Montgomery Watt and His Criticism on Wahy

Mohammad Fazril Bin Mohd. Saleh

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)

Introduction

„Abdullah Ibn Amr reported that the Holy Prophet said: “Allah will not take away knowledge
(la yaqbidu al „ilma) by taking it away from the servants, but He will take away the learned (wa lakin
yaqbidu al-„ilma bi qabdi al-„ulama`);1 so that when no learned man remains, the people will take the
ignorant as their leaders. They will seek religious opinion from them and these ignorant (leaders) will
deliver opinions without knowledge, when they would go astray and lead other to astray.2

If one look carefully at our world today, one can see the messages floating around from all
directions, each try to communicate something for us to see, to hear, to feel and to accept. Some
messages may convey something positive or something wrong, negative and harmful. It is our
responsibility to develop within ourselves the ability to filter information in order to ensure that it does
not negatively affect our life. The ability to make use of messages positively and protect oneself against
their adverse effect depends upon one‟s perceptual understanding of realities and truth in their relative
as well as their absolute nature.3 As a Muslim, we have to be aware and remain constantly conscious of
the truth and reality of our religion which is Islam. Indeed, we need to search for reliable sources and
information which interpreting the heart of religion, The Holy Quran and The Tradition of The Prophet
SAW which are known as wahy.

Since after the Medieval age, thousands of Occidental Intellectuals has been working hardly,
systematically, and creatively to produce a lot of works about Islam with prejudice and unfair
conclusion. This phenomenon is a result of confrontation between The West and Islam where the basis
of this clash is religion. It is exactly this relationship which inspires a permanent deepening of
ideologically fabricated misunderstandings between Islam and Christianity, leading to intensification of
4
dramatic confrontation these two religions. Those works on Islam by the Westerners are known as

1
Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim
2
Wali al-Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Khatib al-Tabrizi, Mishkat al-Masabih. Translation by abdul Hameed Siddiqi, (Lahore: Islamic
Publication, 1976), chap. 1 pg. 29
3
Omar Jah, “Al Balagh”, Knowledge, Language, Thought & The Civilization of Islam, (Johor Bharu: UTM Press, 2010), pg. 83.
4
Ferid Muhic, “Dialogue of Civilizations Through The Corridors of Faith and Mind”, Knowledge, Language, Thought & The Civilization of
Islam, (Johor Bharu: UTM Press, 2010), pg. 200.
1
“Orientalism”. According to Edward W. Said, Orientalism is “anyone who teaches, writes about, or
researches the Orient either in its specific or its general aspect, is an Orientalist, and what he or she
does is Orientalism”.5 Orientalism also refers to “a style of thought based upon an ontological and
epistemological distinction made between the Orient and the Occident”. 6

Actually, the intention of this paper is to discuss briefly about the criticism on wahy by the
Orientalist in general and William Montgomery Watt (d. 2006) in particular. It is well known that some
Orientalist have been instrumental in discovering, editing, and publishing a number of original Arabic
works and manuscripts.7 In the past as well as in modern times, scholars have dealt with it from time to
time. Some serious studies have appeared on the method and approaches of the Orientalist with regards
to Islamic themes in general and the wahy in particular. Those studies are among our references besides
several genuine works of W. Montgomery Watt (Watt) in order to discuss about the subject matter.

This paper will firstly discuss about Watt‟s biographical background, consists of, his life,
education, experiences and works. Watt is acknowledged as a leading European authority on Islam and
the Prophet at the present time. His works such as Muhammad at Mecca (1953), Muhammad at Medina
(1956), and Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (1980) have been republished a number of times.8
They have also been translated in a number of European Languages and also in Arabic and other world
languages. His works are among the most influential “interpretation of Islam” in Europe. Secondly,
about the reality of Islam under the topic of “The Worldview of Islam”. It is important to discuss about
world view as it projects the nature and reality of Islam, like mentioned by Syed Muhammad Naquib
al-Attas (al-Attas): “a methaphysical survey of the visible as well as the invisible worlds including the
perspective of life as a whole”9 based on the true understanding of wahy as taught by Prophet
Muhammad SAW and the authority in Islam.

