Introduction to Special Issue : Islamic revivalism and social transformation in the modern world

In Arabic, Islamic revival is called tajdid, which literally translates to “regeneration” or “renewal”. It is also referred to as as-Sahwah l-’Islamiyyah, denoting “Islamic awakening” or “Islamic renaissance”, as preferred by revivalists. This is generally described as a revival of Islam, usually with a focus on enforcing shari’ah (divine law) (Islam and Islam 2018). Sometimes, the Arabic term islah (reform) is also used in connection with Islamic revival. A revivalist leader is known in Islam as a mujaddid (renewer). According to Islamic tradition, a mujaddid is supposed to appear every Islamic century to revitalize Islam, cleanse it of extraneous elements, restore it to its pristine purity, and guide believers in protecting and organising the intimate zones of life, that is, marriage, family-making, child-rearing, and social relation-building. The revitalization of Islam is not a return to the past or an act of nostalgia, but a concerted effort by Muslim revivalists using classical Islamic teachings and practices to create a closer congruence between the blueprint that existed under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, his “Rightly Guided Successors”, and actual reality. That early experience of the Muslim community and this blueprint has become a model for revivalists. For them, pristine Islam is a reality with the capacity to guide humanity in all realms of life. Revivalists assert that they are not attempting to recreate the society of the first Islamic century, but are trying to recreate or reform the current society by reintroducing and re-enforcing the principles used under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad and his “Rightly Guided Successors”.