Pondering Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri’s Project of an ‘Arab Reason’

Bibliographic Data

ID8135261
AuthorsLuis Xavier López-Farjeat (0000-0003-1140-2913, Universidad Panamericana, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume17
Issue3
Pages381
Publication date2026-03-18
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel17030381
OpenAlexW7138979737
LanguageEN
References cited19

Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri (d. 2010) is one of the most important and stimulating contemporary Arabic philosophers. He is well-known for his project Critique of Arab Reason (Naqd al-ʿaql al-ʿArabī), in which he deconstructs the Arabic philosophical and cultural tradition, revitalizing the rationalist legacy of the classical period, mainly, the philosophical ideas of Ibn Rushd (Averroes). According to Al-Jabri, the renewal of Arab thought requires a non-traditionalist understanding of tradition. In this paper, I shall critically examine Al-Jabri’s “contextualist” methodology. I first provide some historical background for understanding Al-Jabri’s concern with fostering a critique of Arab reason. Secondly, I discuss the way Al-Jabri reinterprets Islamic intellectual history, emphasizing his attempt to overcome the idiosyncratic approaches to Arab culture, namely, religious Salafists, Orientalists, and left nationalists. Thirdly, I discuss the extent to which his renewal of classical intellectual tradition, mainly his approach to Ibn Rushd, allows for the socio-political and cultural reformation of an Arab identity through his idea of “understanding oneself through the other.” Finally, I highlight some successful aspects of Al-Jabri’s epistemic project and its potential relevance for the present

Arabic · Cultural issues · Identity (music) · Islam · Islamic Philosophy · Relevance (law) · Islamic Studies and History · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Social Sciences and Humanities

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