'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi: Islam and the Enlightenment (Makers of the Muslim World)

In this unique look at a key figure in the Islamic enlightenment, Samer Akkach examines the life and works of ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi (1641-1731) of Damascus: a contemporary of many major thinkers, scientists, poets, and philosophers of the European Enlightenment. Often characterized solely as a Sufi saint, his thought and teachings were of a much wider remit. Through a fresh reading of his unpublished biographical sources and large body of mostly unpublished works, Akkach examines early expressions of rationalism among Arab and Turkish scholars, and argues that ‘Abd al-Ghani helped herald the beginning of modernity in the Arab world.