آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

Contemporary Egyptian Thinkers and Religious Historiography (Case Study: Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad's View of the Life of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (PBUH)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Maryam Azizian
Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM), Mashhad, Iran
10.30465/afg.2026.50905.2167
Abstract
The position of Fāṭima, the daughter of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), is not only prominent in Shiite belief but has also held a distinguished status in Sunni thought. In the contemporary period, some Muslim scholars revisited the lives of early Islamic figures in response to the needs of their time. ʿAbbās Maḥmūd al-ʿAqqād was one such scholar, having written biographies of numerous prominent figures. Given his multifaceted identity as a literary, historical, journalistic, and political figure, examining his views can shed light on the perspectives of contemporary Sunni thinkers toward early Islam and its contentious events. This study therefore examines and analyzes al-ʿAqqād’s narrative of the life of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ. It asks why al-ʿAqqād wrote a biography of Fāṭima, the Prophet’s daughter, in 1953 and how he portrayed her political and social life.Al-ʿAqqād’s lived experience in Egypt’s political environment during the first half of the twentieth century, together with his familial affection for the Ahl al-Bayt, led him to write Fāṭima’s biography with the aim of presenting an ideal model. By emphasizing the influence of “geniuses” (nawābigh) and “heredity” (tawāruth), al-ʿAqqād narrated the life of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ and analyzed her influence in subsequent centuries. His account of the Prophet’s daughter’s opposition to Abū Bakr’s caliphate and the incident of Fadak combines admiration for her with an effort to justify the caliph’s position. Although al-ʿAqqād’s interpretation remained shaped by the Sunni principle concerning the integrity of the Companions, his effort to provide a balanced analysis created a basis for an intersubjective space conducive to rapprochement between Shiite and Sunni perspectives.
Keywords: Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (PBUH), Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad, Political Life, Heredity (Inheritance), Fadak.

Introduction
Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ occupies an important position in the history of early Islam, and her individual, social, and political life has long been discussed by Muslim scholars and intellectuals. This interest has not been limited to Shiite scholars; Sunni scholars have also narrated and interpreted various aspects of her life. In the contemporary period, political and social transformations, Western influence, colonialism, and cultural change encouraged new approaches to Islamic history and the reassessment of early Islamic figures. Some Muslim intellectuals sought to reinterpret the lives of these figures in light of the intellectual and social needs of their own time.
ʿAbbās Maḥmūd al-ʿAqqād (1889–1964), one of the prominent Egyptian intellectuals of the modern period, was among those who revisited the history of early Islam. His work on Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ was published in 1953 as part of his ʿAbqariyyāt Islāmiyya project. The main issue addressed in this study is why al-ʿAqqād turned to the life of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ and how he represented her social and political life within the intellectual and political context of modern Egypt.
Materials and Methods
is study employs a historical and descriptive-analytical approach. Its principal source is al-ʿAqqād’s Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ wa-l-Fāṭimiyyūn, particularly the first section devoted to the life of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ. The study analyzes the structure and content of the work and examines al-ʿAqqād’s narratives concerning Fāṭima’s family background, upbringing, marriage, personality, social and political life, death, and descendants. It also considers al-ʿAqqād’s intellectual development and political experience in modern Egypt in order to clarify the context in which his interpretation emerged. Particular attention is given to his treatment of divergent historical reports and to the concepts of “geniuses” and “heredity” as central elements of his historical interpretation.
Discussion and Results
The findings show that al-ʿAqqād’s decision to write about Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ resulted from the interaction of intellectual, familial, and historical factors. His family environment contributed to his attachment to the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt. Although al-ʿAqqād was raised in a Sunni family, he developed a strong emotional attachment to the Prophet’s family from an early age and regarded this attachment as connected with heredity. This familial affection later influenced his writings on the Ahl al-Bayt.
Another factor was al-ʿAqqād’s view of prominent historical figures as models for contemporary society. In his understanding, although external circumstances change across historical periods, fundamental aspects of human nature remain sufficiently stable for outstanding historical personalities to serve as models for later generations. Accordingly, his biography of Fāṭima was not merely a reconstruction of the past but also an attempt to present an ideal model for contemporary Muslims.
His political experience in Egypt also contributed to this intellectual shift. Al-ʿAqqād was involved in Egyptian nationalist politics and was associated with the Wafd movement. His disagreements with its leaders, imprisonment, and gradual disappointment with political activism coincided with major political and social changes in Egypt. These experiences contributed to his increasing turn toward cultural and Islamic writing and toward historical figures as sources of moral and intellectual models.
A central finding is that the concepts of “geniuses” (nawābigh) and “heredity” (tawāruth) constitute important foundations of al-ʿAqqād’s interpretation of Fāṭima. Influenced by the idea of the historical role of great individuals, he presented Fāṭima as an ideal model and an influential historical personality. At the same time, through the concept of heredity, he emphasized the transmission of moral, intellectual, and spiritual qualities through family lineage and upbringing. Faith, dignity, courage, perseverance, and steadfastness were among the qualities that he associated with Fāṭima and her descendants.
Al-ʿAqqād’s portrayal of Fāṭima’s social and political life also reveals a distinctive interpretive approach. He emphasized her role within the family and her concern for the upbringing of her children, while also recognizing her political awareness and her position concerning ʿAlī’s claim to the caliphate. In discussing the events surrounding Abū Bakr’s accession, however, al-ʿAqqād attempted to explain and justify the caliph’s position by referring to the political circumstances of the Saqīfa and the perceived dangers of internal division.
The episode of Fadak most clearly demonstrates the tension within al-ʿAqqād’s narrative. He presents different reports concerning Fāṭima’s claim and her discussion with Abū Bakr. On the one hand, he highlights Fāṭima’s determination, dignity, and defense of her position; on the other hand, he attempts to provide a historical justification for Abū Bakr’s position. This tension can be understood in light of al-ʿAqqād’s commitment to the Sunni principle concerning the integrity of the Companions. Thus, as a Sunni thinker, he sought to preserve both the distinguished position of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ and the status of Abū Bakr, which resulted in a degree of tension and inconsistency in his treatment of the Fadak narrative.
Conclusion
The study concludes that al-ʿAqqād’s portrayal of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ was shaped by his family background, political experience, intellectual development, and search for an ideal historical model. Through the concepts of “geniuses” and “heredity,” he presented Fāṭima as an influential historical personality whose moral and spiritual legacy continued through subsequent generations.
The study also demonstrates that al-ʿAqqād approached Fāṭima’s life through its earthly and human dimensions. Without disregarding her religious and spiritual status, he did not portray her exclusively through a sacred and transcendent framework. Rather, he emphasized factors such as heredity, family environment, upbringing, social circumstances, political conditions, and historical agency in explaining the formation of her personality and her historical influence. In this sense, his earthly approach represents an attempt to present Fāṭima not only as a revered religious figure but also as a historical and human model whose life and actions could provide guidance for contemporary society.
At the same time, al-ʿAqqād’s treatment of the caliphate of Abū Bakr and the Fadak episode demonstrates the limits imposed on his interpretation by his Sunni intellectual framework. His effort to maintain both admiration for Fāṭima and respect for Abū Bakr produced a tension in his historical narrative. Nevertheless, his attempt to approach these sensitive issues with a degree of balance, while emphasizing the historical, social, and human dimensions of Fāṭima’s life, created the possibility of an intersubjective space for rapprochement between Shiite and Sunni perspectives.
Subjects

