Reviews of major English works of Maulana Muhammad Ali
- English Translation of the Holy Quran with commentary
- The Religion of Islam
- A Manual of Hadith
- Muhammad The Prophet
- The Early Caliphate
- Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad
1. English Translation of the Holy Quran with commentary
Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi, a leader of Sunni
Muslim opinion, editor of Such, Lucknow, India, 25 June 1934:
| “To deny the excellence of Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s
translation, the influence it has exercised and its proselytising
utility would be to deny the light of the sun. The translation
certainly helped in bringing thousands of non-Muslims to the
Muslim fold and hundreds of thousands of unbelievers much
nearer Islam. Speaking of my own self, I gladly admit that
this translation was one of the few books which brought me
towards Islam fifteen or sixteen years ago when I was groping
in darkness, atheism and scepticism. Even Maulana Muhammad
Ali [Jauhar] of the Comrade was greatly enthralled
by this translation and had nothing but praise for it.”
|
United India and Indian States, 21 December
1929:
| “Among human productions of literary masterpieces,
the English translation of the Holy Book by Maulvi Muhammad
Ali undoubtedly claims a position of distinction and pre-eminence.
But the real charm and value of the book lies in its introduction
and footnotes which show Islam and its Founder in their true
perspective. The book is of immense use and benefit to Muslims
and non-Muslims alike, and deserves to be extensively read
and mastered by all and sundry.”
|
The Quest, A Quarterly Review, London, April 1918:
| “This handsome volume witnesses in
many respects to a highly
praiseworthy and well carried out undertaking. … The English and the proof-reading are both remarkably good. … its language is simple, straightforward, and impressive… On the whole then we may say that we have before us a version that is not only faithful but dignified; and that is high praise. It is certainly a work of which any scholar might
legitimately be proud … the skilful presentation of the results of his researches
show further that he has been an apt scholar in the school of Western
methodology. Moreover, whenever in his version he departs from a generally accepted rendering, he tells us why he has done so frankly in the notes and sets before us the evidence for and against his new interpretation.”
|
The Hindustan Times, Delhi, 6 May 1935:
| “Maulana Muhammad Ali’s name is known to every lover
of the holy literature of Islam. … Very illuminating
notes are provided by the translator which will be of great
use to students. Maulana Muhammad Ali’s language is restrained
and eminently suitable for the purpose.”
|
Atlas of the Islamic World Since 1500 by Francis Robinson, Times-Life Books, 1991 reprint:
| “Notable for its precision is that of Muhammad Ali
of Lahore, the version used with one exception throughout
this book.” (page 229, column 2)
|
The Madras Mail, 15 October 1929:
| “Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s name is a guarantee that the
translation is as accurate as it could be, and a careful persual
of the work really justifies the expression of the opinion
that few translations into English have reached such a high
standard. … The book will not only serve to enable Muslims
to know their Islam better, but will also dispel many of the
fictions fostered in the minds of the non-Muslims regarding
the Quran and the religion it preaches.”
|
The Advocate, Lucknow, 24 October 1935:
| “Maulana Muhammad Ali, M.A., Ll.B., is a well-known
personality, a great scholar, and as a translator he has the
good reputation of being accurate and reliable, and his translation
in English is of high standard.”
|
Wakeel, Amritsar, India, Sunni Muslim
Urdu newspaper:
| “We have seen the translation critically, and have
no hesitation in remarking that the simplicity of its language
and the correctness of the version are all enviable. The writer
has kept his annotations altogether free from sectarian influence
with wonderful impartiality, and has gathered together the
wealth of authentic Muslim theology. He has also displayed
great skill and wisdom in using the new weapons of defence
in refuting the objections of the opponents of Islam.”
|
Urdu monthly Islamic Digest, Karachi,
March 1996, in its series Tashrih-ul-Quran:
| “This commentary of Maulana Muhammad Ali appeared
in 1917, seventeen years before the commentary of Allama Abdullah
Yusuf Ali. This is why the Allama, in the Preface of his commentary,
besides mentioning other English commentaries, has also appreciated
this commentary and written as follows: ‘Its Lahore Anjuman
has published Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s translation, first edition
in 1917, which has passed through more than one edition. It
is a scholarly work, and is equipped with adequate explanatory
matter in the notes and the Preface, and a fairly full Index.’
”
|
Famous Indian Muslim leader, Muhammad Ali Jauhar:
Read at this link
in full his detailed letter of February 1918, praising Maulana
Muhammad Ali’s translation, in which he writes:
| “…I am impressed so far as I have read with the simplicity
and precision and the adherence to the text which indicate the reverence
due to God’s own Word from a true believer. … If you see
Maulvi Mohammad Ali thank him for me as a Moslem who feels proud
of his devoted and fruitful labours…”
|
2. 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.”
|
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…”
|
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.”
|
3. A Manual of Hadith
The Tribune, Lahore, 31 December 1944:
| “A Manual of Hadith is, in reality, a digest of Islam,
being an excellent collection of the Quranic quotations and significant
sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad on numerous subjects which
almost cover the whole range of human experience… For students
of comparative religions it will serve as an exceedingly useful
guide to Islamic studies. The book is written in gripping style
and will be considered in the religious world as a standard work
of enduring value and a lucid exposition of the Muslim culture.”
|
Islamic Culture, Vol. xviii, 1944:
| “His great zeal for Islam has enabled him at his present advanced
age to produce yet another work of great interest and importance,
viz., A Manual of Hadith. It is a collection of the traditions
of the Prophet arranged according to their subjects such as Faith,
Revelation, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, Jihad, Marriage, Gifts, Wills
and Inheritance, Food and Drinks.
