Abstract:

The idea of ‘reform’ is a recurrent theme in Islam. It is encapsulated through the figure of the mujaddid, which specifies a learned man who appears at the turn of every century to revise the doctrines of Islam in order to make it relevant to its time.

Despite their differing doctrinal focus, past Islamic figures hailed as mujaddid such as Ibn ‘Arabi, Ibn Tamiyyah and Al-Ghazali all share one thing in common – they were doubters of the Islamic norms of their day. They were critical thinkers intent on improving society.

This seminar aimed to articulate the idea of ‘critical Islam’, a tradition within past and present Islamic societies that has been largely understudied. In the modern world, the idea of ‘critical Islam’ becomes especially pertinent as Muslims negotiate a viable existence in an age punctuated by the rise of nation-states, a proclivity for reason and the need to uphold human rights.

In this two-hour seminar, scholars discussed ideas of reform, rights, moral codes and pluralism with references to examples and discourses from the Middle East and Asia.