Islamic literature by converts to Islam - IV

This is fourth in the series and concluding post on the subject.

The contribution to Islamic literature by converts to Islam from other religions has played a very important role in promoting Islam in the west. Despite the media frenzy that is often conferred on Islam, this religion has attracted many great personalities, though not always resulting in their conversion, during the last century. Often one hears suggestions that seem diabolical but these do reflect the extent to which Islam has attracted people's attention.

English is now the second language of the world of Islam after Arabic and Islamic literature published in English language is extremely important, not only for Muslims but for non Muslims as well. Where majority of the Islamic books published in other languages focus on theology, Fiqh and hair-splitting debates on issues that are a little concern of today's man, the research and publication of Islamic books in English language attempt to make Islam relevant to the Zeitgeist.

One of the reasons for this quality Islamic scholarship that has been produced by the converts is their ability to rationally analyse their faith. They discover their faith through a logical progression whereas those who "inherit" their faith do not necessarily go through the same process of self discovery. This often results in inability of the latter to analyse their faith rationally and resorting to arguments that defy logic. Conversion to another religion is not just a step. It marks a long and strenuous process which starts with challenging the existing models and then slowly replacing them with new paradigms. This process is underlined with intensive, and often painful, logical and philosophical dialogue with the self. The experience enables the converts to be able to relate the religion to life. Another fact is that traditional education, as imparted in the religious schools in Muslim countries, focuses on informing the pupils rather than encouraging them to ask questions and challenge the status-quo. This approach transcends into the habit of following an established authority blindly. The focus of western education is to develop analytical thinking and critical analysis skills in individuals. Having been brought up mostly in Europe and America, the converts (and other Muslims brought up in the west) are well equipped with these skills and are well placed to analyse and evaluate their beliefs. Autocratic governments and lack of necessary working conditions in Muslim countries have resulted in the emigration of many scholars to the west.

This certainly represents a possible shift in the centre of gravity of Islamic scholarship to the west. In the words of Murad Hofmann, "... the liveliness of intellectual life necessary for Islamic rejuvenation will probably be found rather in places like Los Angeles, Washington, Leicester, Oxford, Cologne, and Paris than in traditional centres of Muslim learning. It is, therefore, not far-fetched to expect the intellectual and spiritual revivification of Islam in the twenty-first century to be kindled and propelled from research done by qualified Muslim thinkers outside dar al Islam⁶."

References

1. Dr Murad Hofmann, Islam: The Alternative (Maryland: Amana Publications, 1999), vii
   
   
2. Ismail Ibrahim Nawwab, "A Matter of Love: Muhammad Asad and Islam," in Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss): Europe's Gift to Islam, ed. M. Ikram Chaghatai (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel, 2006), 137
   
   
3. Dr Murad Hofmann, Journey to Islam: Diary of a German Diplomat: 1951-2000 (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 2001), 41
   
   
4. Ismail Ibrahim Nawwab, "A Matter of Love: Muhammad Asad and Islam," in Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss): Europe's Gift to Islam, ed. M. Ikram Chaghatai (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel, 2006), 127
   
   
5. Maryam Jameelah, Memoirs of Childhood and Youth in America (1945-1962) (Lahore: Muhammad Yusuf Khan, 1989), 109.
   
   
6. Dr Murad Hofmann, Islam 2000 (Maryland: Amana Publications), 72
   

Islamic literature by converts to Islam - III

This is third in the series of posts on the subject. In this post we shall review contributions by Muslim converts on various other subjects that deal with the important aspects of human life.