The translation combines the qualities of accuracy, clarity
and readability to a high degree.”
|
4. Muhammad The Prophet
Islamic Culture, April 1935:
| “Indeed two books: (1) Muhammad The Prophet, (2) The
Early Caliphate, by Muhammad Ali, together constitute the
most complete and satisfactory history of the early Muslims hitherto
compiled in English.”
|
The New Orient, March 1925:
| “A translation of the Holy Quran into English with brief commentary,
a truly monumental work, already stands as a witness to the achievements
of the Maulana’s labour of love. He has now produced a biography
of the Prophet of Islam in English … It is not only Muslims
who should feel grateful to him for the publication. The book
should, indeed, give greater gratification to the English-speaking
non-Muslims, whom it gives an opportunity of knowing the truth
about the life and personality of one who is admitted on all hands
to be the greatest reformer in the history of the world.”
|
The Civil and Military Gazatte, Lahore, 14
March 1925:
| “Of the manner in which the life of the Prophet has been described,
there is hardly any necessity to speak, beyond saying that it
is written in authoritative and interesting fashion, and from
a historical point of view will be well worth perusal by adherents
of religions other than Islam.”
|
5. The Early Caliphate
Islamic Culture, April 1935:
| “Indeed two books: (1) Muhammad The Prophet, (2) The
Early Caliphate, by Muhammad Ali, together constitute the
most complete and satisfactory history of the early Muslims hitherto
compiled in English.”
|
The New Orient, March 1925:
| “Maulana Muhammad Ali’s interesting narrative of the history
of Early Caliphate in Islam would show that ideal democracy and
ideal theocracy are nothing but synonymous and interchangeable
terms in actual practice. The book, which has ample evidence of
the author’s learning, would be found a most useful source of
information to students of Islamic history and political ideals.”
|
The Muslim Times, Madras, 14 January 1933:
| “Early Caliphate is bound to have unique authority in
Islamic history. The author has shed light on an obscure corner
and demonstrated that the work of the disciples and followers
was a continuation and completion of the Holy Prophet’s mission.
The book is written in a simple, idiomatic style and got up splendidly.”
|
The Hindu, Madras, 9 January 1933:
| “Maulana Muhammad Ali … a leading writer on Islamic subjects,
is well known throughout the English-speaking world by his translation
of the Holy Quran. In bringing out the handy volume before us, The Early Caliphate, which makes us understand in a clearer
light what Mr. H. G. Wells has characterised as ‘the most amazing
story of conquest in the history of our race’, he does a signal
service to the cause of Islam. It is a natural sequel to its predecessor Muhammad, The Prophet…
The main object of the author in this publication is to remove
the prevailing misconceptions about the great and noble deeds
of the most righteous Caliphs.”
|
United India and Indian States, Delhi, January
1933:
| “Maulana Muhammad Ali is very well known in this country and
abroad as a writer on Islam and comparative religion. His books
are widely read and widely circulated.
The author gives convincing and cogent arguments to show that
the wars fought by the Muslims were forced on them by their
enemy…
The author has a few admirable pages on the decisive battle
of Yarmuk fought during the days of Umar… The glorious
deeds of Muslim soldiers, their sense of duty, the strength
of their character, their generous treatment of non-Muslims,
as related here, are sufficient to excite the admiration of
even the most uncharitable critics of Islamic wars.”
|
6. Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad
Times of Ceylon, 3 September 1948:
| “Muhammad Ali needs hardly any introduction to the student
of Islam. His translation of the Holy Quran and fragments of the
Prophet’s traditions, besides other masterly contributions towards
Islamic literature, are well known, both in the East and the West.
The book under review is the latest study of the Prophet Muhammad
who, within a period of a little over 20 years, changed the
destiny of the whole of Arabia and whose followers became masters
of a state much bigger than that of Rome, seven decades after
the Prophet’s demise.
The beauty of this small book is that it embraces cultural,
social and political activities of the Prophet within the compass
of hardly 142 pages. The qualities of the Prophet, his lively
human understanding, his sensibilities and penetrative intellect
are illumined in an entertaining manner.
Apart from the biographical sketch of the Prophet so beautifully
done by Muhammad Ali, the last few chapters of the book like
‘Character Building’, ‘Wealth’, ‘Work and Labour’, ‘Home Life’
and ‘The State’ help the reader to have a graphic view of Islam’s
attitude to such important subjects.
I think this entertaining book should form part of the education
of every person who aspires to know the life and career of a
great historical personality.”
|
Dublin Magazine, July-September 1948:
| “In this admirably written and carefully documented account
of the Prophet’s life and work, Muhammad Ali indicates the sources
of the latter’s power over the Arab world: his complete integrity,
simplicity, and exalted spiritual vision. The quotations from
the Quran, his actions and his sayings show an extraordinary understanding
of men and his unwavering faith in the mercy and justice of God.”
|
The Bulletin, 22 April 1948:
| “No reader will be able to doubt the sincerity either of the
author or the Prophet himself, whose thoughts are illustrated
by many quotations from the Koran.”
|
Sunday Statesman, 30 May 1948:
| “A welcome addition to the ‘Living Thoughts’ series, for the
Prophet still needs just presentment to the Western world, long
misled by prejudiced writers who have never accounted for the
amazing success he achieved in changing the lives of a whole people
sunk in the depths of idolatrous degradation, nor for the miraculous
spread of the faith and the deep hold it has today on the hearts
of men.”
|
Aryan Path, September 1948:
| “This is an admirable presentation of the living and luminous
thoughts of the Prophet of Arabia. It reveals clearly the soul
of the Quran, the understanding of which, even in translation,
is not seldom difficult for a non-Muslim. There is also a brief
sketch of the Prophet’s life which serves as a useful avenue to
the mind and message of the illustrious teacher… The ‘presenter’
is a well known authentic interpreter of Islam; so his rendering
is stamped with correctness and competence.”
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