Also in this paper, wahy is being defined in the light of authenticity scholarship in Islam under
the topic “Concept of Wahy”. The concept and process of wahy in Islam is based on authentic reports.
The worldview of Islam reveals that the authorship of The Qur`an could only be ascribed to Allah.10
Some author especially Orientalist including Watt declare that the Qur`an has been composed by the

5
Edward W. Said, Orientalism, (New York: Vintage Books, 1929), pg 204.
6
Ibid.
7
Muhammad Mohar Ali, Sirat al-Nabi And The Orientalist, (Madinah: King Fahd Complex of Printing The Holy Quran, 1997), pg. 23.
8
Ibid. pg. preface.
9
Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, “The Worldview of Islam: An Outline”, Islam and the Challenge of Modernity, (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC,
1994)
10
Thameem Ushama, Issues in The Study of The Qur`an, (Kuala Lumpur: Ilmiah Publisher, 2002), pg. 71
2
Prophet on his own or with the help of ohers.11 Watt said that Prophet Muhammad SAW may have
been mistaken in believing The Qur`an to be a divine message12 and described The Qur`an as “the
Product of Creative Imagination”.13 Watt in his works also mentioned about the nature of Islam in his
perspective.14 He reiterates it as the “Islamic Vision” which he said is contained in wahy (the Qur`an),
came to Prophet Muhammad SAW and was shared by him with some of his fellow-citizen.15 But the
problem with his understanding of Islamic Vision is absolutely contradicted with the reality of Islam
and this matter will be discussed under the topic “Watt‟s Treatment of Wahy”.

Biographical background

Professor William Montgomery Watt is one of the most famous scholars especially in field of
Islamic studies. Watt is acknowledged as a leading European authority on Islam and the Prophet at the
present time. He has died in age of 97 (24th October 2006)16 The most famous three books written by
him focus on one person that is The Prophet Muhammad, acknowledged by experts to be classics in the
field.17

Watt was born in Ceres, Fife where his father died when he was 14 months old. His father was a
Minister. He was educated at George Watson‟s College, Edinburgh and continued taking degree at
Edinburgh and Oxford Universities where he took three degrees in six years. 18 In year 1937, Watt
discovered Islam that took him to a Muslim lodger, KA Mannan, a veterinary student from Pakistan.
According to Watt, he began to learn something about Islam that he had been largely ignorant about it.
But then Watt wrote that stated “the dominant impression was that I was engaged not merely in
arguing with this individual but in confronting a whole, century-old system of thought and life”19.

This discovery also has led him to the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, George Francis Graham
Brown. Brown has became the father figure to Watt, who agreed to join him in Jerusalem as his
chaplain, working on the intellectual approach to Islam. This also meant that he had to seek ordination

11
Ibid.
12
Ibid. pg. 73
13
W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and The Statesman, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1948), pg. 15
14
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, (Beirut: Library of Lebanon, 1990), pg. 9
15
Ibid, pg. 13
16 th
Richard Holloway, “William Montgomery Watt” The Guardian. Edition 14 Nov. 2006.
17
Carole Hillenbrand, “article on Professor W. Montgomery Watt”, Edinburgh Middle East Report Online, Winter 2006
18
Richard Holloway, op.cit.
19
see website : www.alastairmcIntosh.com, An interview with “the Last Orientalist” - the Rev Prof William Montgomery Watt by Bashir
Maan & Alastair McIntosh
3
in the Anglican Church, he was fast-tracked through Cuddesdon Theological College in a year and
ordain deacon in 1939. He was ordained in 1940, and after St Mary‟s was closed because of bomb
damage, Watt returned to Edinburgh to finish his training as a curate at Old St Paul‟s, and begin work
on his doctoral thesis, “Free Will and Predestination in Early Islam”.20
Returning to Scotland in year 1946, Watt became a lecturer in Arabic at Edinburgh, University
where he remained there until his retirement in 1979. He was given a personal chair in Arabic and
Islamic Studies in 1964.21 Watt has wrote 30 books and scores of articles. He was towering figure in the
history of Edinburgh University Press, establishing the highly successful Islamic Surveys series in 1962
to bring the subject to a wider readership, and writing seven books for that press, all which are still in
print and are amongst the bestsellers. His other books have been translated into a vast array of other
languages. William was awarded many academic honors, he had visiting Professorships at the
University of Toronto, the College de France, and Georgetown University, and received the American
Giorgio Levi Della Vida Medal and was, as his first recipient, the British Society for Middle Eastern
studies award for outstanding scholarship.22

