Islam at The Crossroads

DETAILS: 

• Publisher: KITAB BHAVAN
  
• Author: Muhammad Asad
  
• Language: English
  
• Pages: 167
  
• Cover: Paperback
  
• Weight 170 gm
  
• Edition: 2014
  
• ISBN: 8171513344

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Author Leopold Weiss (Muhammed Asad) was born in the Polish city of Lvov in 1900. He is the grand-son of an Orthodox Rabbi, and son of a lawyer. At the age of 13 he mastered Hebrew and Aramaic. His father desired him to become a rabbi, but he avoided this plan (without grieving his father). By his early twenties he could write and read the German, French, and Polish languages. He took to journalism and achieved quickly wide notice as an outstanding near Eastern correspondent to leading newspapers of the Continent, more especially as correspondent of Frankfurter Zeitung of Germany.

On visits to Arab and North African countries his interest grew to study the Muslim religion, Traditions and the Arabic language. He also travelled in Iran, Afghanistan, and other countries, and learned Persian. From there he proceeded to Berlin through Moscow and Poland, in 1926. Here he became a Muslim and named himself Muhammad Asad.

After his conversion he again travelled and worked throughout the Muslim world and stayed in Saudi Arabia for more than five years. During his sojourn he achieved prominence and enjoyed intimate friendship in the Arab countries, with great Arab leaders, such as the late king Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, the late King Raza Shah of Iran, the late King Abdullah of Jordan, and the Great Senusi of North Africa, and other prominent and distinguished personages.

In 1932, he came to India and settled in Lahore (Pakistan). He wrote the book Islam at the Cross-roads. In Lahore he got the opportunity to meet the great Muslim thinker Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, who was greatly impressed by his study of lslamic literature and asked Muhammad Asad to translate Sahih al Bukhari into English.

In 1939 he was interned by the British during the Second World War. On the termination of the war he was released. He then started to publish monthly Arafat.

After the partition of India he played an important part as an authority on Islamic Law, in setting up the New State of Pakistan. He also wrote a pamphlet entitled Islamic Constitution Making.

In 1953, he was appointed as Pakistan's Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Nations. After a year he left the post and published his impressions about Islam in ROAD TO MAKKAH, which was reproduced in some European and Asian languages.

In 1954, after completion of this book he left America and toured some states of the Continent and then went to Lebanon. In 1957 he was commissioned by the Government of Pakistan to organise an Islamic Colloquium. Next year he went to Switzerland and commenced translation of the Holy Qur'an into English, one-third of which came out in 1964 by the name of MESSAGE OF THE QURAN Meanwhile he also wrote a book entitled THE PRINCIPLES OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT IN ISLAM.

In 1966 he was invited by the Saudi Government to Makkah to perform his seventh Hajj. He wrote his translation of the Qur'an.