Muhammad Abduh's thoughts
Short History of Muhammad Abduh
Muhammad Abduh was born in Mahaalat Nasr, Egypt in 1849 and died in 1905. From 1869-1877 he studied at Al-Azhar and he received the title "pious". There he met Jamaluddin al-Afghani and became his most loyal student. In 1899, he was appointed Mufti of Egypt. In the same year, he was also appointed as a member of the Shura Council.
The thoughts of Muhammad Abduh
a. Position of Reason and function of revelation
Muhammad Abduh argues that the way to know God is not through revelation but with reason. Besides that, the revelation function according to Muhammad Abduh covers the belief that the soul will continue to live after the physical body is destroyed, helping the mind to know the human condition in the hereafter and giving guidance on how to give thanks by worshiping.
b. Scrape old-fashioned attitudes and khurafat
According to Muhammad Abduh, the cause of the decline of Muslims at the end of the Middle Ages was the old-fashioned attitude. In this attitude implies the attitude of freezing, static, adhering to custom.
c. The door of ijtihad is not closed
Muhammad Abduh initially started the Maliki school, but in al-Azhar he studied the Hanafi School. He respects all schools of thought, but he does not want to be bound to any of them.
d. Education
