Tajdid (Renewal) by Embodiment: Examining the Globalization of the First Mosque Open Day in Australian History

Abstract

The concepts of tajdid (renewal) and mujaddid (renewer) in Islam are discussed mainly in scholarly works. Although all Muslim scholars agree on the necessity of tajdid, they differ regarding the scope of tajdid, who the mujaddids are, and their primary role. Most scholars agree that the primary duty of the mujaddid is to restore or lead to restore correct religious knowledge and practice and eradicate the errors from the past century. Renewal of correct religious practice can be local or global. This article first briefly discusses the notions of tajdid and mujaddid. Secondly, it examines the first “mosque open day” initiated by the Australian Intercultural Society (AIS) and Affinity Intercultural Foundation (AIF) in 2001 before the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. A mosque open day gradually has become a common practice of most mosques in Australia and has been globalized by Muslim minorities worldwide. This paper examined about 240 pages of results via the Google search engine and 500 pages of results via the Yahoo search engine, and the AIS’s and AIF’s archives about mosque open days. This paper argues that the globalization of mosque open days can be considered a renewal of an Islamic tradition.