As a young man he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but then devoted his philosophical reflections to its phenomenology, writing a trilogy in which the Husserlian method is applied to a reconstruction of classic Muslim culture and a critique of the sources.

At a political level, Hanafi describes himself as belonging to the “Islamic Left“, through a socialist interpretation of Islam. He believes that, specifically due to its being a religion of law, Islam has a secular potential not yet implemented, not because of the religion, but on the contrary due to politics. Like al-Jabri, Hanafi believes that it was exactly an early separation between religion and politics that exposed Islam to becoming manipulated by power. Caliphs and sultans have manipulated the religion for their own best interests, while scholars of religious science, who in the Sunni tradition replace the clergy (unlike the Shiites), have never claimed to play a political role. These ideas make a significant contribution to the search for an original path to secularity, also assuming a proud stance as far as the West is concerned that at times assumes the characteristics of post-colonial culture  opposing eurocentrism, claiming the Arab world’s right to be released from the role of the “other” to assume the characteristics of the “I”. 

Massimo Campanini, who has dedicated many essays to this culture, emphasises how at time these efforts underestimate the problems and contradictions there are in an Islamic path to secularisation. This does not, however, prevent appreciation for the importance these efforts have had, and still have, in opening Muslim culture to dialogue, albeit conflictual with Western culture, as well as not preventing one from appreciating the clash with extremism and dogmatism whose representatives have at times accused Hanafi of apostasy and heresy.

Hanafi is committed to maintaining at all costs a link between the Muslim religion and the cause of freedom and progress. He is also committed to rejecting the opposition to modernity coming from the Islamist radical front and to work for the development of a dialogue between religions within a global ethical perspective. His “Islamic theology of liberation” intends to promote social justice and political emancipation from dictatorships, in a way that effectively appears to place him close to the Muslim Brotherhood’s reformist wing, which opposed the Mubarak regime and saluted its fall as beneficial, although the movement had not played a leading role in the uprising.

Hanafi is also an excellent translator. His work includes the Arabic translation of a large anthology of Medieval Christian philosophy. He has also translated Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus – which analyses in depth the use of reason and critical methodology regarding holy texts – as well as Lessing and Sartre.