Abduh, Muhammad << AHB doo, moo HAM uhd >> (1849-1905), an Egyptian theologian, led a movement in the late 1800’s to modernize Islamic thinking. He tried to bring Islamic law, education, and theology in line with the findings of science and the conditions of the modern world. His ideas have had a lasting effect on Islam.
Abduh was born in the Nile Delta area of Egypt. In 1877, he graduated from al-Azhar University in Cairo. As a young man, Abduh was a follower of Iranian philosopher and politician Jamāl al-Din al-Afghānī, who called for the unity of all Muslims worldwide. For many years, Abduh favored resistance to European power in Egypt. But he later supported limited cooperation with Egypt’s British rulers to achieve educational and social change. In 1899, Abduh became grand mufti (chief legal expert) of Egypt. He died on July 11, 1905.
See also Muslims (Reform and renewal).
