William Montgomery Watt (14 March 1909; Ceres – 24 October 2006; Edinburgh^[1]) was an Islamic studies scholar, Orientalist and one of the key historians of Islam in the West.

Biography

Reverend Professor Montgomery Watt was Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Unviversity of Edinburgh from 1964-79. He held visiting professorships at the University of Toronto, the College de France, Paris, and Georgetown University and was given an honorary DD by the University of Aberdeen. He was a priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and was Arabic specialist to the Bishop of Jerusalem from 1943-46. He became a member of the ecumenical Iona Community in Scotland in 1960. The Islamic press have called him “the Last Orientalist”. ^[2] He died in Edinburgh on 24 October 2006 at the age of 97.^[3]

Quotes

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

Legacy

Works

He wrote over 30 books.

Views

Watt is a critic of many Islamic and Christian beliefs.^{[citation needed]}

Martin Forward, a 21st century Non-Muslim Islamic scholar states:

Works

• Muhammad at Mecca (1953)
• Muhammad at Medina (1956)
• Muhammad: Prophet and Stateman, a summary of the above two major works (1961)
• Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets
• Islamic Political Thought (1968)
• Muhammad's Mecca (1988)
• Muslim-Christian Encounters: Perceptions and Misperceptions (1991)

See also

• Islamic studies scholar

References

1. ^ Richard Holloway/ "William Montgomery Watt. The Guardian. 14 Nov. 2006
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ The Herald, The Scotsman, The Times, 27 October 2006
4. ^ Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, London, Oxford University Press, 1961, p. 108
5. ^ The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): A mercy to mankind