Coleridge and Emerson’s

Views on Islam
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English poet, critic, and philosopher,
lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
• He is not widely known for expressing detailed views on Islam.
• There are some references and comments in his works that provide
glimpses into his thoughts on the religion.
• He expressed his views on Islam in his writings, particularly in his
lectures and letters.
• Coleridge had a complex and evolving relationship with Islam.
• Initially, he expressed admiration for some aspects of Islamic
civilization.
• Such as its intellectual achievements and moral principles.
• He views it as a contrast to what he saw as the materialism and moral
decay of Western society.
• In his lectures on Shakespeare, Coleridge mentioned Islam in the
context of his discussions on the character of Othello.
• Coleridge observed the differences between the Christian and Islamic
worlds and commented on the Moorish background of Othello, who is
a Muslim.
• Coleridge seemed to appreciate the diversity and cultural richness
brought by the inclusion of Islamic elements in literature.
• It's important to note that Coleridge's views on Islam may not be
extensively documented,
• and his comments are often embedded within broader discussions on
literature, culture, and philosophy.
• Scholars continue to analyze and interpret Coleridge's works to
understand his perspectives on various subjects, including religion and
cultural diversity.
• However, Coleridge also critiqued certain aspects of Islam,
• particularly its theology and its perceived lack of compatibility with
Christianity.
• He criticized what he perceived as the rigidity and legalism of Islamic
law,
• as well as its rejection of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ,
• which were central tenets of Coleridge's Christian faith.
• Here are a couple of quotes from Coleridge's writings that touch upon
his views on Islam:
• "The religion of Mohammed came as a deliverance from idolatry, and
the new doctrines were so thoroughly imbued with the spirit of one
God, and of a future state of rewards and punishments, that the wild
Arabs became at once the most zealous missionaries of the faith
which they had embraced." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Table Talk"
(1823)
• "In Mohammedanism we can trace the influence of a moral character,
in as much as the precepts of justice, humanity, and the general
doctrines of a future state, were in that instance preserved
unimpaired." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Table Talk" (1835)
• These quotes reflect Coleridge's recognition of certain positive
aspects of Islam, such as its rejection of idolatry and its emphasis on
monotheism and moral principles. However, they also indicate his
perspective as a Christian thinker, as he contrasts Islamic teachings
with his own religious beliefs.
Islamic influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson
thoughts
• Waldo Emerson, a prominent figure in American literature and
philosophy, was influenced by various intellectual traditions,
• but direct Islamic influence on his thoughts is not widely
acknowledged.
• However, Emerson's transcendentalism shares some similarities with
Sufi mysticism, such as the emphasis on individual intuition, spiritual
exploration, and the interconnectedness of all beings.
• While there might be indirect influences, such as through the works
of Persian poets like Rumi, it's not a dominant aspect of Emerson's
philosophy.
• Emerson didn't extensively discuss Islam in his works, but he did touch upon
themes related to religion, spirituality, and the pursuit of truth.
• One notable quote that can be interpreted in relation to Islam's emphasis on
spiritual growth and self-awareness is:
• "Islam has not yet succeeded. All the light it can shed is borrowed from the
Jewish and Christian religions.“
• This quote suggests Emerson's view that Islam, while significant, had not yet
fully realized its potential or developed its own unique enlightenment.
• However, this quote reflects a particular historical context and may not fully
capture Emerson's entire perspective on Islam or its contributions to human
spirituality.
• Emerson's concept of fate was also to some extent influenced by
Islam.
• In his interpretation of the Muslim view of the subject, he displayed
an amazing ability to grasp the positive facets of this belief.
• In 1840, he wrote: "I read today in Ockley a noble sentence of Ali,
son-in-law of Mohammed. 'They lot, or portion of life, is seeking after
thee; therefore, be at rest from seeking after it.'"
Renowned researcher Farida Hallal commented on Emerson's
Knowledge and Use of Islamic Literature (University of Houston, 1971),
by saying:
"After a long period of misunderstanding of Islam, Fresh efforts were
made in Emerson's time to approach and present Islamic culture
objectively. Emerson's own attitude towards Arabic and Persian
literature and culture reflects this more liberal interpretation."
• Overall, Coleridge's views on Islam were nuanced and reflective of the
intellectual and cultural currents of his time.
• While he admired certain aspects of Islamic civilization, he also
maintained a critical stance towards its theological differences with
Christianity.
• An out and out transcendentalist as he was, Emerson found in the Holy Quran an
equivalent of the transcendentalist belief that the world has order and purpose.
• He quoted twice from the Holy Quran in his "Representative Men" to emphasise that
the economist, the philosopher, and the poet are less apt to meet man's metaphysical
needs than the moral thinker or spiritual leader who tackles the basic problems of
existence.
• He said:
• "The instincts presently teach us that the problem of essence must take precedence
of all others-the question of whence? and whither? ... The atmosphere of moral
sentiment is a region of grandeur which reduces all material magnificence to toys, yet
opens to every wretch that as reason the doors of the universe. In the language of the
Koran, 'God said: the Heaven and the Earth and all that is between them, think ye that
We created them in jest and that ye shall not return to Us?'"
• In his writings, Emerson also displayed familiarity with the stress in
Islamic religion upon culture as a means of fulfilling the individual's
humanity and improving himself both intellectually and spiritually.
• In "Worship" Emerson expressed himself in favour of an intellectualised
religion and used a saying of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SM) to
bring home his point:
• "The religion which is to guide and fulfill the present and coming age,
whatever else it may be, must be intellectual ... 'There are two things,'
said Mohammed, 'which I abhor: the learned in his infidelities, and the
fool in his devotions.' Our times are impatient of both, and especially of
the last."
• Late in his life Emerson again turned to the holy Prophet of Islam. At
the opening of the Concord Free Library, he said:
• "We expect a great man to be a great reader or in proportion to the
spontaneous power that there should be assimilating poser.
• There is a wonderful agreement among eminent men of all varieties
and conditions in their estimate of books .... Even the wild Arab
Mahomet said:
• ‘'Men are either learned or learning. The rest are blockheads.'"
• In his early notebooks, he recorded a sentence of Hazrat Ali (RA) on
the subject:
"Knowledge calleth out to practice: and if it answereth, well; if
not, it goeth away".
• He used the same quotation to illustrate a similar point in "The
Method of Nature."
• Emerson also found in Islam a concept of seriousness akin to his own.
• Although he valued humour, he felt that the touchstone of a sincere conviction was an earnest
attitude that admitted of no trifling with principles.
• In "Social Aims," he resorted to the Holy Quran as a repository of the wisdom of the ages to give
sanction to his point of view:
"And beware of jokes, too much temperance cannot be used: inestimable for sauce, but
corrupting for food, we go away hollow and shamed ... True with never made us laugh ...
• In the Koran (is mentioned): 'On the Day of Resurrection, those who have indulged in ridicule will
be called to the door of paradise, and have it shut in their faces when they reach it. '"
• [Emerson mistakenly quotes the Quranic sentence. The actual version is: "And leave alone those
who take their religion to be mere play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world."
(6:70)].
• In short, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in spite of a certain degree of misunderstanding of
Islam, was more attuned to some of the fundamental principles of the religion than he
was aware.
• It is true that he was not, like Washington Irving, the "first discoverer of Islam in the
United States of America."
• Nor did he champion the excellence and beauty of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SM) as
his friend Thomas Carlyle had done.
• But even then his projection of the virtues and serenity of Islam, its holy prophet and
caliphs helped remove the misunderstanding looming large for centuries over the hearts
of Americans and Europeans hitherto shrouded by ignorance and hatred of the essence
and excellence of Islam.