Modernity’s Impact on Muḥammad ᶜĀbid al-Jābirī’s Understanding of Religion, the Qur’ān and Sunnah, and Legal Injunctions: A Critical Analysis

This paper critically analyzes the late Muḥammad ᶜĀbid al-Jābirī’s postmodernist influence on contemporary Muslims. The author qualitatively reviews the content of his historicist approach to the Qur’ān and Islam’s heritage. Al-Jābirī questioned the Qur’ān’s universal message in addition to its authenticity and validity. An Arab Muslim who sparked considerable controversy, he accused the holy book of omissions, fabrications, distortions and interpolations; he also deemed Islamic legal injunctions no longer valid. The author also examines his objection to injunctions he considered archaic and absolutely irrelevant to the present Muslim community.