Theological renewal in modern Islamic thought: a comparative review of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi and Ṭāhā ‘Abd al-Raḥmān

Saeed Mohammed, Mohammed Mahdi Hama and Jalal Nori, Abdulwahed and El-Muhammady, Ahmad (2026) Theological renewal in modern Islamic thought: a comparative review of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi and Ṭāhā ‘Abd al-Raḥmān. IIUM Journal of Religion and Civilisational Studies (IJRCS), 9 (2). pp. 199-203. E-ISSN 2637-112X

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Abstract

The modern Muslim world is facing deep cultural and intellectual conflicts, which are mainly due to the continued impact of Western technological and philosophical frameworks on traditional Islamic values. This tension has led to a general revival of Islamic thought over the last few decades, and a rich and varied tradition of Islamic scholarship that has responded to modernity with a new sense of renewal (tajdīd) of Islamic theology. This intellectual debate has been joined by both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, who have discussed the ways in which Islamic traditions can address and respond to current challenges. This article focuses on two prominent scholars, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960) and Ṭāhā ‘Abd al-Raḥmān (b. 1944), whose intellectual journeys are deeply embedded in the intricate historical settings of their eras. Nursi lived at a time of great social and intellectual change in the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic. His theological writings were a reaction to the secularisation pressures, scientific questions and ideological changes of his time. On the other hand, Ṭāhā Abdul Rahman's theological perspective was shaped in the post-colonial Moroccan environment, where he faced the intellectual heritage of Western philosophies and the internal challenges of Islamic thinking (‘Abd al-Raḥmān, 2005; Ḥallāq, 2019). In this study, the theological methodologies of Nursi and ‘Abd al-Raḥmān are compared, and it is emphasised how their works contribute to the revitalisation of Islamic theology, in order to make it relevant and intellectually sovereign in the modern world.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies (Effective: 5th Feb 2014) International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC)
Depositing User:	Abdulwahed Jalal Nori
Date Deposited:	05 Nov 2026 12:04
Last Update:	05 Nov 2026 12:04
Queue Number:	2026-10-Q6005
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/132465
Indexed In:	UNSPECIFIED

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