Shiblī Nuʿmānī as a Modernist: An Exegetical Interpretation of His Travelogue to the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

This work studies the travel writing of Shiblī Nuʿmānī, of one of his lesser studied works: Safarnāma-e Miṣr-o-Rūm-o-Shām documenting his travel to the Ottoman lands in the 19th century. In the context of travel writing and intellectual history, this work aims to uncover his engagement with the challenges of modernity as well as the educational reform in Muslim societies. Using an integrated approach that looks at both the literary features of the travelogue, as well as its engagement with modernist and anti-colonial ideas, Nuʿmānī can be reconstructed as a visionary whose ideas were at odds with his contemporaries such as Sayyid Aḥmad Khān advocating for a staunch ‘Western’ approach to modernization. Nuʿmānī’s vision as reflected in his travelogue is not one of an apologist, but advocating for an intellectual renewal while being grounded in Islamic heritage. A thematic analysis of the travelogue reveals the role of religious identity, political role of the empire for Muslims, and personal transformation in the construction of Nuʿmānī’s work. His use of descriptive imagery, dialogue, and alternative forms of prose mainly poetry (Qasīda) within the narrative offer an opportunity for in-depth reflection of his persona, thought and influences. By situating the work within the broader debates surrounding reformist movement within South Asia, the study underscores the contributions of an extraordinary individual to the intellectual currents of his time. It also highlights how travel writing became a means of negotiating identity and change in a ‘modernizing’ world.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Islamic Studies