The Islamic Application of the Principle of Modern Rationality

This paper sheds light on the transformative dimensions of translation as conceptualized by the Moroccan philosopher Taha Abdurrahman in his book “Rouh Al-Lhadata: Al-Madkhal ila Taassis Al-Hadata Al-Islamiya” [The Spirit of Modernity: A Prolegomenon to Laying the Foundations of Islamic Modernity]. I attempt to translate chapter three from Taha’s book in which he theorizes about translation studies. The latter is central to Abdurrahman’s intellectual project, which he considers as a call to transcend the pervasive Eurocentrism that characterizes contemporary translation theories. Abdurrahman offers a nuanced critique of the translation methodologies employed during the Abbasid period, particularly the uncontextualized appropriation of Greek philosophy. He contends that this approach led to the marginalization of Islamic philosophy, reducing it to a mode of mere transmission and dependency, initially on ancient Greece and subsequently on the modern West. To address these historical inadequacies, Abdurrahman advocates for an innovative and creative translation strategy termed as Modern Translation and accountable autonomy. This strategy emphasizes a transformative process whereby the source text is integrated into the receiving culture, aligning with its specific epistemic and cultural needs, irrespective of the original context. Abdurrahman posits that this method is essential for fostering an autonomous Arab/Islamic philosophical tradition, one that is not subsumed under external theoretical paradigms, even if this necessitates deviating from conventional criteria of accuracy and faithfulness. This paper critically engages with the theoretical foundations that will be highlighted through the translation of chapter three in Taha’s book The Spirit of Modernity: A Prolegomenon to Laying the Foundations of Islamic Modernity and it proposes practical applications of Abdurrahman’s translation paradigm. It also situates Taha’s framework within the broader historical trajectory of translation in the Arabic intellectual tradition and contemporary translation studies.