Among his works are The faith and practice of al-Ghazālī (1953), Muhammad at Mecca
(1953), Muhammad at Medina (1956), Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (1961), Islamic Philosophy
and Theology (1962), Islamic Political Thought (1968),Islamic Surveys: The Influence of Islam on
Medieval Europe (1972), The Majesty That Was Islam (1976), What Is Islam? (1980), Muhammad's
Mecca (1988), Muslim-Christian Encounters: Perceptions and Misperceptions (1991), Islamic
Philosophy And Theology (1987), Islamic Creeds (1994), History of Islamic Spain, Islamic Political
Thought (1998) and A Christian Faith For Today (2002).23

Watt‟s stated that he doubted the appropriateness of conversion and felt that those of all faiths
should collaborate in friendship to stern the tide of materialism and secularization. He was not afraid to
express his radical theological opinions. The controversial ones in some Christian ecclesiastical circles.
He often pondered on the question of what influence his study of Islam had exerted on him in his own
Christian faith. As a direct result, he came to argue that the Islamic emphasis on the uncompromising
oneness of God had caused him to reconsider the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which is vigorously
attached in the Qur‟an as undermining true monotheism.24

20
Carole Hillenbrand, op.cit.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
See website : www.wikipedia.com/williammontgomerywatt
24
see website : www.alastairmcIntosh.com, An interview with “the Last Orientalist”, op.cit.
4
 His aspirations to the highest degrees of objectivity are apparent in statements like “I am not a
Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a “Muslim” as “one surrendered to God”; but I believe
that embedded in the Qur‟an and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divine truth
from which I and other occidentals have still much to learn”25. This statement projects his love towards
knowledge and truth, even though some of his views on Islam is controversial and absolutely contradict
to the reality of Islam.

The Worldview of Islam

The worldview of Islam is the „aqidah of Islam itself26. It projects the vision of the one reality
and truth. It encompasses both dunya and akhirah in which, as al-Attas put it, “the dunya-aspect must
be related in a profound and inseparable way to the akhirah-aspect and in which the akhlak aspect was
ultimate and final significance. The dunya aspect is seen as preparation for the dunya-aspect.
Everything in Islam is ultimately focused on the akhirah aspect without thereby implying any attitude of
neglect or being unmindful of the dunya aspect”.27

The worldview of Islam is a fixed unchanging, final and absolute vision because it is grounded
in and derived from wahy.28 This is not merely a theoretical claim, for Muslim historical experience has
shown that the fundamental element of the worldview such as the conception of God, of the nature of
man and of the psychology of the human soul, and the meaning of knowledge, of happiness, of virtue
and vices, and of prophethood have no change throughout the long ages of Islamic epoch.29

In the book “What is Islam” (1990), Watt stated that: “while much of what valuable in the
nomadic Arabic outlook has been taken into the central core of Islam and there transformed, there
would also appear to be matters which have been given an Islamic dress without any fundamental
change…”30 It is absolutely a false statement which describes Islam as a derivation of cultural and
philosophical elements but it is one whose source is wahy, confirmed by religion, affirmed by

25
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, pg. 21.
26
Omar Jah, op.cit, pg. 83
27
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, “Islamic Weltanschauung: A Brief Overiew”, Forum ISTAC al-Hikmah, (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1999),
yr. 5 issue no.1, pg. 3
28
Adi Setia Mohd Dom, Worldview of Islam Academy: The Concept, (Kuala Lumpur: HAKIM, 2010), pg. 7
29
Ibid.
30
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, (Beirut: Library of Lebanon, 1990), pg. 23
5
intellectual and intuitive principles.31 This wahy is final, an it not only confirms the truth of preceding
revelations in their original forms, but includes their substance, separating the truth from cultural
creation and ethnic inventions.32

