Majallat al-Manar
- Author died
- 1354 AH
- Editions
- Majallat al-Manar
Majallat al-Manar (The Lighthouse Journal) is an Islamic reformist periodical established and edited in Cairo by the Syrian scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida (1282–1354 AH / 1865–1935 CE) . Serving as a primary forum for religious, social, and educational reform across the Muslim world, it was published continuously from 1315 AH (1898 CE) until Rida's death, with subsequent revival attempts until 1359 AH (1940 CE) .
Background and Inception
Before immigrating to Egypt in 1315 AH, Muhammad Rashid Rida sought to establish a periodical that would revive the reformist mission of al-Urwa al-Wuthqa, which had ceased publication after eighteen issues . Upon arriving in Cairo, Rida presented the project to his teacher, Muhammad Abduh, who endorsed the idea on three conditions: that the publication refrain from aligning with any political faction, avoid responding to attacks or polemics from rival newspapers, and not serve the personal agendas of political elites . Rida presented several potential titles to Abduh, who chose al-Manar .
The inaugural issue appeared on 22 Shawwal 1315 AH (15 March 1898 CE; another report gives 17 March) as an eight-page weekly broadsheet . A year later, it transitioned into a magazine format, eventually appearing semi-monthly and then settling into a monthly schedule aligned with the Hijri calendar . Its front-page banner described it as "a monthly journal discussing the philosophy of religion, social affairs, and civilization" . It was initially printed at Matba'at al-Mu'ayyad, owned by Ali Yusuf, before Rida established his own printing house (Matba'at al-Manar) .
Aims, Content, and Structure
The journal aimed to advance religious and social reform, demonstrate the compatibility of Islam with reason and modern science, refute misconceptions and superstitions, reform educational methods and curricula, and encourage education for both boys and girls .
Issues typically adhered to a structured arrangement:
- Quranic Exegesis (Tafsir): Opening each issue with serial exegesis, initially recording the lectures of Muhammad Abduh and later composed independently by Rida, which came to form Tafsir al-Manar .
- Legal Rulings (Fatawa al-Manar): Providing answers by Rida to jurisprudential and creedal inquiries received from readers worldwide .
- Regular Sections: Including correspondence and debates (Bab al-Murasala wa-l-Munazara), scientific and literary notices (Athar Ilmiyya wa-Adabiyya), political analysis and news (al-Akhbar wa-l-Ara'), and obituaries and profiles (Tarajim al-A'yan) .
- Wider Studies: Articles covering history, universal natural laws, medicine, public health, literature, poetry, and linguistic investigations, alongside excerpts attributed to contemporary publications such as al-Muqtataf and al-Mu'ayyad .
Contributors and Editorial Evolution
Rida authored the majority of the material, establishing that any unsigned piece was of his own composition . Prominent literary figures and scholars contributed to its pages, including Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi'i, Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti, Shakib Arslan, Muhammad al-Khadir Husayn, Ahmad al-Iskandari, Hifni Nasif, Hafiz Ibrahim, Abd al-Muhsin al-Kazimi, Muhammad Ruhi al-Khalidi, Abd al-Qadir al-Maghribi, Rafiq al-Azm, and Malak Hifni Nasif .
Following Abduh's death in 1323 AH (1905 CE), Rida's editorial and exegetical methodology shifted toward greater reliance on Hadith traditions, linguistic analysis, and doctrinal positions associated with Salafism, which drew criticism and public polemics from more secular and rationalist contemporaries .
Reception and Later History
Majallat al-Manar attained broad circulation across the Arab world, the Levant, North Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, including the Malay Archipelago and Indonesia . Due to its political commentary and criticism, the Ottoman government prohibited its entry into certain territories .
Under Rida's direct editorship, the journal spanned thirty-five volumes, ending with volume 35, part 2, dated 29 Rabi' al-Thani 1354 AH (July 1935 CE), shortly before his death . Following a seven-month suspension, publication was briefly resumed by the Syrian scholar Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar . It paused again before being taken up by Hasan al-Banna, who published six issues over a fourteen-month span until it permanently ceased publication in 1359 AH (1940 CE) .
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