Muhammad Asad

The story I am going to tell . . . is not the autobiography of a man conspicuous for his role in public affairs; . . . it is not even the story of a deliberate search for faith---for that faith came upon me . . . without any endeavor on my part. . . . My story is simply the story of a European's discovery of Islam and of his integration into the Muslim community (1).

He writes that he was a journalist for European newspapers, traveling for his work through the Middle East, converting in 1926, and returning to the West as United Nations Minister Plenipotentiary from his adopted Pakistan. In part, the book was written to answer the questions raised by such a fascinating life.

Asad writes that when it became clear that "I identified

. . . emotionally and intellectually with the political and cultural aims of the Muslim world . . . , [Westerners] became somewhat perplexed" (1).

The author writes that his book covers not his entire life, but mainly that part which bears directly on that discovery and integration. The heart of the entire book is even more concentrated---"those twenty-three days .

. . .
y Asad emphasizes the same need for humility, lest even angels "forgot that their purity had not come from their own strength" (146). Asad also favorably compares the Arab system of justice with the Western system, finding that the former is both more informal and more respectful of the humanity of hose who come before it (150). The basis of this difference is that the Islamic view of man is that he is basically good, in comparison to the Christian view which, says Asad, holds that man is born in a state of sin (147). "Dreams" conveys again the basic message that the world of Arabs and Muslims is a world full of graciousness, coherence of mind and culture, faithfulness, and brotherly good will. It is also a world which relies first and last not on human beings but on the will of God. Writing of an important battle in Islamic history, Asad writes that one of the leaders declared, "We . . . have now placed our destinies in the hands of God, We are going to Riyadh---to conquer or to lose it for good" (172). In the same chapter, the author focuses on the special treatment he receives from King Saud. At the same time, in recounting the coming to power of the Saud family in Saudi Arabia, the author does note the shortcomings of his be
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Approximate Word count = 2749
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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