Islamic Reform

Saudi Arabia

The most conservative manifestation of Islamic reform was and is the Wahhabi movement. Wahhabism emerged in the 18th century through the reform ideas of Muhammad Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab (1703–1792). Though the Wahhabi movement emerged prior to a strong European presence in the Middle East, it is a part of Islamic reform because it emerged and continues to serve as a response to European influences in the region. Abd-al-Wahhab wanted to simplify Islam's traditions and complicated legal codes, to eliminate mystical practice, and to limit religious interpretation within Islam. Like other reformist leaders, Abd-al-Wahhab wanted Islam to reflect the ideas and practices found in the first and second generation of Muslim converts. To do so, Abd-al-Wahhab focused on a return to Islam's call of strict monotheism or divine unity known as tahwid. Accordingly, Wahhabists prefer the name Ahl al-Tahwid, “the asserters of the divine unity.” In their application of tahwid, Wahhabists strictly interpret shirk—that is, associating an object with or assigning an object a status equal to God's. Abd-al-Wahhab's interpretations of scripture remained relatively isolated until a member of the Saudi family was converted in the 1740s. After the 1740s, the Saud family provided [Page 592]military and political support to Abd-al-Wahhab's conservative religious appeals. Consequently, when the Sauds conquered the Arabian peninsula in the 19th century, the Saudi state implemented Wahhab's vision for an ideal Islamic community, fulfilling his interpretation of Islamic reform.

Egypt

Unlike the Saudi Wahhabi model that reformed Islam internally, Egyptian Islamic reforms were inspired by interaction with European thought. Beginning with Rifa'a al-Tahtawi, Egyptian Islamic reformers challenged the role of the ulema as the elite, educated social, political, and religious authority. Tahtawi argued that society had two purposes: doing the will of God and promoting the welfare of all. To reach these two purposes, Tahtawi revolutionized Egypt's education system. Tahtawi understood Islamic law and tradition to be similar to, rather than in conflict with, Western political thought. Tahtawi is a pivotal figure because he set the precedence for considering, above all else, the responsibilities of national leaders and citizens, the purpose of government, and the role nations play in relation to the umma. Furthermore, Tahtawi advanced a certain type of Islamic reform that linked a Muslim identity with Egyptian nationalism. In Tahtawi's mind, Egypt held a special place in Islamic history because it could represent the transition from the ancient world to the modern.

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