Revival and Reform in Islam: The Legacy of Muhammad al-Shawkani (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 284 pages
• Published by: Cambridge University Press June 16, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0521528909
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0521528900
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 13.6 ounces

Product Description
This intellectual biography of Muhammad al-Shawkani, one of the founding fathers of modern Islamic reformism, is also a study of an important transitional period in Yemeni history which saw the shift from traditional Shi'ism to Sunni reformism. The transition propelled political, religious and social change. While Shawkani espoused a socio-religious order which echoed aspects of Western thinking, the book demonstrates that it was indigenous to Islamic thought. Shawkani's ideas remain vital to the intellectual debates happening in Islam today.

Book Description
Revival and Reform in Early Modern Islam is both an intellectual biography of Muhammad al-Shawkani, one of the founding fathers of modern reformism, and a study of an important transitional period in Yemeni history which saw the shift from traditional Shi'ism to Sunni reformism. This transition propelled political, religious and social change. The book demonstrates that, while Shawkani espoused a socio-religious order which echoed aspects of Western thinking, it was indigenous to Islamic thought. Shawkani's ideas remain central to the intellectual debates taking place in Islam today.

Reader Reviews
I found this book to be an incredibly instructive introduction to Salafi thought and legal practice. Imam al-Shawkani, along with Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, is one of the principal scholars of the Salafi movement. This book situates al-Shawkani's life in the intricate context of Yemeni history and politics, but do not be put off by this because it repays the effort. Haykel is able to show how and why some scholars adopt a Salafi methodology and in so doing accumulate an awesome degree of authority and power. Among the many things I learned from this book is why the Salafis are obsessed with expelling non-Muslims from Arabia and what arguments they put forth for this against Muslims who disagree on this point. This topic it turns out was hotly debated in 18th-century Yemen, well before Shaykh Usama Bin Laden brought it up in more recent times. Khuda Hafiz, Ahsan ul-Haqq, Deoband, India