Science and Civilisation between Islam and Christianity
Published on 20. February 2025
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-914983-24-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book is a translation of Muhammad Abduh's Al-Islam wa-l-Na?raniyya ma?a al-?Ilm wa-l-Madaniyya (Science and Civilisation between Islam and Christianity). Abduh was an Egyptian jurist, religious scholar, theologian and a reformer of Al-Azhar who died in 1905. His impact on modern Islam cannot be overstated. In fact, much of modern Muslim thought has either been a reaction for or against his ideas. Although numerous English studies have been done on him, only one treatise of his has been translated into English. That is, Risalat al-tawhid (Theology of Unity) by Ishaq Masa?ad and Kenneth Cragg, in 1966.
Far too little attention has been paid to the treatise translated here. Much less attention has been given to how this treatise impacts the Islamic theology of Christianity. Hence, this translation fills a serious gap in the genre of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.
Far too little attention has been paid to the treatise translated here. Much less attention has been given to how this treatise impacts the Islamic theology of Christianity. Hence, this translation fills a serious gap in the genre of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.
Reviews / Votes
This is a most important translation, for it widens the available corpus of Muhammad ?Abduh's writings for English-speaking readers. ?Abduh presents a view of Christianity from an Islamic perspective that is timely and challenging. This is a significant book for Muslims and for Christians.-Professor Gavin D'Costa, University of Bristol
'Translations are essential in helping different communities to understand one anothers' thinking. This work by Muhammad 'Abduh explicitly addresses the issue of Muslim-Christian mutual perceptions, yet ironically has never before been translated into any European language. So this new and clear translation is to be welcomed -not least by those who find themselves described, and may want to engage with the ideas presented. After all, the exchanges of over one hundred years ago can sound strangely contemporary'.
- Dr Martin Whittingham, Academic Dean, The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford
Muhammad ?Abduh has long been a polarising figure in modern Islamic thought, often criticised as a 'reformer' accused of undermining tradition in his engagement with modernity. This first translation of Science and Civilisation: Between Islam and Christianity presents a corrective, offering a clear and accessible presentation of ?Abduh's nuanced and forward-looking ideas. It showcases his ability to address the challenges of modernity without compromising the richness of the Islamic tradition, underscoring his enduring relevance in contemporary discourse. Love or hate ?Abduh, this vital contribution to Islamic studies more broadly and Islam and Science in particular, will be invaluable for academics and readers seeking to engage with the complexities of his intellectual legacy.
-Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Lecturer in Science and Religion
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-914983-24-5 (9781914983245)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mohamed Gamal Abdelnour is a faculty member at the Faculty of Usul al-Din, Al-Azhar University (Cairo) and a research fellow at the department of philosophy, University of York, U.K. He received his primary, secondary and undergraduate education at Al-Azhar, where he memorized the Qur'an at the age of eleven, deeply studied the various disciplines of the Islamic tradition, and graduated as valedictorian of his class with a bachelor's in Islamic Studies and Philosophy in 2011 (Al-Azhar University, Cairo). He holds an MA in Catholic Theology (Durham University, U.K.) and a PhD in Comparative Theology (SOAS University of London).
Umran Khan obtained a BA Arabic and History from SOAS, University of London. He works as an Arabic-English translator, editor and proofreader. He also writes on Islamic history and politics, having written for the online magazine Muslim Matters on Islam in the Indian subcontinent and an award-winning essay on Muslim Intellectual Life in 8th Century Baghdad for Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar. He teaches Arabic and Islamic History at the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre and is currently the programme manager at Al-Salam Institute, London, an institute specialising in teaching Arabic and the Islamic sciences.
Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905) was a religious scholar, philosopher, jurist, and reformer, who led the late 19th-century movement in Egypt and other Muslim societies to revitalize Islamic teachings and institutions in the modern world.
Muhammad A. S. Abdel Haleem is the King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies and director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University, as well as editor of the Journal of Qur'anic Studies. His Quran translation is one of the most commonly cited in the field.
David Thomas is an Emeritus Professor of Christianity and Islam at the University of Birmingham and a priest in the Church of England. Throughout his career, he has combined teaching and research in Islamic thought and Christian-Muslim relations with church involvement at the parish, diocesan and national levels.
