Western Scholars Testimony on the Greatness of Islam
1.
William Montgomery Watt
William Montgomery Watt, head of
the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh,
wrote in his book “Islam and Christianity Today”: “I am not a Muslim in the usual sense,
though I hope I am a ‘Muslim’ as ‘one surrendered to God,’ but I believe that
embedded in the Quran and
other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divine truth from
which I and other occidentals have still much to learn. Islam is certainly a
strong contender for the supplying of the basic framework of the one religion
of the future.”
2.
Édouard Montet
The Swiss orientalist and
President of the University of Geneva, Édouard Montet (d. 1927), wrote about
the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “But in spite of the
rich development, in every sense of the term, of the teachings of the prophet,
the Quran has invariably kept its place as the fundamental starting point, and
the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur, a
majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is
hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam… A creed so precise, so
stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the
ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a
marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.”
3.
George Bernard Shaw
The English (Irish) playwright
and philosopher, George Bernard Shaw (d. 1950), expressed his deep admiration for
Islam and its Prophet. In his well-known words: “I have always held the
religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It
is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity
to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age.
I have studied him – the wonderful man – and in my opinion far from being an
Anti-Christ he must be called the Saviour of Humanity.
I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern
world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the
much needed peace and happiness.
I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to
the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of
today.”
4.
Sir Hamilton Gibb
Sir Hamilton Gibb, the distinguished British orientalist and
Harvard professor, wrote in his book Whither Islam?: “Islam still has another
service to render to the cause of humanity. It stands, after all, nearer to the
East than does Europe, and it possesses a magnificent tradition of inter-racial
understanding and cooperation. No other society has achieved such a record of
success in uniting so many and so various races of mankind in equality of
status and opportunity. Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently
irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. Should the present antagonisms
of East and West ever be replaced by cooperation, it will be by means of Islam,
and in that event Islam will be indispensable to the peace and progress of the
world.”
5.
Bernard Lewis
Despite Bernard Lewis’s unethical role
in significantly influencing Samuel Huntington's “Clash of Civilizations”
theory by popularizing the idea of a deeply rooted conflict between the Islamic
world and the West, he said about the Islamic civilization: “God sent the
angel Gabriel to dictate the Quran to Muhammad; thus the Quran completes the
series of divine revelations given earlier to the prophets of Israel and to
Jesus. Muhammad, therefore, is the greatest and the last of the prophets, and
the Quran is the final and perfect expression of God’s will concerning the life
of men.
Islam, in its sincere submission to the true revelation of God, is not merely a
religion but a civilization, for its divine content is inseparable from the
organization of human life which it was meant to regulate from the very moment
of its revelation.
When Muhammad died in 632 C.E., his mission had been fulfilled: to restore the
true monotheism preached by the prophets, to abolish idolatry, and to
communicate anew the divine law and faith.
It is sometimes claimed that Islam was imposed by force. This is not true,
although military conquest played a large part in its spread. A century after
the Prophet’s death, within the vast empire ruled by his successors—embracing
many peoples and lands—Islam was the prevailing faith, and Arabic had rapidly
become the dominant language in administration, trade, and learning.
Out of this union of revelation and empire there arose a distinct
civilization—born of Islamic belief, protected by the Islamic state, enriched
by the Arabic tongue—a civilization created by men and women of many races and
creeds, but everywhere stamped with the mark of Islam and of Arab ideals.”
6.
Roger Du Pasquier
The Swiss journalist Roger du
Pasquier, who studied Islam deeply and later embraced it along with his Dutch
wife, wrote in his book “Unveiling Islam”: “Islam has been given to man
precisely to help him Live through this last stage of history without losing
himself. The final revelation of the prophetic cycle, it offers methods of
resisting the present chaos, and of re-establishing order and clarity within
the soul as well as harmony in human relations and of achieving the higher
destiny to which the Creator has called us.
Islam is addressed to man, of
whom it has a deep and precise understanding, defining as it does his position
in creation and before God.
An objector may say: “The present
condition of Muslims does not offer a promising picture of happiness and
peace.”
There is indeed much that can be
said in response to such an objection, yet let us suffice here with a few brief
remarks before returning to the state of the Muslim world.
Muslims, in general, are fully
aware that they have lived far removed from the true ideals of the Revelation
received by the Prophet Muhammad. They openly acknowledge that, were they to
follow Islam’s teachings sincerely, their entire lives would be transformed for
the better.
Nevertheless, it cannot be denied
that—when compared to the crisis now overwhelming industrial Western
civilization—the Muslim world suffers from different kinds of hardships. Its
moral and spiritual foundations have never been shaken in the same way as those
of the West. The vast majority of Muslims have remained faithful to their
traditional belief.
The crisis that has afflicted
those lands is, rather, of a material nature—linked to the necessities of daily
life. In Asia especially, one finds many countries counted among the poorest on
earth. This situation, due in part to colonial powers, does not, however,
destroy human dignity—even among those most afflicted by deprivation—for Islam
bestows upon man a dignity that poverty cannot erase; indeed, it has at times
strengthened it.
Thus we see clearly that even in
the most difficult and destitute circumstances, Islam preserves the meaning of
life and gives it a taste that makes it worthy of being lived.”
7.
Marcel Boissière
In his insightful book “L’Humanisme
de l’Islam” (The Humanity of Islam), the French thinker Marcel Boissière wrote:
“There can be no doubt that divine revelation appeared in the Middle East—the
cradle of the three monotheistic religions—and that Islam represents the final
and most complete manifestation of civilization in that part of the world.
Its ideas spread to Europe and Asia through the Arabic language, across the
Mediterranean and over the Pyrenees. In short, Islam is a civilization that
gave a special meaning to the individual, defined precisely his place in
society, and established fundamental truths governing relations among peoples.
Not only has it made a major historical contribution to world culture, but it
continues—justifiably—to claim the ability to provide solutions to the
essential problems of individuals, societies, and international relations that
disturb our contemporary world.
Islam is, above all, communication between God and man. The very name of this
religion expresses its essence: when correctly translated, Islam means a
positive and voluntary submission to the divine will, derived from the same
root as the word for peace.
These two ideas—submission and peace—meet within the Islamic vision. The devout
acceptance by man or by a community of the divinely revealed Law is an active
and constant effort to enter into harmony with a unique, coherent universe
ruled by divine order. A religion founded upon a deep and total faith in the
unity of God necessarily fosters the idea of a harmonious world governed by a
universal and immutable law. Historically, this faith has given birth to a
community, a way of life, a mode of thought and action—in a word, to a
civilization.”
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