Marmaduke Pickthall: British Muslim by Peter Clark (published 1987 by Quartet Books, London) is a great read if you can get your hands on it. Most people only know that Pickthall converted to Islam and translated the Qur'an unless they have stumbled upon a collection of his essays called Cultural Side of Islam or sometimes, Islamic Culture. (He also wrote a wonderful novel called Sayeed the Fisherman which I highly recommend.)
In British Muslim, Peter Clark confesses becoming obsessed with Pickthall, who became an "invisible presence" in his home or three years. That seems like an amazingly short period of time to write a research book like this. His sources were mainly out of print periodicals as well as personal letters.
Pickthall wrote extensively as a journalist, and Clark had to locate old editions of Islamic Culture, once published in Hyderbad, and the periodical Islamic Review from Woking, England, as well as New Age of London.
British Muslim describes an erudite, personable and self-thinking man not cowed by popular opinion. We learn that if not for his political ideas deemed dangerous in official circles, Pickthall's "talents as a linguist and as an authority on Syria, Palestine, and Egypt could have been used." Indeed it was because he had a reputation for being a "rabid Turkophile" (i.e. a friend to Turkish people and someone who enjoyed Turkish culture and language) that he was not offered the job with the Arab Bureau in Cairo, then under British rule, that subsequently went to T.E. Lawrence. Thus are world events swayed.
The greatest work of his life, for which so many English speaking Muslims are indebted to him, was not without turmoil. The translation of the "meaning" of the Qur'an (a distinction he always insisted upon) began around 1927, although as early as 1919 when he was acting imam in London, he used to translate passages, piecemeal, for the sake of Friday sermons. His was the first translation of the Qur'an made by a Muslim! At the time he began, Pickthall was teaching in the Nizamate of Hyderbad, an offshoot of the Moghal Empire which had "evaded absorption in the British Empire." The Nizam gave Pickthall special leave of absence on full pay for two years in order to complete the translation. Pickthall decided he should also procure approval from the ulama of al-Azhar in Cairo. he spent three months in Egypt, from November of 1929. and met some leading Egyptian writers, among whom was Taha Hussein, a blind blind professor of Arabic at the secular university of Cairo.
Hussein seemed to derive delight in annoying Pickthall and throwing obstacles in his way.Pickthall quickly saw through his opponent and later would write about " a certain scholar with a mania for the last Paris models in the way of thought. . . [and whose' taste foreign ideas includes half-baked or wholly unbaked theories concerning the Arabic language, history and Islam."
The Egyptian trip was a failure. King Fuad, who was then toying with the idea of becoming the Caliph, did not support the notion of Pickthall's translation and the 'ulama were thrown in a flutter when it came out. They finally pronounced Pickthall's translation "unfit to be authorized." Ha. Pickthall's translation is still with us today, pronounced by some native Arabic speakers as the closest translation of any. May God bless him!
Was this review helpful? Yes No Report this reviewIn British Muslim, Peter Clark confesses becoming obsessed with Pickthall, who became an "invisible presence" in his home or three years. That seems like an amazingly short period of time to write a research book like this. His sources were mainly out of print periodicals as well as personal letters.
Pickthall wrote extensively as a journalist, and Clark had to locate old editions of Islamic Culture, once published in Hyderbad, and the periodical Islamic Review from Woking, England, as well as New Age of London.
British Muslim describes an erudite, personable and self-thinking man not cowed by popular opinion. We learn that if not for his political ideas deemed dangerous in official circles, Pickthall's "talents as a linguist and as an authority on Syria, Palestine, and Egypt could have been used." Indeed it was because he had a reputation for being a "rabid Turkophile" (i.e. a friend to Turkish people and someone who enjoyed Turkish culture and language) that he was not offered the job with the Arab Bureau in Cairo, then under British rule, that subsequently went to T.E. Lawrence. Thus are world events swayed.
The greatest work of his life, for which so many English speaking Muslims are indebted to him, was not without turmoil. The translation of the "meaning" of the Qur'an (a distinction he always insisted upon) began around 1927, although as early as 1919 when he was acting imam in London, he used to translate passages, piecemeal, for the sake of Friday sermons. His was the first translation of the Qur'an made by a Muslim! At the time he began, Pickthall was teaching in the Nizamate of Hyderbad, an offshoot of the Moghal Empire which had "evaded absorption in the British Empire." The Nizam gave Pickthall special leave of absence on full pay for two years in order to complete the translation. Pickthall decided he should also procure approval from the ulama of al-Azhar in Cairo. he spent three months in Egypt, from November of 1929. and met some leading Egyptian writers, among whom was Taha Hussein, a blind blind professor of Arabic at the secular university of Cairo.
Hussein seemed to derive delight in annoying Pickthall and throwing obstacles in his way.Pickthall quickly saw through his opponent and later would write about " a certain scholar with a mania for the last Paris models in the way of thought. . . [and whose' taste foreign ideas includes half-baked or wholly unbaked theories concerning the Arabic language, history and Islam."
The Egyptian trip was a failure. King Fuad, who was then toying with the idea of becoming the Caliph, did not support the notion of Pickthall's translation and the 'ulama were thrown in a flutter when it came out. They finally pronounced Pickthall's translation "unfit to be authorized." Ha. Pickthall's translation is still with us today, pronounced by some native Arabic speakers as the closest translation of any. May God bless him!