The worldview of Islam consist of 33: (1) belief in the oneness of Allah; (2) belief that Allah is
the creator of this universe; (3) belief that Allah is the sustainer of the world; (4) belief in the unseen
realities and the life to come; (5) recognition of the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the Messenger of
Allah, and (6) belief in the angels of Allah and the authority that defines the truth as separate from
falsehood (Qur`an: Yunus: 32).34 For Muslims, Islam represents a way of life guided by proper
knowledge and ethical principles outlined in The Holy Qur`an and exemplified in the practical life of
The Holy Prophet35. As explain by al-Attas: “the man of Islam has with him The Qur`an which is itself
unchanged, unchanging, and unchangeable; it is a Speech of God revealed in complete and final
form.”36

Concept of Wahy

God sends His words to His creation through an imperceptible message called as wahy.37 The
imperceptible message has played a role in the formation of Islamic civilization and also like many
other concepts in terminology of Islam. Wahy has also be part of victim to the innumerable
misunderstanding.38

In the ancient as well as the modern period, people were continuously occupied in generating
ambiguity on the overall concept, background and forms of wahy. There are many false perception and
accusations. It is due to the result of totally erroneous statements made about Islam in the West and
disseminated in the East either being a systematic denigration or is based on preposterous evidence.
There are many untruths were fabricated and the most dangerous was that the Qur‟an was authored by
the Prophet. According to the western scholars the Prophet invented it is wording and formulated it

31
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena to The Metaphysics of Islam: An Exposition of The Fundamental Elements of The
Worldview of Islam, (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1995), pg. 4
32
Ibid. pg. 6
33
Omar Jah, op.cit, pg. 85
34
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena, pg. 78
35
Israr Ahmad Khan, Qur`anic Studies: An Introduction, (Kuala Lumpur: Zaman Islam Media, 2000), pg. Introduction
36
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena, pg. 78
37
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 35
38
Ibid.
6
style. The true perception of wahy must be explained to others and it will help one to understand the
position of Islam in the midst of other philosophies and way of life.

The literal meaning of wahy, according to Thameem Ushama, derives from the root or semantic
meaning of sur‟ah (quickness or promptness) and khafyah (secrecy). These two meanings describe the
real nature of wahy as it is revealed through human prophets and messenger. Literally the word wahy
also derives from “aiha” which is means revelation, inspiration, quick signal, animal natural instinct
and etcetera. The lexical meaning of the Arabic word wahy is the secret inspiration that is felt only by
the one who inspires and the other who is inspired. The Qur‟an has used this word both for instinctive
inspiration by Allah to His creation in general and for the revelation towards His prophets in
particular.39
As mentioned by Israr Ahmad Khan, wahy means communication. It is taken by verbs from
“ahwa” that is for instances, denotes sentence of “he communicated”.40 Communication is the
backbone of life. It provides the means through which people can communicate to learn from one
another and exchange ideas in organizing normal life in which groups and individuals can live in peace,
harmony, security and prosperity.41 According to Omar Jah, the first meaningful line of communication
to help men organize life on earth came in a dialogue between God and the Angles, when Allah
communicated to them His decision to appoint a khalifah to be entrusted with responsibility, to
administer the affairs of creatures on earth, to maintain law and order, to establish peace, security and
harmony.42 The Khalifah appointed by Allah is properly equipped with divine knowledge to discern
truth from falsehood in belief, right from wrong in judgement and good from evil in action. This was
wahy (the divine message) communicated to all Messenger of Allah. The Holy Qur`an says “O ye the
Messenger of Allah, do communicate what is being sent to down you, if you do not, you would not have
fulfilled your mission”.43

Wahy also bring the meaning that it is certainly message from the heaven (Allah). This meaning
agreed by Muhammad „Abduh, who is according to him wahy it is a sublime knowledge („irfan)
imported in one‟s heart (qalb) with absolute conviction and also it must be from Allah. Furthermore,
the wahy in the meaning above may be derived either through a medium (wasitah) and it is therefore
audible in nature by using a voice or it maybe without a medium and it was therefore requested directly

39
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’an: Translation and Commentary, (U.S.A: Amana Corporation Maryland, 1983)
40
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 35-36
41
Omar Jah, op.cit, pg. 92-93
42
Surah al-Baqarah (2): 30-35
43
Surah al-Maidah (5): 69
7
to the heart of prophets. It is inaudible that is mean without a voice.44 Watt described that Muslims take
what is revealed to human beings is also called as “the word of God”. The Arabic term is „kalam‟, and
this can be correctly translated „speech‟, since it also being used for God‟s attribute to speech, while
„kalima‟ represented the single word.45

