The Theology of Unity

A concise statement of Islamic belief by the Egyptian reformer and later Grand Mufti Muḥammad ʿAbduh, based on lectures he gave in Beirut in the 1880s and published in 1897. Writing for students rather than specialists, ʿAbduh sets aside many old controversies of the theological schools and argues from reason. He begins with what reason can know: the division of things into the impossible, the possible and the necessary, the existence of a necessary being, and its attributes. He then defends human free choice and responsibility while affirming God's power, and argues that people need prophecy because reason alone cannot settle every question of right conduct and the next life. The later chapters present the Qur'an as an inimitable sign, describe the rapid spread of Islam, and present Islam as a religion that frees the mind from blind imitation and agrees with science and reason.

It is the founding theological text of modern Islamic reform and shows clearly how a leading scholar tried to reconcile faith with modern reason and science.