 | |
| Editor | Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī andMuhammad Abduh |
|---|---|
| Categories | literary,political |
| First issue | 13 March 1884 (1884-03-13) |
| Final issue | October 1884 (1884-10) |
| Country | France |
| Based in | Paris |
| Language | Arabic |
Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa (Arabic:العروة الوثقى,romanized: al-ʿurwa al-wuthqā,lit. 'The Firmest Bond') was an Islamic revolutionary journal founded byMuhammad Abduh andJamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī.[1][2] Despite only running from 13 March 1884 to October 1884, it was one of the first and most important publications of theNahda. The journal targeted people across the Islamicummah, calling upon them to unite.[3] Its firm stance against European colonialism causedBritish authorities to ban it inEgypt andIndia.[4]Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa is an Arabic term with religious significance, appearing twice in theQuran.
The journal was founded in a room inParis in 1884, and the first edition was published on March 13 of that year (corresponding with 15Jumādā al-Ūlā, 1301).[1]Ibrāhīm al-Muwayliḥī and his sonMuhammad al-Muwaylihi, both in exile from theOttoman Empire, helped with its publication.[5]
TheImam Muhammad Abduh summarized the main goals of the magazine in a speech he sent to his friend, the English poetWilfrid Scawen Blunt: protecting the independence of Eastern peoples from the aggression of Western countries, and to pressure the English government into stopping its policies that harm Muslims.
Also among the goals of the magazine, as can be ascertained from its editorial line: a call to unite and stand in solidarity, and to embrace theNahda, and to liberate Egypt andSudan fromBritish colonialism.
Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa was banned by British authorities in Egypt and India, and an elaborate network including Arab businessmen inBombay disseminated copies throughout the Arab world.[4]
Muhammad Abduh and Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī decided to end the magazine in October 1884 after publishing 18 editions over the course of eight months, probably due to financial problems resulting from the ban.[6]
Some issues ofAl-Urwah al-Wuthqa were found in the library ofDar al-Arab publishers, in addition to some other writings and speeches of Muhammad Abduh and Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī. In 1957, these were published with a foreword fromGamal Abdel Nasser in a book entitledAl-Urwah al-Wuthqa wa al-Thawra al-Tahririya al-Kubra (العروة الوثقى والثورة التحريرية الكبرى).[7][8]