Spirituality and futurology

The spiritual crisis of modern world, which stems from over-emphasis on materialistic rationalism, has been an important subject for Muslim converts over the last century. Some converts to Islam were eminent philosophers and metaphysicists who enjoyed excellent reputation among the western academics. Frithjof Schuon and René Guénon were leading perennial philosophers of the 20th century. Their works represent the highest quality scholarship in perennial philosophy. Schuon's The Transcendent Unity of Religions prompted T.S.Eliot to say: "I have met with no more impressive work in the comparative study of Oriental and Occidental religions". René Guénon's The Crisis of the Modern World and The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times are important works. Both Schuon and Guénon concentrate on the study of religion and its regression in the modern world. Being Schuon's disciple and expositor, Martin Lings wrote The Eleventh Hour: The Spiritual Crisis of the Modern World in the Light of Tradition and Prophecy. Another work by Lings, published posthumously, is A Return to the Spirit: Questions and Answers in which he answers questions relating to his life, Islam and Sufism. HRH The Prince of Wales writes in the foreword, “One of the great privileges of my life has been to know Dr. Martin Lings.... he saw beneath the surface of things and helped us penetrate the veil behind which lies the sacred meaning to so many of life’s mysteries ... I used to look forward so much to what became an annual visit from Martin Lings when I had a chance to explore with him some of his inner discoveries, whether in the world of Shakespeare or of Sufism.” Gai Eaton's Islam and the Destiny of Man and King of the Castle: Choice and Responsibility in the Modern World uncover the spiritual dimensions of Islam and are well written books on a difficult subject.

Political dimension of Islam

After becoming Muslims, many converts to Islam have wholeheartedly identified themselves with the social and political aspirations of the world of Islam. This empathy manifests itself in their writings. Muhammad Asad is a leading example. His Principles of State and Government in Islam explores the theoretical foundations of an Islamic state in modern world. His articles, written in the 1940s in his journal Arafat, discuss the rationale behind the demand for a separate homeland for the Muslims of India. He also highlighted the importance of ijtihad (process of making new laws by independently interpreting the primary sources of Islamic Law) for this age. His booklet, Islam at the Crossroads, published in 1934, is highly critical of western materialism. It briefly reviewed the political and social status of the Muslims and concluded that Muslims should abstain from imitating the "dazzling exterior" of the western civilisation while adopting the good things. He later served as an Ambassador Plenipotentiary for Pakistan in the United Nations. Many other Muslim converts have made worthwhile contributions to the literature on political and social philosophy of Islam. Maryam Jameelah has written many books that explore the social and political dimensions of the Muslims in the 20th century. Murad Hofmann in his book, Religion on the Rise: Islam in the Third Millennium, has attempted to predict the future developments of Islam. His other books also have chapters exploring the issues in detail. In the recent years many other publications contributed by converts to Islam have appeared that explore the socio-political aspects of Islam with the empathy it deserves.

Islamic art

Islamic artists have abstained from depicting human images on the grounds that it may be considered idolatry which is forbidden in Islam. Therefore, Islamic art has mainly focused on architecture, calligraphy, painting and decorative arts. Some really good books have been written by the converts to Islam which have played an important role in introducing the salient features of Islamic art to western readers and art critics. One of the most important works is Titus Burckhardt's Art of Islam, Language and Meaning. This is a scholarly work on this subject and attempts to define the underlying principles of Islamic art. Another notable work is Splendours of Qur'an Calligraphy and Illumination by Martin Lings.

Memoirs and personal narratives

Many converts have written their personal narratives describing how they found their faith. Such works as these have informed us about the spiritual experiences they went through before making their final decision. These works give us some insight into the lives of people who suffer from this unprecedented spiritual crisis that is a hallmark of a materialist and consumerist society.

Many books have appeared since the early 20th century and it does not seem to have stopped. An autobiography of Charles Gai Eaton, A Bad Beginning: The Path to Islam, is due to be published later this month, October 2009. However, no such work has surpassed the extraordinarily written spiritual autobiography by Muhammad Asad, The Road to Mecca. It has served to attract thousands of western readers to the charms of Islamic civilisation. Maryam Jameelah (aka Margaret Marcus) wrote in her autobiography that as a young American Jewish girl, she discovered Asad's book in a public library near her home. Her parents would not allow her to take out the book, so she read it in the library over and over. "What he could do, I thought I could also do, only how much harder for a single woman than for a man! But I vowed to Allah that at the first opportunity, I would follow his example." After conversion, she later moved to Lahore on the advice of Maulana Maududi. The charm of Asad's book seems never ending. This is reflected in its continued publication more than 50 years after it first hit the bookshops in New York and London.

In the next post, we'll conclude this discussion; and will see how this is helping in the propagation of Islam in the world.

Falling morale and absent leadership

The feeling of gloom and insecurity is now national in coverage. It is not just a problem for Karachi or Swat or Peshawar. No citizen in Pakistan (besides those whose security is guaranteed by US and who live behind bunkers in Islamabad) feels safe any more. Those leaving their homes in the morning to go out to earn their livelihood leave with fears that this might be the last time they are seeing their loved ones.

