To underline ‘Abduh’s irenic attitude, Arslan not only mentions his regular contacts with Christian dignitaries but also the esteem in which he held his own Druze community. ‘Abduh comes across in his account as somebody who was more impressed by a person’s erudition and cosmopolitan outlook than their religious background. Arslan highlights this attitude in particular when he introduces ‘Abduh’s relationship with ‘Abbas Eff endi. Also known as ‘Abd al-Baha’ (1844–1921), ‘Abbas Effendi was the son of Husayn ‘Ali Nuri Baha’ Allah (1817– 1892), an Iranian aristocrat who was then exiled in ‘Akka, Palestine, at that time leader of the Babi movement out of which the Baha’i Faith emerged. Arslan mentions the particular enmity ‘Abduh’s teacher Afghani exhibited towards the Babis in order to point that despite the doctrinal differences that might have existed between the two, ‘Abduh held ‘Abbas Effendi in high esteem and enjoyed his company and erudition. 98 Th at ‘Abbas Effendi’s father as founding figure of a new religious movement made claims to post-Qur’anic revelation did not concern ‘Abduh in particular. In a conversation with his disciple Rida later in his life, ‘Abduh appears unaware of the nature of the Baha’i Faith and the prophetic claims of its founder and rather praises ‘Abbas Effendi’s character.
-Oliver Scharbrodt, Muhammad ‘Abduh - Modern Islam and the Culture of Ambiguity, I. B. Tauris (2022)
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