Afghani and 'Abduh: An Essay on Religious Unbelief and Political Activism in Modern Islam

107 Pages·1966·2.994 MB·English

by  Elie Kedourie

AFGHANI AND ‘ABDUH
AN ESSAY ON RELIGIOUS UNBELIEF AND
POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN MODERN ISLAM
By the same author
England and the Middle East:
The Destruction of the Ottoman Empire 1914-1921
Nationalism
AFGHANI AND ‘ABDUH
AN ESSAY ON RELIGIOUS UNBELIEF
AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN
MODERN ISLAM
ELIE KEDOURIE
Professor of Politics in the
University of London
FRANK CASS & CO. LTD.
1966
B P
>vi
First published in 1966 by
,{\26
FRANK CASS & CO. LTD.,
k'^5
10 Woburn Walk, London W.C.l.
© HUE KEDOURIE 1966
PRINTED IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY
BAIRD OF BELFAST
CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . . . vii
A fghani and ‘Abduh . . . . . 1
Appendices :
I. ‘Abduh’s Letter to Afghani, Beirut, 1883 . 66
II. Afghani’s Articles in V Intransigeant, Paris, 1883 70
III. Afghani’s Letter to the British Ambassador,
Constantinople, 1895 . . . . 87
Notes . . . . . . . . 89

PREFACE
For over half a century Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and his
follower Muhammad ‘Abduh have been accepted entirely at
their own valuation. The prevalent account of their career, for
which they themselves are largely responsible, diligently advertised
by their numerous and faithful disciples, exhibits them as devoted
and pious reformers of Islam. This picture turns out on closer
examination to have little to do with the reality. But if the actual
beliefs and activities of Afghani and ‘Abduh are not as edifying
as has been generally thought, yet as will be seen from these
pages, they are perhaps more curious and significant than the
hagiographers have made out.
Two students of Middle Eastern history, Miss Sylvia G. Haim
and Mrs. Nikki R. Keddie, in the course of examining Arab and
Persian nationalism respectively were led independently of each
other to make some remarks on Afghani which aroused in me
curiosity and puzzlement and led me to the present investigation.
The work of both of them appeared in 1962. In 1963, most
opportunely, there was published in Teheran a collection of
documents belonging to Afghani which had lain undisturbed
since his expulsion from Persia in 1891. These documents and the
other sources examined here shed a peculiar light on the origins
of so-called reformism in contemporary Islam. Suddenly, therefore,
in the space of some two years, the received version of Afghani’s
and ‘Abduh’s history has been damaged seemingly beyond repair.
The episode constitutes a pleasing illustration of the fortuitous
and unpredictable character of historiographical progress.
Parts of this Essay have appeared in Orient (Paris) and Middle
Eastern Studies (London).
E. K.
August, 1965

Iago: Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act, and figure of my heart
in complement extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at; I am not what I am.
Othello, Act I, Scene 1.
What the subject is, is the series of his actions.
Hegal