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Muhammad Hamidullah

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah or Muhammad Hameedullah, HI (February 9, 1908 – December 17, 2002) belonged to a family of scholars, jurists, writers and administrators. He was a world-renowned Muhaddith, Faqih and scholar of Islam and International Law from Pakistan, who was known for contributions to the research of the history of Hadith, translations of the Qur'an, the advancement of Islamic learning, and to the dissemination of Islamic teachings in the Western world.

Life

Professor Hamidullah was born in Hyderabad Deccan. He was the youngest among the three brothers and five sisters, who were all well versed in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, as well as in Islamic learning. He received his early education at home, first from his sisters and then from his father. Later he was admitted in the Madrasah Nizamiyyah or Jamia Nizamia where he passed the examination for the degree for Mawlvi Kamil with distinction in 1924. Aware of his father’s antipathy towards English education, the young Hamidullah secretively sat for the matriculation examination and, when the results were declared, topped the list of successful candidates.

Education

Professor Hamidullah took admission in Osmania University in 1924 and passed the B.A., LL.B., and M.A. examinations in the first division. He was awarded a fellowship by the Osmania University to pursue doctoral studies in Islamic International Law. He traveled to several Islamic as well as European countries for the purpose of collecting information for his research. He was awarded D. Phil by Bonn University, Germany in 1932. He was appointed a lecturer in Arabic and Urdu at Bonn University. After spending some time in Germany, he came to Paris where he registered at the Sorbonne University for another doctoral degree. In a short period of eleven months, Sorbonne University conferred on him the degree of D. Litt..

Awards

In 1985, he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of Pakistan that includes a substantial monetary amount. He donated the award money to Islamic Research Academy, Islamabad.[1]

Books

• The Muslim Conduct of State by Muhammad Hamidullah (1941)
• Introduction to Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah (1969)
• Battlefields of the Prophet Muhammad by Muhammad Hamidullah (Dec 1992)
• Die Rezeption Europaischen Rechts in Haiderabad by Muhammad Hamidullah (1953)
• Emergence of Islam (Publication) by Muhammad Hamidullah (Dec 1993)
• Islam in a Nutshell by Muhammad Hamidullah (Sep 1996)
• Le Coran - Et la traduction française du sens de ses versets by Muhammad Hamidullah (Sep 5, 2001)
• Le Saint Coran: Traduction Et Commentaire de Muhammad Hamidullah Avec La Collaboration de M. Leturmy by Muhammad Hamidullah (Aug 1989)
• Embassy of Queen Bertha of Rome to Caliph al-Muktafi Billah in Baghdad by Muhammad Hamidullah (1953)
• The First Written Constitution in the World by Muhammad Hamidullah (Sep 1986)
• The first written constitution in the world;: An important document of the time of the Holy Prophet by Muhammad Hamidullah (1975)
• Introduction to Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah and Alan Leiner (1969 - various editions)
• Isalmic notion of conflict of laws by Muhammad Hamidullah (1945)
• Islam, a General Picture by Muhammad Hamidullah (Dec 1980)
• Islam, Philosophy and Science: Four Public Lectures Organized By Unesco June 1980 by Muhammad (editor) Hamidullah (1981)
• Kur'ân-¸ Ker¸m tarihi: Bir deneme (Ilmi eserler) by Muhammad Hamidullah (1991)
• Le "Livre Des Genenalogies" [D'al-Baladuriy by al-Baladuri] by Muhammad Hamidullah [Ahmad Ibn Yahya] (1954)
• The life and work of the Prophet of Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah (1998)
• Muhammad Ibn Ishaq, the biographer of the Holy Prophet (Pakistan Historical Society. Publication) by Muhammad Hamidullah (1967)
• Muhammad Rasulullah: A concise survey of the life and work of the founder of Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah (1979)
• Muslim conduct of state: Being a treatise on Siyar (Siyar), general introduction by Muhammad Hamidullah (1953 - numerous editions)
• The prophet of Islam: Prophet of migration by Muhammad Hamidullah (1989)
• The Prophet's establishing a state and his succession by Muhammad Hamidullah (1988)
• Why Fast?: Spiritual & Temporal Study of Fast in Islam (Centre Culturel Islamique Paris Series) by Muhammad Hamidullah (1982)

References

• About Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah
• Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah: Great Scholar, Simple Man
• A slightly edited excerpt from Introduction to Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah
• Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah (1909-2002) bio by Prof. Dr A.R. Momin
• Remembering Muhammad Hamidullah
• Remembering Dr. Hamidullah
• Obituary: Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah
• Dr Hamidullah passes away
• Greatest living Islamic scholar Dr. Hamidullah passes away
• In Memory of Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah

See also

• Jamia Nizamia
• Contemporary Islamic philosophy
• Islamism