Rabat – As questions of identity, tradition, and intellectual exchange continue to animate Western and Arab academic spaces, the work of scholar Mehdi Berriah resonates far beyond the confines of medieval Islamic history.

Being the first Moroccan recipient of the prestigious Verbruggen Prize for his book “L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks,” Berriah is not only a historian of Islamic thought and military doctrine but also a committed interlocutor between worlds that too often remain intellectually disconnected.

Rooted in Western academic training and deep engagement with Arabic-Islamic traditions, Berriah stands at what he describes as “the crossroads of two worlds.” He sees in this position both a vantage point and a responsibility: to cultivate dialogue between civilizations, to rethink inherited categories, and to contribute to what he calls a needed “epistemological and hermeneutical renewal” in Islam.

An award-winning contribution to medieval islamic military history

Berriah’s latest book, “L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks” (The Mamluks’ Art of War), received the Verbruggen Prize in 2024, an award presented by the The De Re Militari Society for Medieval Military History. The prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions to medieval military history, marked a significant moment in his academic journey.

“This distinction was a great honor,” Berriah reflects. “It affirmed not only the quality of the research but also the relevance of the theme and the need to reexamine the concept of jihad through a new lens.”

That lens is shaped by deep familiarity with Islamic legal, theological, and historical texts, and by a refusal to treat them as mere ideological artifacts.

Instead, Berriah reads them as discursive fields that reveal evolving political, spiritual, and military strategies. His goal was to produce a study “based primarily on Islamic sources, while using a critical methodology in line with the expectations of contemporary academic research.”

In exploring the Mamluk era, a period he describes as “one of the most fascinating in the history of Islam,” Berriah examines a range of Arabic texts: political treatises, chronicles, fatwas, and mirrors for princes. Rather than framing jihad through the lens of modern geopolitics or as a fixed theological injunction, he reconstructs its diverse, sometimes clashing, meanings as they were debated and enacted in specific historical contexts.

Rethinking jihad beyond ideological readings

For Berriah, this research is a historical endeavor and a way to correct normative and reductive interpretations that continue to dominate public and academic narratives.

“In the Arab world, jihad is often addressed in theological, spiritual or ideological terms, sometimes as a mobilizing narrative, other times as an identity marker,” he explains. “In the West, meanwhile, it’s frequently viewed through orientalist or security-focused perspectives, which tend to depoliticize or decontextualize its meanings.”

This dual distortion, he argues, prevents a nuanced understanding of the concept’s evolution. “What is lacking is a connected reading, one that is firmly rooted in Islamic source material and simultaneously attentive to political, sociological, and intellectual developments.”

His book attempts to historicize jihad as a concept shaped by real-world pressures, strategic calculations, and changing legal-theological interpretations. Rather than using Western terms such as “holy war,” Berriah insists on returning to the epistemological frameworks of classical Islamic thought.

“The idea,” he says, “was to revisit the Mamluk conceptualization of war not through analogies with European history, but through the intellectual and political logic specific, as well as the practice and conduct of war to their time.”

Between two traditions: a scholar at the crossroads

The rigor of Berriah’s approach shows his intellectual formation. Trained in the Western academic tradition, with extensive expertise in Arabic and Islamic studies, he views his dual background as an asset, not only methodologically, but ethically.

“I find myself in a unique position,” he says, “at the crossroads of two worlds. This position allows me to facilitate dialogue between Western and Arab historiographical traditions, to serve as an intellectual bridge, and to contribute to the creation of methodological and epistemological connections.”

He is unequivocal about the value of fostering such dialogue. “On the contrary, encouraging exchanges between Western and Arab historiographical traditions is, in my view, a path worth pursuing,” he explained. “It promotes mutual understanding, nourishes intellectual exchange, and enriches research through the confrontation of different perspectives.”

For Berriah, this effort is not simply about better scholarship; it’s about breaking down what he calls “disciplinary silos” and creating a more plural, inclusive academic discourse.

A global intellectual conversation

Since receiving the Verbruggen Prize, Berriah has been invited to present his work in multiple countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and France, with upcoming events planned in Japan, the US, and Qatar. “I also hope to present the book in Morocco,” he enthused, “should the opportunity arise.”

The reach of his work is poised to expand further: Brill has begun translating “L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks” into English, with publication expected in 2025. “This version will make the book accessible to a much broader readership, especially in the Anglophone academic world, and help disseminate the findings internationally,” Berriah says. An Arabic translation is also under consideration, bringing the work full circle.

The global reception of his research speaks to its cross-cultural significance. “It’s not just about making Islamic history more legible to Western readers,” he clarifies. “It’s about contributing to a shared intellectual project that transcends cultural and linguistic divides.”

Islamic thought and the imperative of renewal

Berriah’s scholarly interests are not confined to medieval history. A second axis of his research concerns Islamic thought, especially the writings of key medieval scholars like Ibn Taymiyya, among others, and their influence on contemporary intellectual currents.

But this line of inquiry is also animated by a profound intellectual challenge. “I am especially drawn to a core issue in the current context,” he explains, “the need for an epistemological, paradigmatic, and hermeneutical renewal in Islam.” 

It’s also important to note that Berriah is neither the first nor the only one to explore this topic. Like many Muslim intellectuals and scholars worldwide who have contributed, and continue to contribute, to this vital discussion, he seeks only to offer a modest addition to their important work.

This renewal, in his view, is not about rupturing with tradition but about critically rethinking how Islamic knowledge is produced, interpreted, and applied today.

“It is essential,” he insists, “if Islam is to remain a living source of meaning and guidance, in step with contemporary realities, without betraying its foundational principles.”

For the Moroccan academic, such a renewal cannot be the task of scholars alone. It should involve “not only Muslim intellectuals and researchers, but also educational institutions, communities, and civil society.” Ultimately, he stressed, it requires collective reflection on the conditions under which Islamic knowledge is transmitted in today’s world.”

In pursuit of this vision, Berriah is actively involved in a collaborative research project on this topic, set to launch soon, and that he will be pleased to present later. He describes it as “intellectually stimulating and deeply necessary” project that seek to lay the groundwork for a new generation of scholarship in Islamic studies.

A scholar committed to intellectual mediation

At a time when intellectual discourse around Islam often falls into caricature or defensiveness, Berriah shows us a different model, one grounded in scholarly integrity, intercultural mediation, and a genuine desire to rethink inherited paradigms.

“I wrote this book not just to fill a gap in the literature,” he says, “but to invite a broader reflection on how we approach Islamic history, how we define our concepts, and how we build bridges across traditions.”

If there is a lesson to be drawn from his work, it is that the most meaningful academic contributions do not emerge from isolation, but from dialogue, from the difficult, often uncomfortable process of listening, translating, and questioning across worlds.

In this sense, Berriah’s scholarship is not only about the Mamluks or the semantics of jihad. It is about the future of intellectual inquiry in a world that urgently needs more voices willing to inhabit the space between traditions, and to think from that space with clarity, precision, and care.

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