Marmaduke William Pickthall (1875–1936), a descendant of a knight of William the Conqueror, was reared in an upper-middle-class family in turn-of-the-century Britain. He was a schoolmate of Winston Churchill and became a renowned novelist and journalist much admired by his peers. His travels took him throughout the Middle East, where he became increasingly knowledgeable about the culture and religion. He would eventually convert to Islam and become the first Muslim to translate the Qur’an into English. Below is an excerpt of a travel journal (Oriental Encounters, 1918) reflecting his memories of his friend Suleymân, a Syrian, who recounted for […]
