CRITICAL REFLECTION ON PATHOLOGICAL PORTRAYAL OF HOLY PROPHET (PBUH) WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO D. B. MACDONALD

Abstract

Nineteenth century in the western theological literary circles, has been proved to be the age of shifting over the academic paradigms from theological debates to introducing Muslim studies particularly. In this perspective, one of the prolific and legendary orientalists Duncan Black MacDonald (d.1943 A.D.) played a pivotal role in transmitting and establishing chairs for Arabic and Islamic learnings at Hartford Seminary. He himself portrayed the image of Islam through his writings and lectures. He authored several books on different matters belonging from the Western thought, ideology, culture and perspective to the Muslim rituals and creeds. His major writings regarding Islam and its fundamental belief focusing Muslim cultural, social, religious and historical foundations got widespread recognition in the western academia. While delivering his famous series of lectures “Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory”; “Religious Attitude and Life in Islam” and “Aspects of Islam” have a remarkable impression of presenting the image of Islam in an absurd way. In particular, he proclaimed Prophet of Islam as a pathological case. In the first phase of the article, D.B. MacDonald’s life sketch has been penned down, while in the second part of the article, his portrayal of Prophet of Islam (PBUH) as a sick person has been described while in the last part of the article, this assertion has been critically reviewed.