Mujaddid

Mujaddid (Arabic: مجدد) in Islam is a reformer who is given the task of removing errors that have occurred among Muslims. Their job is to show people the great religious truths which the Muslim community will be asked to face. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every century of the Islamic calendar to revive Islam, cleansing it of extraneous elements and restoring it to its pristine purity. In contemporary times, a mujaddid is looked upon as the greatest Muslim of a century.

Ikhtilaf (disagreements) exist among vatious hadith specialists. Scholars and historians like Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani have interpreted that the term mujaddid can also be understood as plural, thus referring to a group of people.

The Arabic word mujaddid means "reviver", someone who revives the religion. The concept of tajdid and the term mujaddid come rather from a hadith, a statement of the Prophet Muhammad. This hadith was written down by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, one of the six authoritative Sunni collections of the Prophet's statements. In this hadith, the Prophet says:

"Verily, Allah (God) sends to (or will raise for) this Ummah (the Islamic nation) at the head (the beginning or the end) of every hundred years someone (or people) who will renew (or revive) for it its religion."

The concept of tajdid in Islamic thought

Tajdid in Islamic thought means renewing the ideology representing the intellectual product of Muslims in the fields of science, knowledge and ijtihad to interpret Islam and understand and explicate its rulings.

Al-Suyuti mentioned in his book Al-Jami' al-Sagheer, "Renewing religion means renewing its guidance, clarifying its truth and precedence, refuting the innovations and extremism presented to its followers or their reluctance in upholding it, and following its rules in managing the interests of the people and the law of society and civilization."

Among the most manifest aspects of tajdid (renewal) in Islamic thought is the renewal of Islamic sciences as follows:

  1. The science of Islamic doctrine.
  2. The Principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
  3. The science of Jurisprudence.
  4. The science of the sunnah.
  5. The science of Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir).
  6. The science of Purification and Code of Conduct.
  7. The biography of the Prophet and Islamic history.

Mujaddids can include prominent scholars, pious rulers and military commanders.

The reformers by century

2nd Century AH

3rd Century AH

4th Century AH

5th Century AH

6th Century AH

7th Century AH

8th Century AH

9th Century AH

10th Century AH

11th Century AH

12th Century AH

13th Century AH

15th Century AH

References

  1. ↑ Ali, Maulana Muhammad (2011). The Religion of Islam by Muhammad Ali. Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore USA. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-934271-18-6.
  2. ↑ "Mujaddid - Oxford Islamic Studies Online". www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  3. ↑ Fath al-Baari (13/295)
  4. ↑ Taareekh al-Islam (23/180)
  5. ↑ "Hadith - Book of Battles (Kitab Al-Malahim) - Sunan Abi Dawud - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com.
  6. ↑ "Reform (Islah) and Renewal (Tajdid) in Islamic Thought". Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  7. ↑ "Renewal (Tajdid) in Islamic sciences". Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  8. ↑ Meri, Josef W., ed. (2006). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Psychology Press. p. 678. ISBN 9780415966900.
  9. ↑ Abdul-Wahid, Abu Khadeejah (2016-04-27). "Part 1. Kitāb at-Tawhīd: An amazing authorship and journey into the history of Saudi Arabia and Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhāb". Retrieved 2026-05-15.