The following paraghraps are the selections from the statements made by Prof. Thomas Carlyle, non-Muslim, who believed in Allâhu ta’âlâ and admired Islam; these statements reflect his views of Islam.
Thomas Carlyle of Scotland (1210 [C.E. 1795]-1298 [C.E. 1881]), one of the greatest men of knowledge known worldover, entered the university when he was only fourteen years old, studied jurisprudence, literature and history, learned German and oriental languages, exchanged letters with, and even visited, the well-known German writer (Johann Wolf-gang von) Goethe (1749-1832), was awarded by the King of Prussia with the medal of honour called ‘powr le mérite’, and was elected president by the University of Edinburgh. Among Carlyle’s works are Sartur Resartus, The French Revolution, On Heroes, Hero Worship And the Heroic in History, Past and Present, Latter-Day Pamphlets, The Life of Friedrich Schiller, and Critical and Miscellaneous Essays.
The following passage was selected from one of his works:
“The Arabs, Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’, and his age: Before the advent of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’, (the Arabs were in such a state that) if a big piece of fire spurted out at the place where the Arabs lived, it would have disappeared on the dry sand without leaving any traces behind itself. But after the advent of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ that desert of dry sand turned into, as it were, a barrel of gunpowder. From Delhi to Granada, everywhere became rapidly rising flames. This great person was, so to speak, lightning, and all the people around him became explosives catching fire from him.”
From his conference:
“As you read the Qur’ân al-kerîm, you will presently realize that it is not an ordinary tome of literature. The Qur’ân al-kerîm is a work of art that springs from a heart and instantly penetrates all the other hearts. All the other works of art are quite dull when compared with this tremendous masterpiece. The most striking characteristic of the Qur’ân al-kerîm is that it is a truthful and excellent guide. To me, this is the greatest merit of Qur’ân al-kerîm. And it is this merit that begets other merits.”
From his memoirs of a trip:
“In Germany I told my friend Goethe about the facts I had gathered concerning Islam and added my personal reflections on the subject. After listening to me with attention, he said, ‘If that is Islam, we are all Muslims.’ ”
Ref: These paragraphs are quoted from the book “Why Did They Become Muslims?” page 18. “Why Did They Become Muslims?” contains a few paraphrased selections from the statements made by some of the many non-Muslim, who are famous great commanders, statesmen and scientists celebrities who believed in Allâhu ta’âlâ and admired Islam; these statements reflect their views of Islam. As you read them you will hear from the very tongues of these respectable people why the Islamic religion is superior to other religions. In fact, reading these explanations will provide you with an opportunity to see and admire once again the high merits of our religion, and thus feel and offer gratitude to Allâhu ta’âlâ for having been Muslims. The book is published by Hakikat Kitabevi, Istanbul. You can find the whole book and the other valuable books in the web site www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr and download in PDF format for Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB format for iPhone-iPad-Mac devices and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle device.
