New Mu'tazilite Theology in the Contemporary Age. The Relationship between Reason, History and Tradition

The rediscovery of rational thinking starts, in the contemporary age, during\r\nnineteenth century Nahdah with authors such as Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1195/\r\n1817–1267/1889), al-Afghani (1216/1838–1275/1897), Khayr al-Din (1198/\r\n1820–1267/1889) and others, who drawing up a different theological analysis,\r\nwere taking a standpoint deployed towards a vigorous rationalism. S. Ahmad\r\nKhan in his Tafsir al-Quran (published in parts from 1880-1904) argues for\r\nthe need to radically renew Muslim theology and focuses on the reconciliation\r\nbetween critical reason and modern science. There can be no conflict between\r\nthe Word of God and his work. The same author had also attempted to metaphorically\r\ninterpret those verses of the Word which literally could contradict\r\nreason and science. “The Koran is the most perfect of God’s words because it\r\ncontains the dogma of divine unity, the Taw|†d, but it would be impossible to\r\nfind in it all the aspects that are evident in the contemporary age.”