Al-Manār (magazine)

''Al-Manār'' (; 'The Lighthouse'), was an Islamic magazine, written in Arabic, and was founded, published and edited by Rashid Rida from 1898 until his death in 1935 in Cairo, Egypt. The magazine championed the superiority of Islamic religious system over other ideologies and was noteworthy for its campaigns for the restoration of a pan-Islamic Caliphate.

History and profile

''Al-Manār'' was founded by the Sunni scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida in 1898, and his brother, Salih Rida, was also instrumental in the establishment of the magazine. They were both members of the Decentralization Party. Their goal in establishing the magazine was to articulate and disseminate reformist ideas and preserve the unity of the Muslim nations. The magazine was based in Cairo. It was started as a weekly, but later its frequency was switched to monthly.

Rashid Rida was the sole editor-in-chief of the magazine. Its content was heavily about Quranic interpretations. Rida published numerous articles in ''Al-Manār'' which praised the Wahhabi movement in Arabia. One of the contributors was Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, a scholar from Aleppo, Syria. His book, ''Umm al-Qura'', was serialized in ''Al-Manār'' from April 1902 to February 1903 which proposed the establishment of an Arab Caliphate. The magazine also featured articles on politics and covered the coronation of King Hussein as the ruler of Hejaz in October 1916.

In addition to championing the beliefs of the Arabian ''Muwahhidun'' movement, ''Al-Manar'' also popularised the treatises of major Salafi theologians of Yemen. These included ''Nayl al-Autar'' & ''Irshad al-Fuhul'' by Al-Shawkani and ''Subul al-Salam'' by Ibn al-Amir Al-San’ani. Outlining the religious orientation of his magazine, Rashid Rida wrote:

“since its inception, ''al-Manar'' has been preaching the pure oneness f Godand the views of the early pious generation (''madhhab al-salaf'') in matters elated tothe dogmas and guidance of Islam. As for matters relating to governance and power, it .e., ''al-Manar'', has been advocatingthe arts of the age and the laws of nature (''funun al-asr wa sunan al-khalq'')"

''Al-Manār'' was one of the earliest Arab publications which called attention to the Zionist threat against Palestine. The magazine claimed in 1898 that the Zionists were attempting to occupy Palestine. It repeated the same fears in 1902.

Following the death of Rashid Rida in 1935, ''Al-Manār'' was irregularly published until 1940. In October 1939 it was temporarily banned by the Egyptian government. Two issues were published by the heirs of Rida, and from 1939 to 1940 the Association of Muslim Brotherhood was the publisher of ''Al-Manār''.

Legacy

''Al-Manar'' advocated for a fundamentalist revival of the methodology and doctrine of the ''Salaf al-Salih'' based on the writings of classical Hanbali theologian Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (728 A.H/1263 C.E); communicating these ideas in such a way that mobilised the Muslim masses both culturally and politically. The intellectual heritage of ''Al-Manār'' has been adopted and championed by Islamic religious movements and organizations in Arab world, including the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Association of Algerian ‘Ulama’ in Algeria. Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hasan Al Banna, praised ''Al-Manar'' as one of "the greatest influences in the service of Islam for this age in Egypt and in other areas."

''Al-Manār'' inspired various journals, including ''Shura'', a Turkic language magazine published in Orenburg between 1908 and 1918.

See also

*List of theological journals
*The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book)

References

External links

''Al-Manār'' issues
in the Internet Archive
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manar
1898 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
1940 disestablishments in Egypt
Defunct Arabic-language magazines
Defunct political magazines published in Egypt
Islamic magazines published in Egypt
Magazines established in 1898
Magazines disestablished in 1940
Defunct magazines published in Cairo
Monthly magazines published in Egypt
Weekly magazines published in Egypt
Defunct Islamic magazines