Book & Author
Charis Waddy: The Muslim Mind
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
"What comes from the lips reaches the ear. What comes from the heart reaches the heart."
— Arab Proverb
The Muslim Mind by Charis Waddy (1909-2002) explores narratives of Muslim men and women regarding their believes and way of life. The central tenets of Islam and contemporary issues are presented by a wide spectrum of professionals — doctors, engineers, politicians, bankers, carpenters, and theologians. The author notes that Islam has more than a billion followers, the beliefs of Islam, like other great religions, must be taken seriously if we wish to understand and coexist in the world.
Charis Waddy, the prominent Islamic scholar and author, was born in Australia. She grew up in Jerusalem in an era that followed the first World War. The anxieties of that period coupled with Jerusalem's common heritage of the monotheistic faiths, shaped her perspective on global issues. She completed her doctoral program at London University by specializing in the history of the Crusades, particularly on the Arab side. She was the first woman to study Arabic and Hebrew at Oxford University. She had authored Baalbec Caravans, Women in Muslim History, and numerous articles on Islamic civilization and its scientific contributions to the world. In March 1990, she was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz (the Star of Excellence) by the government of Pakistan.
The book is dedicated to Shaikh al-Azhar Dr Muhammad Abdul Halim Mahmud, who writes: In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful I thank the writer for her kind dedication. She is right to say that Islam is a religion of universal character. The word ‘Islam’ itself signifies clearly that this religion is a world religion, for linguistically a Muslim is one who is sincere in his worship of God. The Prophet (God's mercy and blessing be upon him) when asked to define Islam said: ‘It is to submit your heart to God and to harm no one by word or deed.’ Sincerity towards God and the surrender of the heart to Him are universal principles independent of time and place. If we examine the concept of Islam linguistically and theologically we find that it is the very same concept as that of the word ‘faith.’ For faith means submission to God and full acceptance of what he commands and what he forbids. His orders and prohibitions form the highest morality. And since the concept of Islam is universal, its morality, its legal system and its social order are also of world relevance. We appreciate the attitude of the authoress, and the motive that has led her to consider Islam in its universal aspect. May God grant her every success. Al-Azhar, 5 Jumada ii 1395, 15 June 1975.”
The book has four parts (The Road, The Community, Bridges, and The Road to Knowledge) spanned over seventeen chapters covering various facets of Islam: The Straight Way, The Guide ‘The Holy Qur’an,’ The Pilgrim Road, Principles of Community life, Concepts of Society in the Muslim World, Family Life, Parents and Children. The Bridge from Man to Man, The Bridge from War to Peace, The Bridge from Race to Race, The Bridge from Faith to Faith, The Bridge from Death to Life, The Bridge from Youth to Faith, A Philosophy for Education, Advance and Reform. The Sufi Orders Today, and Future Imperative.
Addressing how various biases and misunderstandings have distorted the image of Islam in West, the author in the introduction observes: “It would be unfair to judge the merit of Christian faith and philosophy by IRA or extreme Protestant action in Ireland, yet that is how Islam is often viewed. Such attitudes have led to dangerous confusions at a policy level. Western statesmen have failed to grasp the fundamental opposition between dialectical materialism and Islam. They have also failed to assess the determination in the Muslim world to provide an alternative to the materialism of both the capitalist and the communist systems. Lack of clarity has led to disastrous misunderstandings and increased the danger of making the Middle East the cockpit of a world war. The basic tenets of Islam come alive most simply in what Muslims themselves say. So, in this book, I have set down what has been said to me by Muslims from all over the world.”
Commenting on the objective and background of the book, the author in postscript to the second edition (1982), states: “Much has happened since this book was first [1976] published. The widespread resurgence of Islam has developed in many forms…This book was designed to give a platform to Muslims to speak their minds. But I may perhaps be allowed a personal word. The Muslim Mind was conceived as a response to the situation following the Six-Day War of June 1967. I myself left East Jerusalem in late May. In the months that followed, relationships between Britain and the Arab world — and wider afield in the Muslim world — were at a low ebb. A yawning gulf of misunderstanding and ignorance seemed to have sundered the links of friendship. The gap in the Western mind with regard to Islam, caused by historical circumstances and by a neglect of the whole subject in our education system, had become a serious obstacle to any intelligent approach to the tangle of injustices in the Middle East — a tangle which our own policies had done much to produce.”
