The early writings of Rashid Rida were very much influenced by al-Afghani and ‘Abduh, and he considered the "ulema" the biggest obstacle to the reform of Islam and, by extension, of the Muslim world. However, the advancement of Western secularism would later on make Rida turn his attention to the “threat” posed by the westernized modernizers, and his attacks against them were increasingly fierce, including accusations of atheism, immorality, even treason. Simultaneously, a kind of literalist approach would dominate Rida's thought, and he would progressively distance himself from the figurative interpretation of the Qur’an favored by al-Afghani and ‘Abduh. Unsurprisingly, Rida would express his admiration of Ibn Hazm, a leading classical scholar of "Zaahiri"(literalist) school, whom he quoted with increasing frequency.