اندیشمندان معاصر مصری و تاریخ­نگاری دینی

(مطالعه موردی: نگاه عباس محمود عقاد به سیره حضرت زهرا(س)

مریم عزیزیان*[1]

 چکیده:

جایگاه حضرت فاطمه، دختر پیامبر اسلام(ص)، تنها در نظام عقیدتی شیعیان برجسته نیست، بلکه در دیدگاه اهل سنت نیزمقام شامخی داشته است. در دوره معاصر، برخی اندیشمندان مسلمان، متناسب با نیازهای عصری، زندگانی شخصیت‌های صدر اسلام را بازخوانی کردند. عباس محمود عقاد یکی از این افراد بود که زندگی بسیاری از مشاهیر را نگاشت. از آنجا که عقاد شخصیتی چندوجهی در عرصه‌های ادبی، تاریخی، روزنامه‌نگاری و سیاسی داشت، مطالعه دیدگاه او می‌تواند نگرش متفکران معاصر اهل سنت را نسبت به صدر اسلام و وقایع چالش‌برانگیز روشن کند. از این‌رو، این مقاله روایت عقاد از زندگانی حضرت زهرا(س) را مطالعه و تحلیل می‌کند. پرسش تحقیق آن است که چرا عقاد در 1953م زندگانی فاطمه دختر پیامبر(ص) را به رشته تحریر درآورد و روایت او از حیات سیاسی و اجتماعی ایشان چگونه بود؟ تجربه زیسته عقاد در محیط سیاسی مصر در نیمه نخست قرن بیستم و حب خانوادگی او به اهل‌بیت(ع) سبب شد با هدف ساخت الگویی آرمانی، شرح‌حال فاطمه(س) را بنگارد. عقاد با تأکید بر تأثیر «نوابغ» و «توارث»، زندگانی حضرت زهرا(س) و تأثیر وی در قرون بعدی را تحلیل کرد. توصیف او از مخالفت دختر پیامبر(ص) با خلافت ابوبکر و ماجرای فدک، همزمان با تحسین ایشان و توجیه خلیفه همراه است. هرچند عقاد نتوانست کاملاً از پیش‌فرض اهل سنت درباره عدالت صحابه رهایی یابد، کوشش او برای تحلیلی منصفانه، زمینه ایجاد فضای بین‌الأذهانی برای تقریب دیدگاه‌های شیعی و سنی را فراهم کرده است.

واژه های کلیدی: حضرت فاطمه(س)، عباس محمود عقاد، حیات سیاسی، وراثت، فدک.

[1]. استادیار گروه تاریخ تشیع، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد، ایران(نویسنده مسئول).        maryamazizian@um.ac.ir

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آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية
Volume 29, Issue 1 - Serial Number 57
Spring and Summer
August 2026

  • Receive Date 16 June 2025
  • Revise Date 11 August 2026
  • Accept Date 18 August 2026
  • Publish Date 01 August 2026