Muhammad Asad

This page is about the 20th century writer and diplomat born Leopold Weiss . Muhammad Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss ) (1900–1992), an Austrian Jew who converted to Islam , was a 20th century journalist, traveler, writer, social critic, linguist, thinker, reformer, diplomat, political theorist, translator and scholar. Asad was one of the 20th century's most influential European Muslims. In 1947, Asad was given Pakistani citizenship by the newly-established Muslim state of Pakistan and appointed the Director of the Department of Islamic Reconstruction by the Government of Pakistan , where he made recommendations on the drafting of Pakistan's first Constitution. In 1949, Asad joined Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of the Middle East Division and, in 1952, was appointed Pakistan's Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Nations in New York .

Muhammad Asad ( , , born Leopold Weiss ; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was a Jewish-born Austro-Hungarian journalist , traveler , writer , linguist , thinker , political theorist , diplomat and Islamic scholar . Asad was one of the most influential European Muslims of the 20th century. By the age of thirteen, young Weiss had acquired a passing fluency in Hebrew and Aramaic , other than his native languages German and Polish . By his mid-twenties, he could read and write in English , French , Persian and Arabic . In Palestine , Weiss engaged in arguments with Zionist leaders like Chaim Weizmann , voicing his criticism of the Zionist Movement . After traveling across the Arab World as a journalist , he converted to Islam and chose for himself the Muslim name "Muhammad Asad"— Asad being the Arabic rendition of his root name Leo ( Lion ). During his stay in Saudi Arabia , he spent time with Bedouins and enjoyed close company of Ibn Saud —the founder of modern Saudi Arabia . He also carried out a secret mission for Ibn Saud to trace the sources of funding for the Ikhwan Revolt . Due to these activities, he was dubbed in a Haaretz article as "Leopold of Arabia"—hinting similarity of his activities to those of Lawrence of Arabia . On his visit to India , Asad became friends with Muslim poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal who persuaded him to abandon his eastward travels and "help elucidate the intellectual premises of the future Islamic State ". He also spent five years in internment by the British Government at the outbreak of World War II . On 14 August 1947, Asad received Pakistani citizenship and later served at several bureaucratic and diplomatic positions including the Director of Department of Islamic Reconstruction, Deputy Secretary ( Middle East Division) in the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan and Pakistan's Envoy to the United Nations . In the West , Asad rose to prominence as a writer with his best-selling autobiography , The Road to Mecca . Later, after seventeen years of scholarly research , he published his magnum opus : The Message of the Qur'an —an English translation and commentary of the Quran . The book, along with the translations of Pickthall and Yusuf Ali , is regarded as one of the most influential translations of the modern era . An ardent proponent of Ijtihad and rationality in interpreting religious texts , he dedicates his works: لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ to People who Think. In 2008, the entrance square to the UN Office in Vienna was named Muhammad Asad Platz in commemoration of his work as a "religious bridge-builder". Asad has been described by his biographers as " Europe's gift to Islam " and "A Mediator between Islam and the West ". Without any stress on our having the only possible way and the others are lost. Moderation in all forms is a basic demand of Islam . — Muhammad Asad "Muhammad Asad: A Jewish Lawrence of Arabia" .

