al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya

al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya (Progress and Reactionism) is a treatise by the Moroccan scholar Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali (d. 1407 AH / 1987 CE) analyzing the modern concepts of progress and reactionism and defending Islamic adherence against accusations of backwardness al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.

Background and Composition

The work originated as a public lecture delivered by al-Hilali to students and visitors at the Islamic University of Madinah during its cultural season, while he served as a teacher in its Faculty of Da'wa and Usul al-Din al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1. The text was subsequently serialized across multiple issues of the university's journal (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah) and published as an independent tract al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.

Content and Arguments

Al-Hilali begins by examining the linguistic and conceptual history of the terms "progress" (al-taqaddum) and "reactionism" (al-raj'iyya). He notes that classical Arabic did not use these terms in the political and ideological sense employed by contemporary writers, citing Ibn Manzur's lexicon Lisan al-Arab for the root meaning of raj', which denotes returning to a prior place or condition al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya. He asserts that modern writers imported both terms directly from European political discourse, where "reactionary" denotes returning to the European Dark Ages of papal dominance, ignorance, and oppression al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya.

The central thesis of the work distinguishes between Western and Islamic history:

• The Western Experience: In Europe, the pre-modern past under ecclesiastical authority was marked by intellectual stagnation, severe social inequality, and moral decline, leading European thinkers to view any return to that past as regressive al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1. Al-Hilali surveys early Christian history, discussing Paul of Tarsus and Augustine of Hippo and their roles in shaping medieval Christian doctrine al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.
• The Islamic Experience: In contrast, the Islamic past was an era of scientific advancement, intellectual enlightenment, public welfare, and moral governance, as seen in the Hijaz, Damascus, Baghdad, and Islamic Spain al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1. To illustrate Islamic civilizational superiority over contemporary medieval Europe, al-Hilali quotes European historians, including Stanley Lane-Poole and Joseph McCabe, whose book on Arab civilization in al-Andalus al-Hilali had previously translated into Arabic al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.
• True Progress vs. Blind Imitation: Al-Hilali argues that for Muslims, returning to the foundations of Islamic guidance is the essence of true advancement, rather than reactionism, and that adopting beneficial modern sciences does not contradict preserving Islamic identity al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya. He criticizes secularist Muslim writers who blindly copy Western critiques of religion without understanding the difference between the two historical contexts al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya.
• Materialist and Irreligious Regimes: Al-Hilali addresses atheist and communist states that dismiss religion as the "opium of the people," arguing that such regimes dismantled church power only to impose material despotism through execution, torture, and suppression of liberty al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya.
• Cultural Identity: Al-Hilali presents Japan as a case of a nation that embraced Western material science and achieved advanced standing without discarding its cultural heritage and customs, drawing upon personal observations from his residence in Berlin al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.

He concludes by recalling the degradation of pre-Islamic Arabia—such as female infanticide, divination by arrows, and rampant tribal warfare—and showing how Islam transformed the region into a flourishing civilization, asserting that upholding this heritage remains the only sound path to genuine progress al-Taqaddum wal-Rajiyya+1.