MUHAMMAD `ABDUH AND ISLAMIC REFORM

‘Abduh's thoughts were followed by some scholars and they can be classified into two different groups. The first group consisted of those who focused their attention narrowly on ' Abduh's emphasis on the unchanging nature of the central doctrines of Islam and lost touch with the spirit of his thought. This group moved in the direction of Hanbali or Wahabi fundamentalism and was led by Muhammad Rashid Rida. The second group was comprised of those who emphasized the necessity of change in the law, custom, and institutions of Islamic society. They tried to work out, in different spheres of life, the implications of the moral principles of Islam for the modem world. In doing, they tended (consciously or not) to move in the direction of secular nationalism and of a distinction between the realm of religion and that of social utility, farfrom the spirit of Islam or the intentions of 'Abduh. To this second group belonged the more distinguished of `Abduh's Egyptian followers, like Muhammad Farid Wajdi, Qasim Amin, Lutfi al-Sayyid, Mustafa 'Abd al-Raziq and 'Ali 'Abd al-Raziq. M. A. Zaki Badawi names the first group as "the Muslim wing," and the second group as "the Western Wing." He indicates that the Muslim wing of `Abduh's supposed disciples became, in a manner of speaking, more Muslim; while the Western wing became more Western than `Abduh.