Awdat al-Majd Wahm am Haqiqa
- Author died
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- Editions
- Mu’assasat Iqra’ lil-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘ wal-Tarjamah
Awdat al-Majd: Wahm am Haqiqa? (The Return of Glory: Illusion or Reality?) is an Islamic revivalist treatise by Egyptian author Magdi al-Hilali, addressing whether the prospective resurgence of the Islamic community is an unattainable daydream or an achievable reality grounded in scriptural prophecies and spiritual reform.
Publication and Overview
The book was published in its first edition in 1428 AH / 2007 CE by Mu'assasat Iqra' lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi' wal-Tarjama in Cairo. Written in an accessible exhortative style, the work seeks to reconcile scriptural promises of Islamic triumph with the severe contemporary crises faced by Muslims worldwide.
Content and Arguments
Scriptural Glad Tidings vs. Modern Reality
Al-Hilali begins by examining definitive scriptural glad tidings (al-mubashshirat al-qati'ah), citing prophetic traditions concerning the conquest of Rome following Constantinople, the eventual re-establishment of a caliphate upon the prophetic methodology, and the universal reach of Islam. He contrasts these promises with the prevailing state of political fragmentation, social decline, and foreign domination across Muslim lands, highlighting contemporary tragedies in Palestine, Iraq, and Indonesia.
Diagnosis of the Crisis
Addressing why divine assistance appears withheld despite Muslims supplicating and performing outward rituals, the author turns to the Quran to argue that divine aid is contingent upon collective self-rectification, quoting the verse: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ("Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves").
Al-Hilali diagnoses the core problem of the community as fundamentally a "crisis of faith" (mushkila imaniyyah), driven by excessive attachment to worldly pursuits (hubb al-dunya) and spiritual feebleness (al-wahn). He emphasizes that because the Muslim nation has been entrusted with the duty of universal moral witness and conveying the divine message to humanity, its neglect of this responsibility incurs a distinct divine chastisement that cannot be remedied through material progress alone.
The Prophetic Remedy
To illustrate the required standard of faith, the author cites historical examples of immediate obedience from the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, such as turning toward the Kaaba mid-prayer, immediately discarding wine upon its prohibition, and Hanzalah rushing to martyrdom at the Battle of Uhud.
Al-Hilali reviews various supplementary means of spiritual upkeep—including general reading, sermons, audio-visual materials, and pious companionship—concluding that none possess the enduring capacity to generate self-sustaining internal motivation on an ongoing basis. Instead, he asserts that a genuine, profound return to the Quran through contemplative recitation (tadabbur) is the sole comprehensive remedy. He warns against reducing the Quran to ritual recitation for formal occasions, arguing that the revival of the Ummah is intrinsically tied to producing a "Quranic generation" that translates scriptural guidance into actionable societal reform.
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