Meanwhile, Al-Attas refers wahy as “speech of God concerning Himself, His creation, the
relation between them, and the way to salvation communicated to His chosen Prophet and Messenger,
not by sound or letter, yet comprising all that He has represented in words, then conveyed by the
Prophet to the mankind in the linguistic form new in nature (Arabic Language of Qur`an) yet
comprehensible, without confusion with the Prophet‟s own subjectivityand cognitive imagination. This
wahy is final, an it not only confirms the truth of preceding revelations in their original forms, but
includes their substance, separating the truth from cultural creation and ethnic inventions.”46
Wahy projects the „worldview of Islam‟ as mention in the sub-topic before,47 “the worldview of
Islam is a fixed unchanging, final and absolute vision because it is grounded in and derived from
wahy.48 This is not merely a theoretical claim, for Muslim historical experience has shown that the
fundamental element of the worldview such as the conception of God, of the nature of man and of the
psychology of the human soul, and the meaning of knowledge, of happiness, of virtue and vices, and of
prophethood have no change throughout the long ages of Islamic epoch.”49

Islamic perspective towards Divine Revelation is that God has not only created human beings,
but also continually guided them by raising series of prophethood since time immemorial starting with
Adam and ending it with the last Prophet Muhammad SAW and it stated that every prophet or
messenger must have received revelation (wahy) from God, which His Divine guidance (huda or
hidayah) directing people to lead their lives in accordance with the absolute command of God. The
command is of two kinds, that it is the instructions (al-awamir) and the prohibitions (al-nawahi). Those
who believed and obeyed the command are believers, and those who rejected are condemned as
unbelievers.

Watt’s Treatment of Wahy

44
Thameem Ushama, Issues in The study of The Qur’an, (Kuala Lumpur: Ilmiah Publisher, 2002), pg. 44-46
45
W. Montgomery Watt, Islam and Christianity today: A Contribution to Dialogue, (Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Press, 1991)
chap. 4, pg introduction
46
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena, pg. 6
47
See subtopic “The Worldview of Islam” of this paper, pg. 5
48
Adi Setia Mohd Dom, op.cit, pg. 7
49
Ibid.
8
 We have discussed in the subtopics before about the nature of Islam and of wahy. Actually the
discussion before are quite clear to answer most of Watt‟s accusations and false statements about wahy.
In several works of Watt, he has arrived at some conclusion about wahy. Major points raised by him
that will be discussed here are: (1) wahy is a projection of Prophet‟s ideas of socio-religious reforms
arising out of his time, environment and circumstances50; (2) wahy is derived from the ancient Arab
(pagan) poet has been influenced by the ideas and facts of other religions such as Christianity, Jews and
Zoroastrians which prevailing in Arabia at the time; (3) the wahy does not mean verbal communication
of a text, but suggestion or inspiration to give out the Qur`an and Jibril A.S was introduced at a later
stage as a conveyer of way; and (4) Satan has outsmarted the Prophet by putting into his mouth some
polytheistic ideas.

Watt admitted some similarities between wahy (which he mentioned as the work of the
Prophet) and works of man‟s creative imagination such as drama and poetry in the sense that both type
of works have a wide appeal and producing material from the collective unconscious. 51 Thameem
Ushama mentioned52 that Watt has arrived at conclusion that Prophet Muhammad SAW may have been
mistaken in believing The Qur`an to be a divine message53 and described The Qur`an as “the Product of
Creative Imagination”.54 The fact is wahy is neither the sudden visions of great poets and artists claim
for themselves; nor the apostolic inspiration of the writers of sacred scripture; nor the illuminative
intuition of the sages and people of discernment. 55 Israr Ahmad Khan put a question for this allegation:
“if it was Muhammad himself who developed the book, why he did not, the attribute it to his name?”56
Prophet would have undoubtedly hailed by his compatriots as well as the world today as the most
remarkable literary genius for producing the work with extraordinary language and messages. 57

Watt seems to have accepted the view the continuance of pre-Islamic (Jahiliah) attitudes
happened in the Qur`an as he try to find similarity of messages in both the Qur`an and the pagan
poetry58 Also, he try to make conclusion that Qur`an in the earliest passage have no insistence on the

