Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi: Islamic Reform and Arab Revival (Makers of the Muslim World)

Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi (1855–1902) was one of the most articulate and original proponents of the reformist ideas underlying modern Islamic thought, as well as an early precursor of Arab nationalism. A journalist, political activist and author, he fiercely resisted arbitrary government, exploitation of the poor, and ulama and Sufis who supported the absolutist rule. Adhering to the reformist ideal of a return to the scriptures and the model of the ancestors (salaf) as a way to free Islam from the shackles of tradition and accommodate it to modernity, he suggested as remedy to these ills a democratic responsible government, the separation of religion and politics, and an Arab spiritual Caliphate.This is the first full scale biography of Kawakibi in any European language based on the memoirs of family and colleagues, archival material and his writings. It combines a narrative of his life set against the political and social realities of late Ottoman Aleppo, with a fresh look at his articles and books which considers their literary form — the independent journal, an imaginary secret conference held in Mecca, and a scientific study of the nature of tyranny — as part of their message. Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi (1855-1902) was one of the most articulate and original proponents of the reformist ideas underlying modern Islamic thought, as well as an early precursor of Arab nationalism. A journalist, political activist and author, he fiercely resisted arbitrary government, exploitation of the poor, and ulama and Sufis who supported the absolutist rule. Adhering to the reformist ideal of a return to the scriptures and the model of the ancestors (salaf) as a way to free Islam from the shackles of tradition and accommodate it to modernity, he suggested as remedy to these ills a democratic responsible government, the separation of religion and politics, and an Arab spiritual Caliphate. This is the first full scale biography of Kawakibi in any European language based on the memoirs of family and colleagues, archival material and his writings. It combines a narrative of his life set against the political and social realities of late Ottoman Aleppo, with a fresh look at his articles and books which considers their literary form'the independent journal, an imaginary secret conference held in Mecca, and a scientific study of the nature of tyranny'as part of their message Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi (1855–1902) was one of the most articulate and original proponents of reformist ideas in the Arab world, as well as a precursor of Arab nationalism. A journalist, political thinker and social activist from Aleppo, Syria, he was a sharp critic of both the scholarly and Sufi religious traditions, and of the autocratic Ottoman government of the day. Undeterred by persecution and arrest, he advocated returning to the model of the forefathers of Islam and was an overt supporter of liberty, an Arab Caliphate, and the separation of religion and state. The first full-scale biography of Kawakibi in any European language, this work combines an account of his life with a fresh look at his writings, from the newspapers he founded in Aleppo to the books he published in Cairo. Drawing on memoirs of relatives and colleagues and on archival material, Itzchak Weismann demonstrates Kawakibi's originality and assesses his impact on the evolution of Islamic political thought and the course of Arab nationalism during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The first full-scale English biography of Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, one of the most articulate and original proponents of the reformist ideas underlying modern Islamic thought