Sublime

Together, al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdu founded the Salafiyyah movement, Egypt’s version of the Modernist project. After al-Afghani’s death, Abdu joined forces with his close friend and biographer, Rashid Rida (1865–1935), to push the Salafiyyah’s reformist agenda to the forefront of Egyptian politics. Yet, despite its growing popularity throughout

Basilidans

By inextricably linking the religious and economic life of the city, Qusayy and his descendants had developed an innovative religio-economic system that relied on control of the Ka‘ba and its pilgrimage rites—rites in which nearly the whole of Arabia participated—to guarantee the economic, religious, and political supremacy of a single tribe, the Q

Sufi teacher Idries Shah

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Considering the tragic effects of the colonialist experience in India, it should be obvious which vision of Shah Wali Allah’s theo-political views most successfully captured the imaginations of India’s oppressed Muslim population. As will become apparent, throughout the colonized lands of the Middle East and North Africa, the voice of modernism and

The significance of losing Abu Talib is obvious: Muhammad could no longer rely on his uncle’s unwavering protection to keep him from harm. The new Shaykh of Banu Hashim, Abu Lahab, loathed Muhammad personally and made a formal withdrawal of his protection. The results were immediate. Muhammad was openly abused on the streets of Mecca. He could no l

No one to whom God has given the Scriptures and on whom He has bestowed wisdom and prophethood would say to men, ‘Worship me instead of God.’ [He would say rather], ‘Be devoted servants of God, for you have taught and studied the Scriptures.’