24.11.2014 Views

the legacy of henry martyn to the study of india's muslims and islam ...

the legacy of henry martyn to the study of india's muslims and islam ...

the legacy of henry martyn to the study of india's muslims and islam ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

his own ideas matter, so his review article was a critique ra<strong>the</strong>r than an appreciation: <strong>the</strong> point I am really making is that his decision <strong>to</strong> highlight <strong>the</strong> only available collection <strong>of</strong> Martyn's Persian tracts in English brought Martyn <strong>to</strong> missionary attention in India at a time when new approaches <strong>to</strong> Muslims were being urgently considered. Several leading had<br />

subsequently recorded <strong>the</strong>ir debt <strong>to</strong> Martyn as received through Muir's advertising Samuel Lee's volume <strong>of</strong> 'controversial tracts'. As for Muir himself, he actually conceived his own role very differently: no more than Martyn did he conceive himself advocating 'controversy', though controversy was <strong>of</strong>ten what his publications caused. On <strong>the</strong> invitation <strong>of</strong> his missionaries<br />

friends, he gave scholarly assistance <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir efforts <strong>to</strong> draw some respected 'ulama, Muslim civil servants <strong>and</strong> lawyers in<strong>to</strong> religious discussion. His first substantial Urdu publication, Masihi kalisiya ki tarikh, was a his<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>of</strong> missionary<br />

Church, from <strong>the</strong> birth <strong>of</strong> Christ until <strong>the</strong> early fourth century, <strong>the</strong> accession <strong>of</strong> Emperor Constantine. [24]A main objective was <strong>to</strong> show that Christianity had spread by peaceful means, establishing a direct contrast for one <strong>of</strong> his own frequent criticisms <strong>of</strong> Islam, that <strong>the</strong> latter's expansion was <strong>to</strong> be explained mainly by <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> force. <strong>the</strong><br />

was little original about this Church His<strong>to</strong>ry, except its Urdu format, but <strong>the</strong> four-volume biography <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Prophet Muhammad that he published ten years later was a highly original undertaking that caused considerable stir among north Indian Muslims. Although an Urdu translation was intended, <strong>the</strong> only version actually appeared was English: even so, it gained There<br />

even among many Muslims who had not actually read it. In a long introduction that <strong>to</strong>ok up most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first volume, Muir subjected <strong>to</strong> scrutiny both <strong>the</strong> Arabic manuscripts he had collected, <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> his new no<strong>to</strong>riety<br />

<strong>and</strong> also <strong>the</strong> alternative sources preferred by Muslim scholars. He was already well known many local 'ulama, some <strong>of</strong> whom were already citing his Urdu Church His<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>to</strong> detriment <strong>of</strong> Christianity, finding information <strong>the</strong>re <strong>to</strong> be used in subsequent tracts, on, for instance, heresies early Church. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, he had recently attended, interpretation,<br />

but with an aura <strong>of</strong> governmental authority about him, some well advertised public debates in Agra. A highly respected madrassa 'alim, one un<strong>of</strong>ficially,

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!