The second half of the twentieth century witnessed a surge in intellectual life in the Arab world, which one prominent Arab intellectual, Abdullah Laroui, goes so far as calling a "second nahda" (renaissance). Thinkers from different parts of the Arab world wrote prolifically, analyzing the political, religious, and social problems of their time. They addressed questions, such as: Why are the Arabs continuing to regress? What is the role of the political and religious authorities in this regression? How is the Arab reading of Islamic history contributing to the decay? The critique of religious and political authorities, often intertwined, has been a subject of much serious scholarship. This paper will focus on the intellectual contribution of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (1943-2010). Abu Zayd was a well-versed scholar of Islam who offers original ijtihad (independent reasoning) in Quranic Studies. His linguistic, cultural and historic contextual analysis of the sacred text deconstructs orthodox interpretations of Islam and undermines religious authority in the contemporary Arab world. Despite his significance, he has not received the scholarly attention that his work warrants. His scholarship has the potential to lead to genuine religious, social and political reform in the Muslim world.