The foundation of renewing religious discourse and thought according to Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid

Abstract

The issue of renewing religious discourse and thought has occupied the attention of a large number of Arab thinkers and researchers in the modern era. In this regard, several projects, visions and approaches have been proposed, which differed from one another in terms of the form and content of this renewal, its mechanisms, aims and objectives, and, more importantly, the nature of the references upon which it is based, whether those references draw inspiration for the dimensions of renewal from within the system of Arab-Islamic heritage, or are based on Western visions, methodologies and tributaries. The most important findings of this research are summarized below:

 Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd presented a critique of the transformations of consciousness in religious discourse, both ancient and modern, as well as an objective, scientific reading of the Qur'anic discourse. This dual reading relied on a methodology based on traditional sources, represented by his use of Mu'tazilite knowledge and the dimensions of Sufi and philosophical thought, as well as modern Western methodological sources based on the use of semiological, modern linguistic and stylistic approaches, and narration, which he employed in analyzing Qur'anic discourse with the aim of presenting a contemporary vision of the Qur'anic text.

 One of the most important pillars of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd's vision of renewal of religious discourse and thought is his call for liberation from the authority of religious texts by re-understanding and reading them scientifically and objectively within their historical and spatial context.