Muhammad 'AbduhModern Islam and the Culture of Ambiguity

The book provides a new complete intellectual biography of Muhammad 'Abduh (1849–1905), delineating his formation as a reformer and activist and embedding his varied intellectual contributions in a culture of ambiguity which has marked the intellectual life of Muslim societies throughout their history.

By using new sources – in particular his early mystical, philosophical and political writings – and including recent academic contributions on him, the book explores 'Abduh's complex intellectual formation, the various religious, philosophical and cultural influences that shaped him, and his changing attitudes towards “Western modernity” and its colonial manifestation in the 19th century.