A Great English Muslim
The Life and Times of Marmaduke Pickthall
The definitive biography of British Muslim Marmaduke Pickthall: famous for his English translation of the Qur’an and an ardent campaigner for the Ottoman cause.
Description
Since his death in 1936, Marmaduke Pickthall’s reputation has rested on his popular English translation of the Qur’an. Drawing on a wide range of original sources, including unpublished letters and newly discovered archives, Jamie Gilham unpacks Pickthall’s eventful life and significant contributions as a British Muslim writer, scholar and campaigner.
A Great English Muslim traces Pickthall’s extraordinary journey to Islam and considers its profound impact on his life and work. Pickthall negotiated his British and Muslim identities to defend and explain Islam in the West and, later, globally. Gilham explores how Pickthall’s Anglo-Muslim worldview, and his complex attitudes about imperialism, race and ethnicity, fuelled his writing and campaigning—not least in his defence of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War; his denunciation of Western interference in the Middle East, including Palestine, after the Armistice; his alliance with Gandhi and support for Non-Cooperation and the Khilafat Movement in 1920s India; and his efforts to establish the Indian State of Hyderabad as the centre of Sunni Islam and seat of the Caliphate in the 1930s.
This is a fresh and comprehensive biography of an important Western convert to Islam, whose concerns, struggles and sacrifices resonate for Muslims and non-Muslims today.
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Glossary
List of Abbreviations
List of Illustrations
Note on Quotations and Spelling
Introduction
Part I
Chapter 1. “Dreaming of Eastern Sunshine”: Early Years, 1875-94
Chapter 2. “Oriental Encounters”: Travels in Egypt, Palestine and Syria, 1894-96
Chapter 3. “In Imagination He Goes Native”: First Fiction, 1896-1903
Chapter 4. “An Oriental Frame of Mind”: Writing the East, 1904-07
Chapter 5. “One Knows the Animal Under Observation”: Egypt and Syria, 1907-10
Chapter 6. “The Black Crusade”: Troubles in the Balkans, 1911-12
Part II
Chapter 7. “With the Turk in Wartime”: Despatches from Constantinople, 1913-14 68
Chapter 8. “Defending an Unpopular Cause”: Anglo-Ottoman Activism in
England, 1913-14
Chapter 9. “The Turkish Point of View”: Britain at War, 1914-15
Chapter 10. “A Marked Man for the Censorship”: Wartime Campaigning, 1915-16
Chapter 11. “Can’t Pickthall be Muzzled?”: Battling the British
Establishment, 1916-17
Chapter 12. “Perfect Resignation to the Divine Will”: Conversion to Islam, 1916-17
Chapter 13. “Better than Holloway or Dartmoor Gaol”: Army and Armistice, 1918-19
Chapter 14. “What Kind of Jihad is This?”: Protest, Prayer and Preaching, 1919
Chapter 15. “Ashamed as an Englishman; Angry as a Muslim”: Turkey, India and
the Caliphate Question, 1919
Chapter 16. “The Empire is in Danger”: Britain and the Khilafat, 1920
Part III
Chapter 17. “A Vortex of Excitement”: Bombay and the Nagpur Congress, 1920-21
Chapter 18. “A Sort of Political Leader and a Newspaper Editor”: With Gandhi,
Non-Cooperation and the Khilafat Movement, 1921
Chapter 19. “No Time Here for Original Work”: Liberating Asia, 1921
Chapter 20. “As Others See Us”: Interlude in England, 1921-22
Chapter 21. “A Test Case between Asia and Europe”: India and The Turkish
Question, 1922
Chapter 22. “The Centre of Islam is Broken”: The Turkish Republic, Arabia
and the End of the Caliphate, 1923-24
Chapter 23. “Under Menace of Extinction”: Exit from Bombay, 1924
Chapter 24. “A Big Piece of the Mughal Empire”: Hyderabad and Muslim
Reform, 1925-26
Chapter 25. “Seek Knowledge and Education”: The Cultural Side of Islam, 1926-28
Chapter 26. “A Vision and a Law for all Humanity”: Translating the Qur’an, 1929-30
Chapter 27. “In Readiness to Lend a Hand”: Emissary of the Nizam, 1930-31
Chapter 28. “I Hope Greatly to be Free”: Final Years in India, 1932-35
Chapter 29. “True Servant of Islam”: England, 1935-36
Epilogue
Notes
Index
Reviews
‘No British Muslim has left a greater legacy than Marmaduke Pickthall; no biography has done more to illuminate his life.’ — Tharik Hussain, author of Muslim Europe
‘Through meticulous research in archives across four continents, Jamie Gilham has rescued from obscurity a fascinating but underappreciated figure.’ — Laura Tabili, Professor Emerita, University of Arizona
‘Pickthall was truly a man of many parts: novelist, traveller and translator; Arabist, activist and convert. England’s Muslim Tyndale finally has the biography he deserves.’ — Nile Green, author of Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan
‘A vivid and engrossing account of Pickthall’s extraordinary role in bridging the worlds of Islam and the West during the turbulent geopolitics of the early twentieth century.’— John Zubrzycki, author of The House of Jaipur
‘A comprehensive portrait of Pickthall’s considerable literary career, his activities as a leading Muslim and his life as a conspicuously loyal British subject. Informative, entertaining and easy to read.’ — Francis Robinson, Professor Emeritus, Royal Holloway, University of London
‘A remarkable tale of surprising connections and improbable projects spanning the world, this book reveals the transnational religious entrepreneur as a new historical actor of the twentieth century.’ — Faisal Devji, Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford
‘A pioneering biography. No previous study has explored Pickthall’s life in such depth or situated him so firmly in his political, cultural and global contexts.’ — Umar Ryad, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Leuven
Author(s)
Jamie Gilham is a historian of Western Islam, based in Taiwan and the UK. His books include Muslim Women in Britain, 1850–1950 (co-edited with Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor) and Loyal Enemies: British Converts to Islam, 1850–1950, both published by Hurst; and The British Muslim Convert Lord Headley, 1855–1935.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "A Great English Muslim" about?
Since his death in 1936, Marmaduke Pickthall’s reputation has rested on his popular English translation of the Qur’an. Drawing on a wide range of original sources, including unpublished letters and newly discovered archives, Jamie Gilham unpacks Pickthall’s eventful life and significant contributions as a British Muslim writer, scholar and campaigner.
A Great English Muslim traces Pickthall’s extraordinary journey to Islam and considers its profound impact on his life and work. Pickthall negotiated his British and Muslim identities to defend and explain Islam in the West and, later, globally. Gilham explores how Pickthall’s Anglo-Muslim worldview, and his complex attitudes about imperialism, race and ethnicity, fuelled his writing and campaigning—not least in his defence of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War; his denunciation of Western interference in the Middle East, including Palestine, after the Armistice; his alliance with Gandhi and support for Non-Cooperation and the Khilafat Movement in 1920s India; and his efforts to establish the Indian State of Hyderabad as the centre of Sunni Islam and seat of the Caliphate in the 1930s.
This is a fresh and comprehensive biography of an important Western convert to Islam, whose concerns, struggles and sacrifices resonate for Muslims and non-Muslims today.
Who wrote "A Great English Muslim"?
"A Great English Muslim" was written by Jamie Gilham.
Jamie Gilham is a historian of Western Islam, based in Taiwan and the UK. His books include Muslim Women in Britain, 1850–1950 (co-edited with Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor) and Loyal Enemies: British Converts to Islam, 1850–1950, both published by Hurst; and The British Muslim Convert Lord Headley, 1855–1935.
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