Austro-Hungarian writer and academic Muhammad Asad ( , /muħammad ʔasad/, , born Leopold Weiss ; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992 ) was an Austro-Hungarian -born Muslim journalist, traveler, writer, linguist , political theorist , diplomat and Islamic scholar . Asad was one of the most influential European Muslims of the 20th century. By age 13, Weiss had acquired a passing fluency in Hebrew and Aramaic , on top of his native German and Polish languages. By his mid-twenties, he could read and write in English, French, Persian and Arabic . In Mandatory Palestine , Weiss engaged in arguments with Zionist leaders like Chaim Weizmann , voicing his reservations about some aspects of the Zionist Movement . After traveling across the Arab World as a journalist, he converted to Sunni Islam in 1926 and adopted the name "Muhammad Asad"— Asad being the Arabic rendition of his root name Leo (Lion). During his stay in Saudi Arabia , he spent time with Bedouins and enjoyed the close company of the state's founder, Ibn Saud . He also carried out a secret mission for Ibn Saud to trace the sources of funding for the Ikhwan Revolt . Due to these activities, he was dubbed in a Haaretz article as "Leopold of Arabia"—hinting similarity of his activities to those of Lawrence of Arabia . On his visit to India , Asad became friends with Muslim poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal , who persuaded him to abandon his eastward travels and "help elucidate the intellectual premises of the future Islamic state ". He also spent five years in internment by the British Government at the outbreak of World War II . On 14 August 1947, Asad received Pakistani citizenship and later served at several bureaucratic and diplomatic positions including the Director of Department of Islamic Reconstruction, Deputy Secretary (Middle East Division) in the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan , and Pakistan's Envoy to the United Nations. In the West, Asad rose to prominence as a writer with his best-selling autobiography, The Road to Mecca . Later, after seventeen years of scholarly research, he published his magnum opus : The Message of the Qur'an —an English translation and commentary of the Quran . The book, along with the translations of Pickthall and Yusuf Ali , is regarded as one of the most influential translations of the modern era . An ardent proponent of Ijtihad and rationality in interpreting religious texts , he dedicated his works "to People who Think". In 2008, the entrance square to the UN Office in Vienna was named Muhammad Asad Platz in commemoration of his work as a "religious bridge-builder". Asad has been described by his biographers as "Europe's gift to Islam" and "a Mediator between Islam and the West". Without any stress on our having the only possible way and the others are lost. Moderation in all forms is a basic demand of Islam . — Muhammad Asad [1] Tribune PK Cug̲h̲tāʼī, Muḥammad Ikrām (2006) Muhammad Asad: Europe's Gift to Islam, Volume 1 Lahore: The Truth Society. page i & page 373. The Law of God: Exploring God and Civilization .

Austro-Hungarian-born Pakistani Muslim polymath (1900–1992) This article is about the linguist, translator, and author. Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss ; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was an Austro-Hungarian Muslim polymath, born in modern day Ukraine . He worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, political theorist , and diplomat. His translation of the Quran in English, " The Message of The Qur'an " (1980) is one of the most notable of his works. In Asad's words in " The Message of the Quran ": "the work which I am now placing before the public is based on a lifetime of study and of many years spent in Arabia. It is an attempt – perhaps the first attempt – at a really idiomatic, explanatory rendition of the Qur'anic message into a European language." By age 13, Weiss had acquired a passing fluency in Hebrew and Aramaic , in addition to his native German and Polish languages. By his mid-twenties, he could read and write in English, French, Persian and Arabic . In Mandatory Palestine , Weiss engaged in arguments with Zionist leaders like Chaim Weizmann , voicing his reservations about some aspects of the Zionist Movement . After traveling across the Arab World as a journalist, he converted to Sunni Islam in 1926 and adopted the name "Muhammad Asad"— Asad being the Arabic rendition of his root name Leo (Lion). During his stay in Saudi Arabia , he spent time with Bedouins and enjoyed the close company of the state's founder, Ibn Saud . He also carried out a secret mission for Ibn Saud to trace the sources of funding for the Ikhwan Revolt . Due to these activities, he was dubbed in a Haaretz article as "Leopold of Arabia"—hinting similarity of his activities to those of Lawrence of Arabia . On his visit to India , Asad became friends with the Muslim poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal , who persuaded him to abandon his eastward travels and "help elucidate the intellectual premises of the future Islamic state ". He also spent five years in internment by the British government at the outbreak of World War II . On 14 August 1947, Asad received Pakistani citizenship and later served in several bureaucratic and diplomatic positions including the Director of Department of Islamic Reconstruction, Deputy Secretary (Middle East Division) in the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan , and Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations. In the West, Asad rose to prominence as a writer with his best-selling autobiography, The Road to Mecca . Later, after seventeen years of scholarly research, he published his magnum opus : The Message of the Qur'an —an English translation and commentary of the Quran . The book, along with the translations of Pickthall and Yusuf Ali , is regarded as one of the most influential translations of the modern era . An ardent proponent of ijtihad and rationality in interpreting religious texts , he dedicated his works "to People who Think". In 2008, the entrance square to the UN Office in Vienna was named Muhammad Asad Platz in commemoration of his work as a "religious bridge-builder". Asad has been described by his biographers as "Europe's gift to Islam" and "a Mediator between Islam and the West". Martin Kramer on the Middle East . Washington Report on Middle East Affairs . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).