkab Al-Sharq ("Planet of the East"). Many important people were members, including Tewfik Pasha, the son of the Khedive (ruler).

Abduh believed that Freemasonry encouraged unity among all religions. He hoped to see Islam and Christianity working together. He said he looked forward to Muslims reading the Torah and the Bible. When asked why he joined, he said it was for a "political and social purpose."

Connection with the Baháʼí Faith

Muhammad Abduh had contact with the Baháʼí Faith, which had started to spread in Egypt. He was especially close with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the leader of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 to 1921. They met when they both had similar goals of religious reform. Their meetings helped increase the respect for the Baháʼí community. Abduh even said that `Abdu'l-Bahá was "a great man."

His Writings

Muhammad Abduh wrote several important works, including:

• Risālat al-tawḥīd ("Treatise on the Oneness of God")
• Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Hakim al-Mustahir bi Tafsir al-Manar (a commentary on the Quran)
• Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa (a journal he co-published)

Images for kids

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  An early photo of Muḥammad ʿAbduh

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  Muḥammad ʿAbduh's meeting with members of the executive committe of Tunisian educational institute Khaldounia in 1903

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  Muḥammad ʿAbduh during his last days

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  Tewfik Pasha (1852–1892), the Ottoman Khedive of Egypt and Sudan between 1879 and 1892

See also

In Spanish: Muhammad Abduh para niños