'ABDUH, MUHAMMAD

born 1849, Nile Delta area, Egypt died July 11, 1905, near Alexandria religious scholar, jurist, and liberal reformer, who led the late 19th-century movement in Egypt and other Muslim countries to revitalize Islamic teachings and institutions in the modern world. As mufti (Islamic legal counsellor) for Egypt (from 1899), he effected reforms in Islamic law, administration, and higher education and, although resisted by conservatives, broke the rigidity of Muslim ritual, dogma, and family ties. His writings include the "Treatise on the Oneness of God" and a commentary on the Qur'an. Additional reading Charles C. Adams, Islam and Modernism in Egypt: A Study of the Modern Reform Movement Inaugurated by Muhammad 'Abduh (1933, reprinted 1968), is a classic work that deals at length with Rashid Rida and other followers of 'Abduh. A substantial analysis of 'Abduh's thought and legacy is found in Malcolm H. Kerr, Islamic Reform: The Political and Legal Theories of Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida (1966). Elie Kedourie, Afghani and 'Abduh (1966), portrays 'Abduh as a clandestine religious and political subversive.