al-Inhiraf al-Aqadi fi Adab al-Hadatha wa Fikriha
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- Dār al-Andalus al-Khaḍrā’ lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
al-Inhiraf al-Aqadi fi Adab al-Hadatha wa Fikriha: Dirasah Naqdiyyah Shar'iyyah (Doctrinal Deviation in the Literature and Thought of Modernism: A Critical Sharia Study) is an extensive theological critique written by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, examining modern Arabic literary movements through the lens of Islamic theology.
Academic Origin and Publication
The work originated as a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Department of Creed and Contemporary Trends within the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. The author defended the dissertation on 26 Muharram 1420 AH (11 May 1999 CE) and was awarded distinction with first-class honors. The examination committee consisted of:
- Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al al-Sheikh (Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia) as supervisor and rapporteur.
- Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid (Imam of the Grand Mosque and Chairman of the Shura Council) as an examiner.
- Nasser ibn Abdul-Karim al-Aql (faculty member at the College of Fundamentals of Religion) as an examiner.
- Hassan ibn Fahd al-Huwaymil (faculty member at the Arabic Language College in Qassim and president of the Qassim Literary Club) as an examiner.
The dissertation was published in three large volumes spanning over 2,200 pages by Dar al-Andalus al-Khadra' in Jeddah, with its first edition appearing in 1424 AH / 2003 CE.
Structure and Scope
The book is structured into an introduction, a prelude, four substantive parts divided into thematic chapters, and a concluding section.
- Prelude: Briefly addresses the comprehensive scope of Islam over all human activity, the relationship between literary expression and doctrinal belief, and a historical survey of contemporary cultural and literary deviations, citing factors such as Western colonial encroachment, intellectual decline, and foreign educational influences.
- Part One (Deviations Concerning God Almighty): Comprises four chapters analyzing assertions regarding divine Lordship (rububiyyah), Divinity and worship (uluhiyyah), the Divine Names and Attributes (al-asma' wa-l-sifat), and concepts influenced by pagan and corrupted religious traditions. It critiques modernist literary expressions that deny or question God's existence, portray existence as absurd, or ascribe divine creation to mortal agents.
- Part Two (Deviations Concerning Angels, Revealed Books, and Prophets): Contains three chapters surveying modernist handling of the angels, scriptures (particularly the Quran), and the prophets. It highlights textual instances of mockery, denial of metaphysical realities, or the misattribution of prophetic and angelic titles to political figures and secular symbols.
- Part Three (Deviations Concerning the Hereafter and Predestination): Features three chapters examining skepticism or mockery directed toward the Day of Judgment and bodily resurrection, as well as philosophical rejection and complaints directed against divine decree (al-qadar).
- Part Four (Deviations Concerning Rulings, Conduct, and Social Systems): Consists of five chapters addressing the subversion of Islamic legal terminology, attacks on Islamic governance, ridicule of traditional morality, and political or socioeconomic ideas borrowed from secularism, Marxism, and Western liberal models.
- Conclusion: Summarizes the causes behind theological deviation in contemporary Arabic literature and offers proposals to counter them, including educational fortification, promoting Islamic literature, scholarly refutations, and administrative vigilance over cultural platforms.
Method and Reception
The author adopts an inductive critical method, citing extensive textual extracts directly from contemporary Arab modernist poets, novelists, and essayists—such as Adonis, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, Nizar Qabbani, Nazik al-Malaika, Nawal El Saadawi, Abdelrahman Munif, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Mohamed Choukri—and evaluating them against orthodox Sunni theological standards. The study also traces modernist symbolism back to esoteric (batini) sects, pantheistic Sufi concepts (such as those of Ibn Arabi and al-Hallaj), and Western philosophical currents.
The work has been cited and recommended by contemporary Islamic scholars and fatwa bodies as a detailed reference for identifying theological infractions within modern Arabic literature.
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