Educational institutions have been closed in order to give them time to put "security" in place. Unlike the Presidency or Prime Minister House in Islamabad universities do not have physical walls to prevent terrorists from walking in. Nation is feeling insecure and morale is at its lowest.

Cyril Almeida recently wrote on the absence of our political leadership from the scene (discounting their mugshots on the television media) and its reluctance to reach out to the masses to raise their morale:

But have you seen Zardari visiting the injured, condoling with the families of the dead, drumming up the morale of ordinary government officials, supporting the troops out in the field? Sure, he’s a target and his security phobias are already the stuff of legend. But even by the wretched standards of recent times, these are extraordinary days and the public needs reassurance more urgently than ever.

Have you seen the prime minister with his arm around an elderly woman who has lost her home and is living the humiliating life of an IDP? Have you seen the prime minister kneeling at the side of a father whose child has been riddled with pellets from a suicide bomber’s vest? Have you seen the prime minister striding into a crowd of grieving families and listening to their woes? Have you seen the prime minister sitting down with army jawans and sharing a meal?

Our current political leadership, whether in government or opposition, believe that (1) they are ruling the country anointed by the US and not because of the votes given by the common people of Pakistan, (2) they have a birth right to rule because they were born in one clan or another, (3) ordinary people who vote them into power are morons and will do so any way - so why bother. How would you expect such leadership to put their lives on the line and be with the people to raise their morale!

Islamic literature by converts to Islam - II

This is second in the series of posts on the subject. In this post, we carry out a brief review of works by Muslim converts concentrating on the studies of Qur'an and Hadith.

The magnitude of work that exists makes a detailed review and classification a daunting task. This effort does not aim at presenting a systematic study of literature but merely an attempt to introduce a lay person to the wonderful legacy of these illustrious Muslim converts.

Translation and exegeses of the Qur'an

A quick survey of English translations of the Holy Qur'an shows the valiant efforts that Muslim converts have made to propagate the divine message of Allah. Marmaduke Pickthall's The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an, first published in 1930, was the first English translation to achieve mass popularity. It is noted for its archaic language and is still published and read widely even today.

An extremely important addition to the English translations of the Holy Qur'an is Muhammad Asad'sThe Message of the Qur'an. First published in 1980, it was a result of 17 years of hard work and a lifetime of study and research. Asad's profound knowledge of classical Arabic and deep understanding of Arab tribal culture are reflected in his explanatory notes. This work is noted for Asad's rationalist approach toward understanding the message of the Qur'an. This translation was criticised by orthodoxy for its Mutazilite inclination and was banned in Saudi Arabia. Coincidentally, this is his attempt to explain the message of the Qur'an rationally that makes him extremely popular among the western readers and Muslims who prefer logical argumentation. Another feature of this work is that Asad, explaining a verse, cites opinions of great Qur'an exegete of the past - Daraqutni, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Taymiyyah, Zamakhshari, Abd'hu, Al-Tabbari, Suyuti, just to name a few - and then justifies his preference for one of them. This work is rightly considered his magnum opus.

More recent English translations include Dr T. B. Irving's The Qur'an: First American Version and The Noble Qur'an by Aisha & Abdalhaqq Bewley. Dr Irving was conferred the Star of Excellence by the Government of Pakistan in 1983 for his services to Islam.

Muslim converts have also translated or edited earlier translations of the Qur'an in other languages. Dr Murad Hofmann has edited a German language translation of the Qur'an originally published at the beginning of the 20th century. In September this year, he has been selected as the Islamic Personality of the Year by Dubai International Holy Qur'an Award.

Muslims regard the Qur'an as 'untranslatable'. Therefore, no translation can be perfect or definitive. However, Qur'an translations by Muslim converts have significantly, if not completely, reduced the reliance on the translations carried out by non-Muslims who had little empathy for their subject. We now have translations carried out with intellectual honesty by those who were native to the language and the society.

