Reformist thought and the question of the state among the pioneers of the Nahda movement

Abstract

The research aims to approach the reformist thought and the question of the state among the pioneers of the Ennahda movement, Despite the overlapping causes and contexts in understanding the political issue of the reformist movement’s thinkers, what distinguishes reformist thought among enlightened scholars such as: Muhammad Abdo, Muhammad Rashid Rida, Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, Refa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi, Khair al-deen al-Tunisi and others, is that their writings formed a separating mark from  The history of Islamic thought, so that their various perceptions were characterized by a call for reconstruction and modernization in the most important political values ​​such as the value of justice, freedom and equality, the idea of ​​law and its importance in society, and the application of reason in interpreting these values ​​in an enlightened interpretation that responds to the requirements of contemporary life. On the other hand, the reformist discourse represented a methodological paradox in dealing with human experience, as this discourse did not express its discontent with the concepts and rules related to Western civilization, but on the contrary expressed its fascination and openness to the manifestations of the modern state and European values.