◈ Introduction
Questions and objections about Orientalists, their motives, works, and relationship with Islam, are frequently raised.
This article aims to clarify these objections and dispel the misconceptions in the minds of readers through factual, historical, and scholarly responses.
◈ Objection ①: Why Is the Mention of Orientalists Called a “Clerical Conspiracy”?
Summary of the Objection:
Some claim that referring to Orientalists as Islam’s adversaries is merely a reflection of clerical paranoia. They argue: “Who has the time to dedicate their life to opposing Islam?”
Response:
This objection is based on ignorance. Denying the influence of Orientalists is like denying the light of the sun. These individuals proudly identified themselves as "Orientalists", and their books, research institutions, and academic output are well-documented proofs of their organized efforts.
✔ To verify their role, one may refer to Edward Said’s seminal work “Orientalism”,
✔ Or Norman Daniel’s “Islam and the West: The Making of an Image”.
The notion that “no one is idle enough to conspire against Islam” reflects jealousy or disdain toward Islam and its scholars, not intellectual honesty.
◈ Objection ②: Did Orientalists Really Harbor Hostility Toward Islam?
Summary of the Objection:
Some question whether Orientalists truly hated Islam—were they personally wronged by Muslims? Are these criticisms just imagined?
Response:
Orientalist studies on Islam were not innocent or purely academic; they were strategically aligned with:
✔ Colonial interests
✔ Missionary propaganda, and
✔ The divide-and-rule policies aimed at weakening Muslim unity
Most Orientalists were also Christian missionaries, funded by churches and Western governments, with aims to:
① Sow doubts about Islam
② Create divisions among Muslims
③ Clear the path for colonial domination
Notable missionary-Orientalists include:
- Padre Eliano (1589)
- Padre Relot (1848)
- Padre Martin (1880)
- Padre Lammens (1938)
- Padre Durand (1928)
These were church-employed individuals, with religious and political motives, not neutral scholars.
◈ Orientalist Work: Positives and Criticisms
✔ Positive Contributions:
- Compilation of indices and bibliographies of Islamic manuscripts
- Preservation and printing of rare Islamic texts
- Their efforts made certain Islamic sources more accessible to researchers
✘ Major Issues and Objections:
However, many of their translations and interpretations were riddled with errors, whether intentional or not.
Example: Wilhelm Flügel, a well-known Orientalist, prepared a lexicon of Qur’anic vocabulary, but:
✔ 39 Arabic roots were incorrectly identified, distorting meanings.
Examples:
- The word “أثرن” was linked to root "أ-ث-ر", but the correct root is "ث-و-ر"
- “استبقوا” was wrongly traced to "ب-ق-ي", instead of "س-ب-ق"
◈ Qur’an and Other Objections
❖ Qur’an Criticism:
Ignaz Goldziher claimed that the Qur'an’s text is unreliable because early manuscripts lacked diacritical marks.
Response:
This objection is baseless. The Qur’an was preserved through:
✔ Oral transmission by the Companions, directly from the Prophet ﷺ
✔ A chain of memorization and recitation that continues unchanged
✔ Tajwīd and Qirā’āt, maintained with precision to this day
It is not just a written scripture but a living, recited tradition, rooted in verified chains of narration (tawātur).
◈ Absurd Objections: A Glimpse
Many Orientalist objections were not only false but strangely ignorant.
Example:
Louis Wandermann once claimed that Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) used to sleep at Khadījah’s (رضي الله عنها) home—suggesting an inappropriate relationship.
Upon being told that Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) was Khadījah’s nephew, he casually replied:
“Oh, that must be it.”
This highlights the lack of context and casual assumptions often seen in their critiques.
◈ Core Objectives Behind Orientalist Research
✔ To cast doubt on Islamic beliefs, the Qur’an, and the Prophetic life
✔ To incite division among Muslim sects
✔ To fulfill colonial and missionary agendas by weakening Muslim identity and unity
◈ Conclusion
While some Orientalists contributed positively in terms of preserving manuscripts or creating scholarly tools, the majority of their efforts were driven by ideological motives against Islam.
✔ Their objections were often based on incomplete knowledge, deliberate misrepresentation, or institutional bias.
It is essential for Muslims to:
✔ Understand these objections
✔ Respond to them with knowledge and confidence
✔ Promote authentic and scholarly understanding of Islam