Translation of Hadith and Fiqh literature

Hadith is the next important source of Islamic Law after the Holy Qur'an. Six major Hadith collections form the canon of Islamic Law along with the Holy Qur'an, eventually resulting in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) as compiled by different canon law jurists. Canon law jurists differ in their explanation of certain traditions of the Prophet (saw) which has resulted in different schools of Islamic jurisprudence. The Hadith and Fiqh literature was originally compiled in Arabic and subsequently translated into other language as Islam spread in non-Arab territories. As majority of the Muslims don't understand Arabic, therefore, Muslim scholars have always actively engaged in transferring the Hadith and Fiqh knowledge in other languages. The first major attempt to translate into English the most authentic Hadith collection from Al-Bukhari came from Muhammad Asad. He was working on this project in 1947, when flood in the River Ravi and riots that followed the partition of India destroyed some of his manuscripts beyond recovery. His later engagements did not allow him to complete the work but completed parts were later published as Sahih al-Bukhari: The Early Years of Islam.

Several books have been written by Muslim converts that discuss various aspects of Hadith and Islamic Law. The study of evolution of Fiqh has always been a bit of a challenge for an average western reader. Tim Winter's small book titled Understanding the Four Madhabs and The Four Imams and Their Schools by Dr Gibril Haddad are very useful works, especially for those who do not understand Arabic, Persian or Urdu. Another work that is worth mentioning is the translation of Muhammad Abu Zahra's works on the four imams by Aisha Bewley. She has also translated Imam Malik's Mawatta.

A related area of Islamic scholarship is the life and personality of the Prophet (saw). Of all the biographical works on the Prophet (saw) that have been written by Muslim converts, Martin Lings's Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources warrants special mention. It is considered the best biography of the Prophet (saw) outside of Arabic language. Lings was recognised by the governments of Egypt and Pakistan for his work.

In the next post, we'll review efforts made by Muslim converts in other related areas of Islamic literature.

Islamic literature by converts to Islam - I

Islam, as a political force in the world, has risen and eclipsed with the fate of Muslims. The conduct of Muslims and Islam haven't always walked in step but the fact remains that whenever their conduct fails to shine, it invariably reflects badly on Islam. It is taken for granted that the raison d’être for all of their social, cultural and economic problems is their religion, Islam. Taking Pakistan as an example, the chaotic mode of governance and mounting threat from local and international terrorism embroiled in increasing power and influence of the pseudo-religious faction have coalesced into a derogatory view of the role of religion as a social ideology. In the west, one runs the risk of being labelled a Fascist for publicly declaring empathy for it. More moderate view point maintains that religion, as it has been practised in the past, falls short of satisfying the multifarious requirements that characterise the post-modern society.

Against this background, it is only natural for the Muslims to desire and make an effort to explain themselves and their faith with respect to the Zeitgeist. The underlying objective is to ascertain that Islam is not a spent force but rather a valid and pragmatic alternative to western civilisation¹, that is in waiting. Many of these attempts focus on explicating certain myths which have marred the face of Islam in the west, while others have tried, more courageously, to reinterpret the various aspects of Islam in the light of new developments in the fields of science, psychology, anthropology, sociology and history.

Attempts to marry reason with faith and reconstruct religious thought, either under the spell of Greek philosophy or European Movement of Enlightenment, are not a new phenomenon by any means. Conflicts between the Mutazilites (Mu'tazilah) and the Asharites (Ash'ariyyah) which started as early as the 9th century or the intellectual debate between Al-Ghazali (1058-1111) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) (1126-1198) in the 12th century substantiate this assertion. The rationalist school of Mu'tazilah movement has never disappeared since it started in the 8th century. Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905), his disciple Rashid Rida (1865-1935) and Muhammad Asad (1900-1992) have continued to follow the rationalist approach by attempting to explain the tenets of Islam in line with the European rationalism.

In the 20th century, among Muslims, converts to Islam from other religions have made disproportionate contributions to make Islam more approachable and comprehensible to western readers. They have produced, and continue to produce, Islamic literature that has played a significant part in casting aside many centuries-old myths and fears of Islam in the west.² For example, no other Islamic scholar in the 20th century has contributed more to the explanation and propagation of Islam in the west than the Austrian Muhammad Asad (aka Leopold Weiss).³

According to a recent report, every one in four persons in this world is a Muslim. The 20th century witnessed a significant increase in the rate of conversion to Islam, especially in the west. Western obsession with materialism and the ideology that underpins complete rationalisation of human mind into the causal philosophy have resulted in a spiritual crisis. A large number of people feel uncomfortable about systematisation of human life to the sole advantage of corporate culture that governs the consumerist society. They are irresistibly attracted by the powerful emotional symbolism of a religion. They discover that Islam is 'the' alternative that has the ability to transform their lives. Since the beginning of the 20th century, many great scholars, writers, artists and scientists have converted to Islam following their study of Islamic literature. Committed as they were to the vision and way of life propounded by their newly adopted faith, they subsequently attempted to contribute to the literature on Islam, bringing fresh thinking into the otherwise static edifice of literature on Islam. This group of Muslim converts has contributed profoundly to Islamic literature in the second half of the 20th century and their intellectual achievements have subsequently helped propagate Islam even farther.