50
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, pg. 223. See also W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and The Statesman, pg.
introduction, see also pg. 19-20.
51
Ibid, pg. 223
52
Thameem Ushama, Issues in The Study of The Qur`an, (Kuala Lumpur: Ilmiah Publisher, 2002), pg. 71
53
Ibid. pg. 73
54
W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and The Statesman, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1948), pg. 15
55
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena, pg. 6
56
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 16
57
Ibid. pg. 49
58
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, pg. 23
9
truth that there is no deity but God.59 He claimed that in the early time of Islam, the doctrine of
monotheism is vague and admiration for superior culture like the people of Syria and Iraq (who believe
in one God) and influence of Judaism and Christianity made the acceptance of monotheism become
easier.60 Firstly, as mentioned by M. Mohar Ali, for Muhammad‟s emergence as Prophet must have
been marked by something new and better on his part than what was already known. None would paid
any attention to him and become his followers if his ideas were not clearly in advance of those of the
enlightened Meccans.61 Secondly, the message of Tawhid and its principles in the Qur`an is very clear
as mentioned for instance in Surah al-Ikhlas(Qur`an: 112) and surah al-Kafirun(Qur`an: 109). Thirdly,
it is clear that Islam by its nature was conscious of his own identity from the time of its revelation.62
When it appeared on the stage of the world history. Islam is already „mature‟, needing no process of
growing up to maturity. Al-Attas stressed that wahy religion („revealed religion‟) can only be that
which known itself from the very beginning and that self-knowledge comes from wahy itself, not from
history.”63 Israr Ahmad Khan argued that the Qur`anic account of many stories is essentially
different from the Biblical account, in many respect.64 Also, the Qur`an states clearly about the
differences between Islam and Judeo-Christian traditions and religions.65
In translating surah al-Najm Watt adopts Bell‟s rendering of the expressions wahy and awha as
“suggestion” and “suggested”. These meaning are not all correct for Qur`anic wahy.66 The meaning of
the word change with the change of the context. Indeed, a common English equivalent for wahy should
be communication rather than suggestion.67 This meaning would fit in all situation.68 Wahy maybe of
different types depending on the nature of the matter communication. Watt mentoned “There is no
mention of Gabriel (Jibril A.S) in the Qur`an until the Medinan period”.69 According to M. Mohar Ali,
Watt invoked the opinion of Karl Ahrens who said that there is no mention of Jibril in the Meccan
passages of the Qur`an. Actually, Watt has misinterpreted the Qur`anic terms, words and passages.
Jibril is mentioned several times in the Qur`an (especially in Meccan passages) by several names which
refers to the Archangel Jibril A.S such as “Rasul Karim”70 and “al-Ruh”.71 Both names are refers to
the same individual whom mentioned as the conveyer of wahy who is also described as al-

59
Ibid. pg. 46
60
Ibid.
61
Muhammad Mohar Ali, op.cit. pg. 216
62
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena, pg. 4
63
Ibid.
64
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 49
65
Surah al-Baqarah(2): 135
66
Muhammad Mohar Ali, op.cit. pg. 454
67
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 35
68
Muhammad Mohar Ali, op.cit. pg. 435
69
W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988), pg. 16
70
Surah al-Takwir(81): 19
71
Surah al-Qadr(97): 4, Surah al-Ma’arij(70): 4, Surah al-Naba(78): 38
10
amin72(nazzala bihi al-ruh al-amin) which means faithful and having been employed as a messenger by
God. Moreover, the specific mention of him by name Jibril as a conveyer of wahy can be found for
example in surah al-Baqarah(2): 97.

