Sayyid Muḥammad ibn Ṣafdar Husaynī (), better known as
Sayyid Jamāl-ad-Dīn al-Afghānī () and
Sayyid Jamal-ad-Din Asadabadi (), (b. 1838, d. March 9, 1897), was a
political activist and
Islamic ideologist in the
Muslim world during the late 19th century, particularly in the
Middle East,
South Asia and
Europe. One of the founders of Islamic modernism and an advocate of
pan-Islamic unity,Ludwig W. Adamec,
Historical Dictionary of Islam (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001), p. 32 he has been described as "less interested in theology than he was in organizing a
Muslim response to
Western pressure."
Vali Nasr,
The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future (New York: Norton, 2006), p. 103.
Early life and origin
He claimed to be of
Afghan origin most of his life but evidence suggests that he was born in
Iran. Although some older sources claim that Asadabadi was born in a district of
Kunar Province in
Afghanistan which is also called
Asadabad,
From Reform to Revolution, Louay Safi, Intellectual Discourse 1995, Vol. 3, No. 1...
Read More