MODERNISM AND RELIGION: HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRIES IN INDIA

Abstract

This paper examines the development of Islamic modernism in 19th-century India and its ideological foundations. The political and historical transformations of the mid-19th century evoked various reactions among Indian Muslims. Three trends are identified: nostalgia for past greatness and a call for the revival of Islamic traditions, an appeal to mystical and messianic practices, and a modernist trend aimed at a rational understanding of religion and its adaptation to modernity. Modernists sought to reconcile Islam with science and progress, interpreting religious precepts in light of new conditions. Key representatives of the trend include Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Jamal ad-Din Afghani, Shibli Numani, Muhammad Iqbal, and other thinkers. Particular attention is paid to the division of Quranic precepts into permanent and temporary, their hermeneutic interpretation, and the critical attitude of some modernists to the hadith. The reformist views of Shah Waliullah Dahlawi and the influence of Western science played an important role in the formation of ideas. In general, Islamic modernism in India is seen as an intellectual movement that arose under the conditions of colonial pressure and religious diversity, the main goal of which was to preserve the identity of the Muslim community while integrating with modern knowledge and culture.