Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī

This dissertation examines the life and work of Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (d. 1935), a prominent Azhari ‘alim, who is relatively unknown to Western scholarship except as an inflexibly conservative figure opposed to the Modernist reforms being proposed in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-cen...

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Main Author: Quadri, Syed
Other Authors: Setrag Manoukian (Supervisor)
Format: Others
Language:en
Published: McGill University 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=121166
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spelling ndltd-LACETR-oai-collectionscanada.gc.ca-QMM.1211662014-05-23T03:53:40ZTransformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'īQuadri, SyedReligion - History of This dissertation examines the life and work of Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (d. 1935), a prominent Azhari ‘alim, who is relatively unknown to Western scholarship except as an inflexibly conservative figure opposed to the Modernist reforms being proposed in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Egypt. I engage in a close reading of one of his works, the Irshad Ahl al-Milla ila Ithbat al-Ahilla, to demonstrate, in opposition to the received characterization, the degree to which Bakhit, as a representative leader of the ‘ulama, had imbibed epistemological commitments associated with central Modernist ideals. In particular, I show how Bakhit's conception of ijtihad and legal authority relies on a modern notion of history; how his commitment to the findings of science assumes a representationalist epistemology; and how his understanding of the concept of "religion" is indebted to a secularist logic. All of these, I argue, constitute departures from the prevailing tradition as embodied in the pre-modern Hanafi madhhab (juristic school).Cette thèse examine la vie et l'œuvre de Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (mort en 1935). ‘Alim Azharite célèbre, ce penseur est relativement inconnu par les chercheurs occidentaux sauf en tant que personnage rigide et conservateur, farouchement opposé aux reformes modernistes qui ont vu le jour en Égypte vers la fin du dix-neuvième et au début du vingtième siècles. Dans ce travail, j'ai entrepris une lecture systématique de l'une de ses œuvres, l'Irshad Ahl al-Milla ila Ithbat al-Ahilla, afin de démontrer, à l'encontre de la caractérisation généralement admise, à quel point Bakhit avait assimilé les présupposés épistémologiques associés aux idéaux centraux des modernistes. En particulier, j'ai pu montrer comment les conceptions qu'avait Bakhit de l'ijtihad et de l'autorité juridique reposent sur une notion moderne de l'histoire; comment son adhésion aux découvertes scientifiques suppose une épistémologie représentationaliste; et comment sa conception de la notion de « religion » dépend d'une logique séculariste. Je défends donc l'idée que l'ensemble de ces positions constituent un éloignement notable par rapport à la tradition prédominante incarnée par le madhhab Hanafite prémoderne.McGill UniversitySetrag Manoukian (Supervisor)2014Electronic Thesis or Dissertationapplication/pdfenElectronically-submitted thesesAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.Doctor of Philosophy (Institute of Islamic Studies) http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=121166
collection NDLTD
language en
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic Religion - History of
spellingShingle Religion - History of
Quadri, Syed
Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
description This dissertation examines the life and work of Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (d. 1935), a prominent Azhari ‘alim, who is relatively unknown to Western scholarship except as an inflexibly conservative figure opposed to the Modernist reforms being proposed in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Egypt. I engage in a close reading of one of his works, the Irshad Ahl al-Milla ila Ithbat al-Ahilla, to demonstrate, in opposition to the received characterization, the degree to which Bakhit, as a representative leader of the ‘ulama, had imbibed epistemological commitments associated with central Modernist ideals. In particular, I show how Bakhit's conception of ijtihad and legal authority relies on a modern notion of history; how his commitment to the findings of science assumes a representationalist epistemology; and how his understanding of the concept of "religion" is indebted to a secularist logic. All of these, I argue, constitute departures from the prevailing tradition as embodied in the pre-modern Hanafi madhhab (juristic school). === Cette thèse examine la vie et l'œuvre de Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (mort en 1935). ‘Alim Azharite célèbre, ce penseur est relativement inconnu par les chercheurs occidentaux sauf en tant que personnage rigide et conservateur, farouchement opposé aux reformes modernistes qui ont vu le jour en Égypte vers la fin du dix-neuvième et au début du vingtième siècles. Dans ce travail, j'ai entrepris une lecture systématique de l'une de ses œuvres, l'Irshad Ahl al-Milla ila Ithbat al-Ahilla, afin de démontrer, à l'encontre de la caractérisation généralement admise, à quel point Bakhit avait assimilé les présupposés épistémologiques associés aux idéaux centraux des modernistes. En particulier, j'ai pu montrer comment les conceptions qu'avait Bakhit de l'ijtihad et de l'autorité juridique reposent sur une notion moderne de l'histoire; comment son adhésion aux découvertes scientifiques suppose une épistémologie représentationaliste; et comment sa conception de la notion de « religion » dépend d'une logique séculariste. Je défends donc l'idée que l'ensemble de ces positions constituent un éloignement notable par rapport à la tradition prédominante incarnée par le madhhab Hanafite prémoderne.
author2 Setrag Manoukian (Supervisor)
author_facet Setrag Manoukian (Supervisor)
Quadri, Syed
author Quadri, Syed
author_sort Quadri, Syed
title Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
title_short Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
title_full Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
title_fullStr Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
title_full_unstemmed Transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of Muhammad Bakhīt al-Mutī'ī
title_sort transformations of tradition: modernity in the thought of muhammad bakhīt al-mutī'ī
publisher McGill University
publishDate 2014
url http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=121166
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