Umran Khan obtained a BA Arabic and History from SOAS, University of London. He works as an Arabic-English translator, editor and proofreader. He also writes on Islamic history and politics, having written for the online magazine Muslim Matters on Islam in the Indian subcontinent and an award-winning essay on Muslim Intellectual Life in 8th Century Baghdad for Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar. He teaches Arabic and Islamic History at the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre and is currently the programme manager at Al-Salam Institute, London, an institute specialising in teaching Arabic and the Islamic sciences.
Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905) was a religious scholar, philosopher, jurist, and reformer, who led the late 19th-century movement in Egypt and other Muslim societies to revitalize Islamic teachings and institutions in the modern world.
Muhammad A. S. Abdel Haleem is the King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies and director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University, as well as editor of the Journal of Qur'anic Studies. His Quran translation is one of the most commonly cited in the field.
David Thomas is an Emeritus Professor of Christianity and Islam at the University of Birmingham and a priest in the Church of England. Throughout his career, he has combined teaching and research in Islamic thought and Christian-Muslim relations with church involvement at the parish, diocesan and national levels.
Content
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Translators' Introduction xvii
I Biographical context xvii
II Intellectual content: apology or epistemology? xxii
III A note on the translation xxxi
Islam, Muslims, and Colonialism
in response to Gabriel Hanotaux 1
Semitic and Aryan civilisations 1
Hanotaux on predestination and transcendence 7
Transcendence vs anthropomorphism 12
Addressing Hanotaux's critique of Muslim realities 20
Islam's role in governance and society 24
Ottoman-European relations 35
Reflections 40
The Persecution of Knowledge and Civilisation under
Christianity in response to Farah Antun 41
The succinct response 43
The detailed response 45
Denial of inter-fighting between Muslims due to differences
of belief 45
Muslims' tolerance with scholars, researchers, and philosophers
from all groups 47
Scholars and philosophers who enjoyed the good graces of the
caliphs 48
The Essence of Christianity 53
Introduction 53
The first principle of Christianity: miracles 53
The second principle of Christianity: the authority of the priests 55
The third principle of Christianity: asceticism 55
The fourth principle of Christianity: belief in the incomprehensible 56
The fifth principle of Christianity: that the Holy Scriptures contain
everything which mankind needs to know for this life and
the next 57
The sixth principle of Christianity: demarcating between Christians
and others - including those with similar beliefs 58
The results and effects of these principles 58
Christianity's opposition to science 61
The surveillance of publications and the Inquisition 63
Christian persecution of Muslims, Jews, and scholars in general 65
Principle of authority for clergymen over the masses 66
Church opposition to hypodermic injections 67
Opposition to painless labour 67
Opposition to civil authority and freedom of belief 67
Opposition to scientific associations and books 68
Protestantism and reform 68
Separation of church and state in Christianity 70
Muslim belief about the Messiah and Christianity 71
The Essence of Islam Towards Science and Philosophy in
Accordance with its Principles 75
Introduction to the first principle 75
The first principle of Islam: rational enquiry to attain faith 79
The second principle of Islam: preference of reason over the apparent
meaning of revelation when there is a contradiction 79
The third principle: a principle of judgement in Islam: avoiding
excommunication 80
The fourth principle of Islam: consideration of God's universal laws
in creation 80
The fifth principle of Islam: the overthrow of religious authority 82
The sixth principle of Islam: protecting Islam by defensive war to
avoid compulsion in religion 86
The seventh principle of Islam: amicability of opposing beliefs 89
The eighth principle of Islam: combining the interest of this life
and the hereafter 90
Outcomes of these principles and their effects on Muslims 95
Muslim engagement with literary and rational sciences 96
Their engagement with cosmology at the beginning of the second
century 97
Their development of public and private libraries 98
Their development of colleges for sciences and the method of
teaching within them 99
Western sciences and their discoveries 100
Caliphs and rulers taking scholars and scholarly production by
the hand 104
Removing two doubts and explaining the reality of the so-called
persecution 105
Islam today and judging Islam based on Muslims' conduct 108
Renan's view on Islam 111
Muslim stagnation and its causes 113
Europe's Acquisition of Civilisation from Islam and the Reasons
