Early life and
origin
Jamal
Uddin Afghani (1838-1897) was born at Asadabad of Kunar in Afghanistan. He is considered
one of the prominent amongst earliest progressive reformers of Muslim World
during nineteen century. Moreover, opinion varies about his birth place. Some
sources claim that he was born in Iran while majority of the authentic sources supported
the claim that he was born in a village of Kunar province in Afghanistan named
Asadabad.[1] His father
Safdar was a learned person and belonged to the politically influential
family of Sadaat of his town, and Amir Dost Muhammad Khan confiscated his land
apprehending that he might side with his majesty’s rivals and brought him to
Kabul along with his family to reside there on state assistance.[2] Al
Afghani received his early education from his father, and he also remained
student of grand Ulema such as Sayed Faqir Badsha, Maulana Muhammad Hassan
(known as Hafiz Daraz Peshawari) and Maulana Mian Muhammad Wasim Kaka Khel.[3] His
biographers describe him as a genius of the time due to his immense mental
abilities; till the age of eighteen he was well versed in fiqh, interpretation
of Quran and Hadith, logic, mysticism, mathematics, astronomy, metaphysics, and
medicine, he had excellent command on Persian, Arabic, Turkish, French and
English languages.[4]
He got the position of counsellor to the King Dost Mohammad Khan
and Mohammad Azam. At that time he tried to introduce reforms but he did not
succeed. In 1868, when Sher Ali Khan captured the throne of Kabul, Al-Afghani
was sent into exile.[5]
In 1871, Al-Afghani travelled to
Egypt, started disseminating his thoughts of modern reforms, but traditional
Ulema dubbed him as radical and in 1879 he was expelled. He also visited
Western and Eurasians and Indian cites such as Constantinople, London, Paris,
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Hyder Abad, and Munich.
Jamal Al Din Afghani is regarded one of those early reformers
who were in favor of reinterpreting Islamic ideas and to reconcile modern
western scientific knowledge with Islam by advocating useful values required
for life in modern world. Al Afghani’s Reforms included emphasis on, the
unabated use of reason and logic, and acquiring scientific and philosophical
knowledge and political struggle. He himself was a religious thinker, modernist
reformer, writer, journalist, and liberator.
Jamal al din al Afghani started
extensive travelling to different parts of the world at the age of eighteen
which left a mark on his life. It seems
that his modernist thoughts developed during his visits to Europe, Russia, and
India. He spent his last days in Turkey and died in mysterious condition in
Turkey in 1897.[6]
Major Works
His major works included:
1. Tatimmat al-bayan
fi tarikh al-Afghan in 1901;
2. Al-Radd 'ala al-Dahriyyi in 1881. The work is about
a call for the unity of Muslim Brotherhood. It also argues against Darwin’s
theory of evolution; however, in his later work Khatirat Jamal ad-Din
al-Afghani ("the Ideas of Al-Afghani") he partially approves the validity
of evolution so far as animal world is concerned.[7],
3.
An Arabic
newspaper “Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa with Muhammad Abduh” in 1884
Educational
Reforms
Jamal al din al Afghani gave much importance to philosophical method
and approach in intellectual learning to preserve a civilization by adopting
research, exploration and enquiry. Moreover, he provided justification for downfall
of Islamic civilization owing to abandonment of the philosophical approach from
the sphere of knowledge. He urged and stressed to study and apply philosophy
with a view to preserve, nurture and promote Muslim societies as it was the
only way to empirical sciences. He says:
“Philosophy is the escape from the narrow
sensations of animality into the wide arena of human feelings. It is the removal
of the darkness of bestial superstitions with the light of natural
intelligence; the transformation of blindness and lack of insight into
clear-sightedness and insight. It is salvation from savagery and barbarism, ignorance
and foolishness, by entry into the virtuous city of knowledge and skillfulness.
In general, it is man’s becoming man and living the life of sacred rationality.
