Carlyle’s Position in Oriental Scholarship

Abstract

This paper looks closely at Carlyle’s lecture “The Hero as Prophet” to show how Carlyle is still influenced by the biased and somewhat hostile writings of the Christian polemicists which repeat false accusations concerning the authenticity of the Revelation and firmly believe that ‘Mahomet’s Islam’ relies heavily on Christian sources. Such baseless and unjust charges are reiterated by most literary figures in the Medieval period and until the 17th century. But the paper also shows how Carlyle tries to break away from the Medieval tradition, as he takes a different approach which some modern Orientalists adopt in their assessment of the character and achievements of the Prophet. However, the paper argues that in his attempt to liberate himself from an ancient tradition, Carlyle acknowledges a limited, though positive, impact of the Prophet on the Arabs only. Though he praises the Arabs whose “light of genius” shone “through long ages over a great section of the world”, he failes to realize that the positive and fruitful cultural exchange between a rich Islamic civilization and the West was largely responsible for the emergence of the European Renaissance. He also fails to realize that Dante, whom he believes to long survive Mahomet, is deeply influenced by Arabic and Islamic literary sources. While Carlyle’s views of the Prophet and Islam are expressed in his two lectures “The Hero as Prophet” and “The Hero as Poet” which form a complete unit, similarly, his assessment of the contemporary scene where Europe speaks in these loud times should not be divorced from the past when “the empire of Silence” used to dominate the scene. The paper therefore calls for a comprehensive and deeper, rather than a limited and superficial, viewpiont, which should be taken by any fair scholar whenever he/ she examines the history of relations between Islam and the West.