Muhammad ‘Abduh (1849-1905) was one of the most influential Muslim modernist reformers of the 19th century. The book provides the complete intellectual biography of Muhammad 'Abduh. It delineates his formation as a reformer and activist and, unlike previous scholarship, specifically investigates the significant developments and breaks throughout his life.

By using new sources - in particular his writings early in his politically activist career - and including recent academic contributions on him, the book explores 'Abduh’s complex intellectual formation, the various traditional religious, philosophical and cultural influences that shaped him, and his changing attitudes towards Western modernity and its colonial manifestation in the 19th century. Oliver Scharbrodt challenges the perception in academic scholarship - and among Muslim reformers of the 20th century - that searched for intellectual coherence and biographical consistency in 'Abduh’s life. Instead this book offers a new reading of his intellectual legacy and highlights the significant turns and changes in his approach and ideas.