The Religious Idea and the Question of History in the Renaissance Project of Malek Bennabi

This paper deals with the subject of religious thought and its role in the production of history. It is based on the methodological knowledge model proposed by the social philosopher, Malek Bennabi, in his book, The Conditions of the Renaissance. The paper uses Bennabi’s initial idea of the ‘unseen’ as an interpretive concept for his argument. He presented an analytical and research approach to Christian and Islamic experiences. Based on this, the paper reveals the impasse existing in postmodernist ideology. This particular point is already emphasized by Zygmunt Bauman’s notions of liquidity. The argument also reflects on Bennabi’s thesis which meets with Bauman’s in many analytical outputs. The paper concludes that Bennabi’s construction of civilizations is a synthetic work. Its basic material (religious idea) has a dynamic and sophisticated dimension, evoking the diverse and varied historical contexts that give man the eternal sense of his humanity, linking him to the essence of his historical work and social life.