ENGLISH-A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE EARLY YEARS OF ISLAM BY LEOPOLD WEISS (MUHAMMAD ASAD)

Leopold Weiss alias Muhammad Asad is a European scholar; his family belonged to a Jewish family. Being a journalist, he traveled to many parts of the world to discover hidden realities. He went to Arabian countries too where he encountered Muslims and saw the Islamic culture and civilization. He got impressed by the teachings of the Holy Quran particularly the Sura Takthur سوره تکاثر)). As it reveals that life is short and temporary; all efforts and struggles for worldly benefits will go vanish. After accepting Islam, he devoted himself to the service of Islam. He wrote a lot of research-based books about Islam; he is of the view that Islam is not a religion of stories or the religion of the past with no application in the present time; rather he is extremely convinced that it is as applicable and valid in today's world as it was in the era of Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Among his scholarly works, the translation of Sahi ul Bukhari stands unique. His given name in the book is the early years of Islam. He intended to translate it into English in 40 installments; however, he could complete only 5 installments due to the destruction of the Second World War. In this article, we have tried to discuss his brief personal life and his method of translation with analyses. Relevant examples have been presented to make it more comprehensible.