The Phenomenon of Renewal in the Islamic Historical Tradition

Abstract

This article is devoted to the phenomenon of renewal (tajdid) in historical Islam. This topic is particularly relevant in the context of understanding the origins of Islamic modernism and neo-modernism, namely their embeddedness in the religious tradition. The fi rst paragraph traces the origins and content of the idea of renewal in historical tradition. Particular attention is paid to the connection between renewal and the spiritual and ethical revival of society (islah). Variable and constant characteristics in the development of the historical understanding of renewal are demonstrated. The second paragraph analyzes an issue fundamental to the topic in question as the distinction between innovation (bid‘a) and renewal. It is shown that despite the rather conservative rhetoric of historical renewers, tajdid has a creative nature, but at the same time retains the difference from an arbitrary innovation. The third paragraph reveals the mentioned creative dimension of tajdid: its connection with the practice of independent reasoning (ijtihad) and overcoming imitative thinking (taqlid). In conclusion, the author notes the peculiarities of the modern interpretation of the tajdid: the rejection of a literal understanding of the concept of “age” in the hadith about renewal and the assumption of the possibility of a collective renewer.