Expounding about her burden of responsibility due to growing up in Jerusalem, the author notes: “To one who had grown up amid the hopes and fears of the Palestine of the 1920's and 1930's the burden of that responsibility was a real one. I was brought up in Palestine, and in those childhood years I began to learn a vital lesson in human relations: to respect what other people believe, while being loyal to one's own deepest convictions. My father — who brought his Australian family to live in Jerusalem in 1919, and whose educational work brought him into touch with all the varied communities in that unique city — was ahead of his time in his vision of a new co-operation. He spoke to Christian, Muslim and Jew alike of ‘the comradeship of our joint belief’ in One God, so much more important than all that divides us. And he called for ‘the energetic diffusion of the spirit that is the opposite of antagonism’…Returning to the Middle East in the 1960's, one thing I learned was that both sides felt themselves betrayed by our self-interested policies. The serious imbalance of information was of no help to anyone, Jew or Arab. But it was not the facts of a case that were most needed. It was something deeper, which could lay the foundations of a new structure of relationships in an area where the old ones were in ruins. I found myself trying to deal with the caricatures of the Muslim and the Arab, so deeply engraved in the Western mind.”
Reflecting on the Islam’s concept of the straight path, the author states: “Islam's conception of life is often put in terms of a road. A road has a beginning and a destination. The individual is somewhere on the road between birth and death. The human race is on the road too —the road from Creation to Judgment. The millions now turning their faces to Mecca pray many times a day: ‘Show us the straight way.’ ‘Guide us in the straight path.’ Al-Fatiha, the opening chapter (sura) of the Qur'an with its seven verses, is repeated at each of the five times of prayer...
‘Al-Fatiha’: The Opening
In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to God,
The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we worship,
And Thine aid we seek.
Show us the straight way,
The way of those on whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion)
Is not wrath,
And who go not astray. “
The author notes that the guide on the road of life is the Holy Qur’an. The Muslim lives by the Qur'an —from the first rituals of birth to the principal events of life and death, marriage, inheritance, business contracts — all are based on the Qur'an. Expounding on science and faith, the author observes: “The search for knowledge is a duty in Islam. European scholarship owes a debt to the Muslim world for its earlier leadership in the scientific field. Now, however, ‘The Muslim World can and should learn from and profit by the West, particularly in the spheres of modern sciences and technology.’ Muhammad Asad, author of The Road to Mecca, is one among many who develop this theme..”
Reflecting on the Islamic perspective about Mary and Jesus, the author states: “Of all the women honored in the Qur'an, Mary mother of Jesus stands highest. Her own family upbringing is recounted in the third sura of the Qur'an, which is named after her father Imran. The visit of the angel, and the birth of Jesus, are told more than once…”
Highlighting the importance of forgiveness in Islam, the author observes: “In bridging the gap between man and man forgiveness plays an essential part…Forgiveness in the Qur'an…in the Muslim view, there are two sides to the question of forgiveness…God's relationship to man, and man's relationship to his fellow men… God is full of forgiveness, the great Forgiver.”
Commenting on the concept of the Bridge from Race to Race, the author first cites Qur’an, “‘We (God) . . . have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another (and be friends). The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct (Qur'an: Sur 49: 13 Apartments),’ and asks the question: ‘Can Islam give any lead to the rest of the world on the question of relations?’ And then provides the answer: Many hope that it can — the historian Arnold Toynbee among them. He says, ‘The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims tie of the outstanding moral achievements of Islam, and in the temporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue…’”
Discussing the Bridge from Faith to Faith, the author cites Rajah of Mahmudadbad: “I want to be a bridge between Christianity and Islam. There are Muslims who have betrayed the mission of Muhammad [pbuh]. There are Christians who have betrayed the mission of Jesus [pbuh]. Let those who have not betrayed either of their missions work together. “
Expounding on the state of education in the Muslim world, the author states: “Muslim world today faces a crisis in regard to education. Muslim teachers need a new educational philosophy: one which will bring about a renaissance among the peoples of Islam — renaissance that is scientific, social, and economic as well as spirit and moral.”
Discussing the future, the author notes: “The future faced by the Muslim fifth of mankind is no different from that common to the rest. The specters of hunger and of nuclear destruction, of inflation and war, know no boundaries, nor do the dreams of universal justice and plenty. Across the Muslim world there are as many varied voices to be heard as elsewhere: reasoned hopes and desperate fears, despair and optimism, cynicism and idealism, ideas that are world-embracing or egocentric. Some experience the power and problems of unaccustomed wealth. Most struggle for a living. Many are absorbed in the difficulties of adapting to an industrialized society…The believing Muslim is quite clear that modern knowledge does not threaten faith in God. Rather, every new discovery reveals more of the wonder of God's creation.”
Commenting on the modern challenges humanity faces today, the author states: “The biggest ideological question facing humanity today is whether or not the forces of faith will decide to work together to meet the urgent needs of mankind.”
In The Muslim Mind (1976 & 1982), Waddy presents insights — on practical and contemporary issues — of Muslim intellectual, political and religious leaders with whom she interacted during her travels to the countries of the Middle East, including Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria and Iran, as well as to Pakistan, India and Malaysia. The author, a Christian, has portrayed Islam with fairness and candor. The book is a must read for all who want to gain insights into the spirit and practice of Islam.
Dr Ahmed S. Khan (dre.a.s.khan@ieee.org) is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar (2017-2022).
