The famous Egyptian religious scholar, Shaikh Mohammad Abduh

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On July 11, 1905, the famous Egyptian jurist and reformist religious scholar, Shaikh Mohammad Abduh, passed away in Alexandria, at the age of 56 years. He was a product of al-Azhar where he studied logic, philosophy and mysticism. When the great Iranian pan Islamist scholar, Seyyed Jamal ad-Din Asadabadi, arrived in Egypt, Abduh became his student and was deeply influenced by him.
On being appointed editor-in-chief of al-Waqa'e al-Misriyya, the official newspaper of the country, he dedicated to reforming all aspects of Egyptian society. In his articles he criticized corruption, superstition, and the luxurious lives of the rich. He was exiled from Egypt in 1882 for six years, which he spent in Lebanon and Paris, where he joined Seyyed Jamaleddin in publishing the Islamic revolutionary journal "al-Urwat-al-Wusqa" which promoted anti-colonial views.
Abduh also visited Germany and Britain and during his exile dedicated his efforts toward furthering respect and friendship amongst Muslims and Christians. He returned to Egypt in 1888, in 1890, he became a consultative member of the Court of Appeal and in 1899, he was appointed Mufti of Egypt – a position he held until he died.
He embarked on reforming the education system at al-Azhar having come to the conclusion that Muslims suffer from ignorance about their own religion because of the despotism of unjust rulers. He was a prolific writer, and among his works is a commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, the famous collection of the sermons, letters, and maxims of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) – a book, reintroduced to the Egyptians, seven centuries after the end of Fatemid rule.