Some of these distinguished Muslim converts of the 20th century include:

• Lord Stanley of Alderley (1827-1903), a historian and Bertrand Russell's uncle
  
• Muhammad Asad (aka Leopold Weiss) (1900-1992), a writer, diplomat, and translator of the Qur'an
  
• Lord Headley El-Farooq (aka Shaikh Saifurrahman Rehmatullah El-Farooq) (1855-1935), a member of the House of Lords, a writer and an activist
  
• Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall (1876-1936), a novelist and translator of the Qur'an
  
• Martin Lings (aka Abu Bakr Siraj Ad-Din) (1909-2005), an English Sufi Muslim and writer
  
• Charles Le Gai Eaton (aka Hassan Abdul Hakeem) (b. 1921), a writer and diplomat
  
• René Guénon (aka Abd al-Wahid Yahya) (1886-1951), an eminent metaphysicist and Sufi Muslim
  
• Vincent Mansour Monteil (1913-2005), an orientalist, linguist, anthropologist and humanist
  
• Murad Wilfried Hofmann (b.1931), a diplomat, German Ambassador to Algeria and Morocco and writer
  
• Baron Omar Rolf von Ehrenfels (1901-1980), an Austrian anthropologist and orientalist
  
• Abdul Karim Germanus (1884-1979), a Hungarian university professor and orientalist
  
• Frithjof Schuon (aka Shaykh Isa Nur al-Din Ahmad) (1907-1998), a great philosopher
  
• Ivan Aguéli (aka Sheikh Abd al-Hadi Aqili) (1869-1917), a Swiss Sufi, painter and writer
  
• Thomas Irving (aka Ta'lim Ali Abu Nasr) (1914-2002), an Islamic scholar and translator of the Qur'an
  
• Margaret Marcus (aka Maryam Jameelah) (b. 1934), a writer
  
• Cyril Glassé (b.1944), author of The Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam and other Islamic works
  
• Jeffrey Lang (b.1954), a mathematician and writer on Islam
  
• Michael Wolfe (b.1945), a poet, novelist and writer of travel books
  
• Tim Winter (aka Abdal Hakim Murad) (b.1960), a British Muslim scholar and teacher
  
• Aisha Bewley (b.1948), a writer and translator of the Qur'an

The next post will briefly review important literary contributions these Muslim converts have made in various areas. Please note the references will be provided in the concluding post.

Muslim by birth or by choice

I believe, like millions of other Muslims in the world today, that I am blessed that I was born in a Muslim family and raised as a moderate practising Muslim - without having to go on a quest for the path of righteousness and the true religion. But am I really blessed! - for not having to search for the truth, for a blind belief in what I was told as a child and for not going on my personal quest for knowledge, for not contributing to the body of knowledge about the truth!

Islam encourages quest for knowledge, research and thinking to understand and interpret the words of God and Islam as a religion. A disproportionately large population of Muslims in the world prefer to lead their lives like programmed robots - in a state of collective hypnosis. This is because once born a Muslim we stop the intellectual discourse. This is contrary to what Prophet Muhammad (saw) asked from the Ummah!

Pakistan and other Muslim countries would not be in the mess we are in if ordinary Muslims were more open to learning about Islam, the Quran and Islamic ways of life - and if they were not easily taken by the shallow but hypnotic messages from the hard line fundamentalists.

For Muslims converts who chose the religion, after having travelled on road to self discovery, the situation is different. It is our premise that over the last couple of centuries contribution of Muslim converts (those who chose Islam not born in it) to the overall body of knowledge in Islam is significantly higher than born Muslims. In a series of posts following this one my colleague Anwar Ahmad will be presenting a argument to support this view. Watch this space...