Renewal, reform and Muslim modernism

Renewal in religion ( tajdid ) has always been part of the Islamic tradition. A renewer ( mujaddid ) came to be understood as one who renovates belief in and the practice of the Sunna – as opposed to bid‘a , which means innovation in religious matters. Although Islamic orthodoxy – whether Sunni or Shi‘i – does not recognize the emergence of any prophetic figures after the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims have acknowledged that, at various times and in different parts of the Islamic world, religious renewers ( mujaddidun ) emerged who challenged the status quo and advocated for change. From a Sunni perspective, among such figures are Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyya. The discussion will examine reform in the Sunni context, and then in the Shi‘i context.