Renewing Religious Discourse.. Seminar at RIBF

As part of its cultural program at the 30th Rabat International Book Fair, the Muslim Council of Elders hosted a seminar titled “Analyzing the Discourse of Renewal: Muhammad Abdullah Draz as a Model.” 

The seminar was moderated by Dr. Samir Boudinar, Director of the Al Hokama Center for Peace Research, and presented by Dr. Ahmed Mostafa, a specialist in religious discourse analysis at Al-Azhar.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Boudinar emphasized that renewing religious discourse is a matter of pressing importance in the contemporary world, given the urgent need to develop scholarly and methodological tools of expression. 

He noted that Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Draz stands out as one of the leading figures in the renewal of religious thought in modern times.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Mostafa stated that Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Draz represents a continuation of a prominent intellectual current within Al-Azhar—namely, the “revival and renewal movement,” which emerged in the modern era with figures such as Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, Sheikh Hassan Al-Attar, and other distinguished scholars of Al-Azhar. These scholars combined a deep, comprehensive understanding of the rich and diverse Islamic heritage, with all its complex issues and profound intellectual insights, with a constructive engagement with modern Western methodologies. They built upon these methods in a way that served the interests of the Arab and Islamic worlds and addressed the pressing challenges they continue to face.

He added that Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Draz had a unique relationship with the Qur’an. His writings and intellectual contributions reflected his bold engagement with the text, using logic and rational analysis to explore its meanings and speak directly to the modern mind. His treatment of the Qur’an’s miraculous nature was both creative and comprehensive—going beyond its linguistic and rhetorical brilliance to include psychological, intellectual, moral, historical, reformative, and ethical dimensions.

 He possessed a sharp renewalist vision, which earned him wide recognition among scholars and intellectuals as one of the most influential figures in modern Islamic thought.