Muhammad Asad and Pola Hamida Asad: Twenty-two Unpublished Letters

Muhammed Arshad

doi:10.66207/jis.v14i2.205

Authors

Muhammed Arshad Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66207/jis.v14i2.205

Keywords:

Muhammad Asad, Pola Hamida Asad, Munira Asad, Ta- lal Asad, Islamic intellectual history, Pakistan, English translations of the Qurʾān, Formative currents in twen- tieth century Islamic thought, politics and culture of the colonial era, British Raj, Islam, Muslims and the chal- lenge of modernity, The Road to Pakistan

Abstract

This second installment of hitherto unpublished letters of Mu- hammad Asad and his fourth wife, Pola Hamida Asad, shed new light on the life and intellectual activities of Muhammad Asad over an extended period of time (1946-1992). The first letter, written shortly after Asad’s release after six years of internment during World War II, expounds on his future plans and provides details of little-known aspects of his family life. The last letter, written by Pola Hamida shortly after Asad’s death in 1992, is an abrupt re- joinder to “a most insensitive request. After all, I was his constant companion for almost forty years and my loss is very great; it is too painful for me to write these details at the request of a curious jour- nalist—even if you were really an old friend.” Taken together, these letters provide a rare insight into making of Asad’s intellectual and personal life, his relationships with family and friends and they will also be valuable for a future biography of Asad. The letters are be- ing published as they were written, without any changes to the text.