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Reviews of The Religion of Islam
Read here the book
The Religion of Islam
Marmaduke Pickthall in Islamic Culture, October
1936:
| “Probably no man living has done longer or more valuable
service for the cause of Islamic revival than Maulana Muhammad
Ali of Lahore. His literary works, with those of the late
Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, have given fame and distinction to the
Ahmadiyya Movement. In our opinion the present volume is his
finest work… It is a description of Al-Islam by one
well-versed in the Quran and the Sunnah who has on his mind
the shame of the Muslim decadence of the past five centuries
and in his heart the hope of the revival of which signs
can now be seen on every side. Without moving a hair’s
breadth from the traditional position with regard to worship
and religious duties, the author shows a wide field in which
changes are lawful and may be desirable because here the
rules and practices are not based on an ordinance of the
Quran or on an edict of the Prophet, and should be altered
when they cease to meet the needs of the community. Such
a book is greatly needed at the present day when in many
Muslim countries we see persons eager for the reformation
and revival of Islam making mistakes through lack of just
this knowledge…
We do not always agree with Maulana Muhammad Ali’s
conclusions upon minor points — sometimes they appear
to us eccentric — but his premises are always sound,
we are always conscious of his deep sincerity; and his reverence
for the holy Quran is sufficient in itself to guarantee
his work in all essentials. There are some, no doubt, who
will disagree with his general findings, but they will not
be those from whom Al-Islam has anything to hope in the
future.”
(Islamic Culture, India, October 1936, pages 659
–660) |
Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, Lahore, 6 February 1936:
| “Thank you so much for your kind present to me of
your new book ‘The Religion of Islam’. I very much
appreciate the gift. I have glanced through parts of it, and
find it an extremely useful work, almost indispensable to
the students of Islam. You have already written a number of
books; one cannot but admire your energy and power of sustained
work.”
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Antony T. Sullivan, Center for Middle Eastern and
North African Studies, The University of Michigan, 1994:
| “This book is among the most important single-volume
studies of Islam written during the 20th century. It reads
as freshly today as when first published in 1936. Now, when
prejudice, stereotypes and extremism are all too common in
both the West and the Islamic world, Maulana Muhammad Ali’s
master-work should be required reading for Muslims and non-Muslims
alike. The Religion of Islam remains especially useful
for all those interested in Christian-Muslim relations, and
is indispensable to any serious student of Islam.” |
The Times of Ceylon, 21 May 1936:
| “In 1916, Maulana Muhammad Ali published a translation
of the Holy Quran with Arabic and notes, which arrested the
attention of all educated Muslims in the British Empire, by
its deep learning and exhaustive research.
The volume under review will be welcomed by all Muslims and
those who are interested in the science of comparative religion;
if for no other reason than the fact that the book contains
full references (numbering 2500, according to the author) to
original authorities, especially the Quran, the Hadith, and
well-known Arabic writers.
No less valuable and interesting is the discussion of modern
problems confronting Muslims all over the world.
The volume under review is a deeply engrossing one, which
reflects the author’s scholarship and sincerity in
every line. The style of the author is lucid; the controversial
points are dealt with in crisp and logical form…”
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The Hindustan Review, June 1935:
| “The author is a profound scholar, already known to
the world of learning as the translator into English of the
Quran, which is accepted by many as the best rendering in
that language. He has applied his scholarship to good purpose
in the work under review which presents the salient features
of Muslim belief accurately, in systematic order, supported
by appropriate reference to the Quran and the Hadith.”
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