Its aim is human perfection in reason, mind, soul, and way of life. Perfection
in one’s way of life and welfare in livelihood are the chief preconditions for
the perfection of mind and soul. [Philosophy] is the first cause of man’s
intellectual activity and emergence from the sphere of animals, and it is the
greatest reason for the transfer of tribes and peoples from a state of nomadism
and savagery to culture and civilization. It is the foremost cause of the
production of knowledge, the creation of sciences, the invention of industries,
and initiation of crafts.”[8]
Al-Afghani condemned Muslim communities for not making scientific
progress during his time, however, they spent greatly on so called
modernization by Muslims rulers such as constructing huge palaces. Consequently,
it gave birth to overall social, political and educational stagnation owing to
lack of philosophic approach within the education system itself. Hence, he attempted
to introduce and nurture philosophical thinking amongst intellectual community to
follow same path of the west in terms of progress and development. For
instance, he urged to abolish culture of silence and mental laziness by
introducing philosophy as subject into teaching-learning processes at every
institute of Muslim community, to introduce culture of inquiry and serious
deliberation to fulfill basic material needs of human beings, and to attain
civilizational advancement by creating new scientific knowledge, and advanced technical
skills leading to industrialization.[9] Moreover,
he argued in favor of using philosophical approach as tool to uplift social
conditions of human beings with a view to eradicate poverty, to improve health
and education. For instance, the West had attained the stage of industrial
development and uplifted social conditions of their people through scientific
and philosophical knowledge. Notwithstanding, he gave an argument in support of
philosophy that aims at dealing with needs, state of material conditions and
cause and effect stimulating mind of an individual.[10]
Similarly, he claimed in his lecture, delivered in 1882 on “Lecture on Teaching and
Learning” that science rules the world owing to its unprejudiced
character. Moreover, he denied dichotomy between Muslim science and European
science by explaining the relation of human beings to science irrespective of
cast, creed, religion, and ethnicity. For instance, technological inventions, voyage
discoveries, and natural exploration have served benefitting all human beings. He
emphasized using empirical method in finding the truth[11] and
assumed to bring reforms in religion at state level for bringing social change
in society. However, he suggested philosophical education is needed to be
accessed by common people enabling them to systematically find the scientific truth.
Moreover, he provided the way to achieve same success through empirical study and
understanding of nature and anticipated progress with the subject of philosophy
alone.[12] He
considered education good if it produces excellence and man of character and it
is bad if it destroys, and sinks society into decline and decadence.[13]
Educational Reforms of Jamal al din al Afghani
had laid great impact on social reformers of the time especially in Egypt.
These included: Moḥammad ʿAbdoh, Saʿd Zaḡlūl of Egypt, and Muhammad Iqbal of
South Asia during twentieth century. They played important roles in creating
awareness amongst intelligentsia of their respective countries.
Conclusion
Al-Afghani discussion is certainly relevant with his time. To
attain scientific and technological advancement in a society, it needs
creative, critical, and independent thinking. Moreover, this kind of thinking
can only be fostered by making philosophy compulsory from beginning as subject
in educational curricula. Furthermore, it functions as tool to critically re-assess
and revaluate socio-political ideas invogue in the society. It also promotes analytical
study of complex structure and changing objective realities that leads to sort
out problems and to seek viable and alternate solutions of the problems.
Bibliography
Published Books
1. Shahid, Hussain, Razaqi., [1979]: Sayed Jamal Al
Din Afghani Hayat o Afkar. Al Hamra Art Printer, Lahore
2. T, F, Glick., [1974]: The Comparative Reception of
Darwinism, University of Chicago Press,
USA
3. Nikki. R. Keddie.,[1972]: Sayyid Jamal al-Din
Afghani: A Political Biography. Berkeley University of California Press,
California
4. Nikki. R. Keddie.,[1968]: An Islamic Response to
Imperialism , University of California Press, USA
Magazines/ Journals/ Newspapers
1. Nikki R. Keddie.,[2004]: Imperialism, Science and
Religion: Two Essays by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. Translation by Islamfiche,
Modern Middle East Sourcebook Project, Egypt
Internet Websites
[1] Razaqi, H, S., Sayed Jamal Al Din Afghani Hayat o Afkar.
Al Hamra Art Printer, Lahore 1979, pp 10-11
[2] Ibid., p 21
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., p 22
[7] Glick,F, T., The
Comparative Reception of Darwinism,
University of Chicago Press, 1974. pp 375-87
[8] Keddie,R,N., Sayyid Jamal al-Din Afghani: A Political Biography. Berkeley
University of California Press, California 1972, p 163-164
[9] Keddie,R,N., Imperialism, Science and Religion: Two
Essays by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. Translation by Islamfiche, Modern Middle East Sourcebook Project
2004, p 2
[10] Keddie,R.,N., An Islamic Response to Imperialism:
Political and Religious Writings of Sayyid Jamal al-Din “al-Afghani”,
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983
[11] Keddie, R.,N., An Islamic Response to Imperialism ,
University of California Press, 1968. P. 107
[12] Ibid. 109-123
[13] Ibid. p 123