Watt‟s most controversial view is his theory of „Satanic versus‟.73 He claimed that ayat 19-23 of
surah al-Najm is those verses. Watt said that: “it is assumed in Islam that all such Satanic alterations in
the Qur`an have been discovered and corrected…”74 and “…Satan had managed to slip in the false
versus of the first version without Muhammad noticing it...”75 But the Qur`an already stated that it is
impossible.76 According to Israr Ahmad Khan, the incident involving those versus is totally different
with the story rose by Watt. He corrected Watt as in 5A.H., when a number of early Islamic community
took refuge in Abbysina, Prophet after having received the complete surah al-Najm (the Qur`an: 53)
from Allah, recited it to a large audience comprising the companions and non-believers. In the end as
the last word demand for doing prostration, Prophet made it and followed by the others including the
non-believers. The Quraysh, later on felt ashamed of their joining in doing prostration to Allah with
Prophet S.A.W, and to wash off this stigma fabricated the story that they follow the later in prostration
because they heard Prophet Muhammad praising their idol.77 Israr Ahmad Khan also in his commentary
to this matter said that almost all the Orientalists described the Prophet as a genius, but Muhammad
S.A.W as an intelligent person cannot realize the nature of the two opposite messages which one is
allegedly Satanic versus and the other is genuinely divine versus: the former appreciates the Arab‟s
chief goddesses and the latter condemn them as falsehood. These two views are too distinct to escape
even an ordinary person‟s mind.78

Conclusion

From our brief survey, we can see that William Montgomery Watt (Watt) is one of the
westerners whose works (most of them) are systematically and scientifically written about Islam. As
stated by Edward Said: „Orientalism‟ is “anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient
either in its specific or its general aspect, is an Orientalist, and what he or she does is Orientalism”.79
Watt was absolutely belongs to them. However, his statements, theories, interpretations and

72
Surah al-Syu’ara(26): 193
73
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, pg. 46
74
W. Montgomery Watt, What Is Islam, pg. 223. See also pg.42
75
W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, pg. 61
76
Surah al-Haqqah(69): 44-46
77
Israr Ahmad Khan, op.cit, pg. 50
78
Ibid. pg. 51
79
Edward W. Said, Orientalism, (New York: Vintage Books, 1929), pg 204.
11
assumptions about Islam at certain extent look contradict with the truth and reality of Islam (as
discussed before),80 its Holy Prophet, its Holy Scripture, and Islamic themes including wahy, which
have became our primary subject of this paper. Also, at certain places, his conclusion are contradict and
irrelevant between one to another as for example criticized by M. Mohar Ali in the problem rose by
Watt about the Prophet‟s literacy: “…what Watt says in his first paragraph is in fact rendered
irrelevant with what he says in his second paragraph dealing with the origin and meaning of iqra`”81

However, there are also positive aspect and effect of his works. He was known by many
scholars of the west as a legendary figure among scholars who in the field of Islamic studies. Also, he
dedicated his life to the promotion of dialogue between Christians and Muslims.82 Before his death, he
came to argue that the Islamic emphasis on the uncompromising oneness of God had caused him to
reconsider the Christians doctrine of the Trinity, which is vigorously attacked in the Qur‟an as
undermining the monotheism.83 Influenced by Islam with its 99 names of God, each expressing specials
attributes of God, Watt returned to the Latin word “persona” which meant a “face” or “mask”, and not
“individuals” as it now means in English in order to explain the doctrine of Trinity in Christianity.84 It
means, he tried to rationalized the concept as God is the only One not three but there are three faces of
one single God.

About wahy, it is clear to us that it is a medium of communication between God and mankind.
Wahy project the worldview of Islam which is the information of the absolute truth and reality. Wahy is
a kind of man‟s behavioral and spiritual needs. Man stands almost identical to animals without those
wahy.
Lastly, based on this survey, we arrived at the conclusion that Watt was a very famous figure in
Islamic studies especially in the West but his criticism to Islam and its themes especially wahy is
invalid, contradictory and irrelevant as it is disable to show the nature of Islam itself unlike the believe
of true Muslim. Hence, as a Muslim, we have to search for the true knowledge from authentic and
reliable people and sources especially in the world today. 85

80
See topics before
81
Muhammad Mohar Ali, op.cit. pg. 474
82 th
Richard Holloway, “William Montgomery Watt” The Guardian. Edition 14 Nov. 2006.
83
see website : www.alastairmcIntosh.com, An interview with “the Last Orientalist”, op.cit.
84
Carole Hillenbrand, “article on Professor W. Montgomery Watt”, Edinburgh Middle East Report Online, Winter 2006
85
‘Abdullah Ibn Amr reported that the Holy Prophet said: “Allah will not take away knowledge (la yaqbidu al ‘ilma) by taking it away
from the servants, but He will take away the learned (wa lakin yaqbidu al-‘ilma bi qabdi al-‘ulama`);
Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim
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