al-Fikr al-Islami al-Hadith wa Silatuhu bil-Istimaar al-Gharbi
- Author died
- 1402 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Wahbah
al-Fikr al-Islami al-Hadith wa Silatuhu bil-Istimaar al-Gharbi (Modern Islamic Thought and Its Connection to Western Colonialism) is a book by the Egyptian scholar and philosopher Muhammad al-Bahi (d. 1402 AH / 1982 CE), analyzing modern Islamic intellectual trends and their interaction with Western colonialism and cultural influence .
Background and Purpose
Al-Bahi completed the first edition of the book in Cairo on 5 Dhu al-Hijjah 1376 AH / 3 July 1957 CE . His stated purpose was to trace the historical and ideological currents that emerged in the Muslim world over the preceding century following Western colonial expansion, and to provide thinkers and political leaders in the Islamic East with an intellectual foundation for independent thought and political self-determination, rather than adopting Western frameworks of subservience and materialism .
The book posits that Western colonial hegemony provoked two main opposing intellectual trajectories across the Muslim world: an accomodationist trend that facilitated colonial influence by promoting intellectual acquiescence, and an anti-colonial reformist trend rooted in Islamic revival and resistance .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an opening prologue, five core parts, and a concluding supplementary part:
- Prologue (Fatihah): Discusses the historical infiltration of Western colonialism into the Islamic world, the Western colonial view of Muslims, and the methods employed by colonial powers to undermine Islamic conviction and social unity .
- Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Examines the collaborative trend that supported colonialism. It critiques figures and movements such as Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and the Ahmadiyya/Qadiani movement, while evaluating the role of Orientalism in diminishing Islamic values and glorifying Western Christian civilization .
- Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Analyzes the resistance movement against colonialism, examining both its theoretical critiques and practical programs. It highlights Jamal al-Din al-Afghani—focusing on his refutation of naturalists and materialists in India, his anti-British activism, and his links to the legacy of Ibn Taymiyyah—and Muhammad Abduh, outlining his social, educational, and reformist orientations .
- Part Three (al-Bab al-Thalith): Addresses modern intellectual renewal (tajdid) since the early twentieth century. It examines the Salafi reformist branch led by al-Manar as well as national mobilization efforts through early Egyptian higher education . It critiques Westernized reform concepts, including theories of the human origins of the Qur'an, claims separating religion from state governance (al-Islam din la dawlah), and Marxist materialist critiques of religion .
- Part Four: Evaluates the movement for defining and reconstructing Islamic concepts in the Indian subcontinent, specifically through the thought and philosophy of Muhammad Iqbal, analyzing his views on movement, change, and ijtihad .
- Part Five (al-Bab al-Khamis): Titled "Islam Tomorrow" (al-Islam Ghadan), it discusses Islam's encounter with modern Crusader and Marxist currents, the enduring validity of Islamic values beyond specific times and places, and the institutional role and modern reorganization of Al-Azhar University .
- Part Six / Appendices (Mulhaqat): Discusses Christian missionary work and Orientalist studies of Islam, incorporating critical reviews of works such as Gaston Wiet's Grandeur de l'Islam and research by A. L. Tibawi on English-speaking Orientalists .
Reception and Publication History
The work gained wide circulation across the Muslim world and was translated into Indonesian, Turkish, Urdu, and English . In the preface to the third edition (March 1961 CE), written during his tenure as Rector of al-Azhar University, al-Bahi recounted being recognized primarily through this work during his travels across South and Southeast Asia as well as North and West Africa .
The book went through numerous expanded editions, including a fourth edition in 1384 AH / 1964 CE with added appendices, an eleventh revised edition in 1405 AH / 1985 CE, and a twelfth edition in 1411 AH / 1991 CE published by Maktabat Wahba in Cairo, as well as editions by Dar al-Fikr in Beirut . Due to its direct critique of Westernizing and Marxist ideologies adopted by various governing elites, the author noted that the work faced censorship and bans in certain Arab jurisdictions .
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