for its General Prominence 135
The first reason: associations 135
The second reason: religious pressure 136
The third reason: revolution 137
The fourth reason: leaving Christianity 137
A return to Islam's tolerance 138
Knowledge's dependence on religion and the contagion of bigotry
amongst Muslims 140
Neglect of the statements of the earliest Muslims and the state of the
religious sciences and their students 142
Knowledge's affiliation with Islam and its disassociation from all
else 144
The callers to Islam 145
The imitator is always below the imitated 146
Reform and reformers 147
The difference between the two types of fanaticism 148
Hanotaux's recent opinion 148
Policy of the English regarding tolerance 150
Conclusion 151
Bibliography 153
Index 157
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Translators' Introduction xvii
I Biographical context xvii
II Intellectual content: apology or epistemology? xxii
III A note on the translation xxxi
Islam, Muslims, and Colonialism
in response to Gabriel Hanotaux 1
Semitic and Aryan civilisations 1
Hanotaux on predestination and transcendence 7
Transcendence vs anthropomorphism 12
Addressing Hanotaux's critique of Muslim realities 20
Islam's role in governance and society 24
Ottoman-European relations 35
Reflections 40
The Persecution of Knowledge and Civilisation under
Christianity in response to Farah Antun 41
The succinct response 43
The detailed response 45
Denial of inter-fighting between Muslims due to differences
of belief 45
Muslims' tolerance with scholars, researchers, and philosophers
from all groups 47
Scholars and philosophers who enjoyed the good graces of the
caliphs 48
The Essence of Christianity 53
Introduction 53
The first principle of Christianity: miracles 53
The second principle of Christianity: the authority of the priests 55
The third principle of Christianity: asceticism 55
The fourth principle of Christianity: belief in the incomprehensible 56
The fifth principle of Christianity: that the Holy Scriptures contain
everything which mankind needs to know for this life and
the next 57
The sixth principle of Christianity: demarcating between Christians
and others - including those with similar beliefs 58
The results and effects of these principles 58
Christianity's opposition to science 61
The surveillance of publications and the Inquisition 63
Christian persecution of Muslims, Jews, and scholars in general 65
Principle of authority for clergymen over the masses 66
Church opposition to hypodermic injections 67
Opposition to painless labour 67
Opposition to civil authority and freedom of belief 67
Opposition to scientific associations and books 68
Protestantism and reform 68
Separation of church and state in Christianity 70
Muslim belief about the Messiah and Christianity 71
The Essence of Islam Towards Science and Philosophy in
Accordance with its Principles 75
Introduction to the first principle 75
The first principle of Islam: rational enquiry to attain faith 79
The second principle of Islam: preference of reason over the apparent
meaning of revelation when there is a contradiction 79
The third principle: a principle of judgement in Islam: avoiding
excommunication 80
The fourth principle of Islam: consideration of God's universal laws
in creation 80
The fifth principle of Islam: the overthrow of religious authority 82
The sixth principle of Islam: protecting Islam by defensive war to
avoid compulsion in religion 86
The seventh principle of Islam: amicability of opposing beliefs 89
The eighth principle of Islam: combining the interest of this life
and the hereafter 90
Outcomes of these principles and their effects on Muslims 95
Muslim engagement with literary and rational sciences 96
Their engagement with cosmology at the beginning of the second
century 97
Their development of public and private libraries 98
Their development of colleges for sciences and the method of
teaching within them 99
Western sciences and their discoveries 100
Caliphs and rulers taking scholars and scholarly production by
the hand 104
Removing two doubts and explaining the reality of the so-called
persecution 105
Islam today and judging Islam based on Muslims' conduct 108
Renan's view on Islam 111
Muslim stagnation and its causes 113
Europe's Acquisition of Civilisation from Islam and the Reasons
for its General Prominence 135
The first reason: associations 135
The second reason: religious pressure 136
The third reason: revolution 137
The fourth reason: leaving Christianity 137
A return to Islam's tolerance 138
Knowledge's dependence on religion and the contagion of bigotry
amongst Muslims 140
Neglect of the statements of the earliest Muslims and the state of the
religious sciences and their students 142
Knowledge's affiliation with Islam and its disassociation from all
else 144
The callers to Islam 145
The imitator is always below the imitated 146
Reform and reformers 147
The difference between the two types of fanaticism 148
Hanotaux's recent opinion 148
Policy of the English regarding tolerance 150
Conclusion 151
Bibliography 153
Index 157