Islam's Renewal

Description

The book considers some of the solutions proposed by Muslim activists and thinkers in their attempts to renew (tajdid) their ways of life and thought in accord with the demands of the age in which they lived. The two ways of reacting are studied – the movements led by men of action and inspiration, and the thoughts of quietist scholars who laid greater emphasis on calm continuity. These two streams have often collided and particularly so in the contemporary age of greater violence. Other related problems are also considered: how a non-Muslim should regard the religion of the ‘other’; the ways modernization have been dealt with; and the two root causes of Muslim ‘rage’ today – the invasions of the West and the failure to reach an equitable solution to the problem of Palestine. Building on the author’s sixty-year experience researching the history of Islam, the book will appeal to students and scholars across the fields of Islamic studies, religious history and Middle Eastern politics. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Libya: First Experience of the Arab World and Islam (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 3-11 How the Middle East Began to Be Studied (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 13-19 Leaders of Revival in Islam (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 21-32 Two Historical Movements (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 33-45 Leaders and State Formation (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 47-68 Leaders Against Colonialism (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 69-89 Front Matter ....Pages 91-91 A Way of Approaching Islamic History (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 93-99 Thinkers Rather than Activists (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 101-106 What Is Modernity in Islam? (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 107-114 Front Matter ....Pages 115-115 Features of Later Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Islamic Movements (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 117-121 Renewal Again (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 123-128 The Postmodern Era: The Rage of Islam (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 129-140 How Individual Countries Have Reacted in the Postmodern Era (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 141-167 Palestine: The Root Cause of Muslim Despair (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 169-183 Conclusion: A Hope for Tolerance (Derek Hopwood)....Pages 185-189 Back Matter ....Pages 191-198