Down the memory lane : Professor Annemarie Schimmel
Mohammad Amjad Hossain :
I have had the opportunity to have meeting with Doctorate Madam Annemarie Schimmel who had the opportunity to obtain double Doctorate degrees being a German protestant woman who has had immense command on Muslim religion. It is really interesting to note that She has had secured knowledge of Quran at an early age. I feel tempted to quote Anne Marie Schimmel who was an eminent scholar on Islam and sufism being a protestant German and is on record of saying that” I have never seen anything in the Quran or in the traditional writings that called for or even allowed terrorism or hostage taking”. As a matter of fact I came in contact with Annenamie Schimmel when I was stationed in Germany as a Bangladesh Diplomat from 1996 to 1999. Incidentally I met Dr. Annamere Schimmel at a seminar on sufism in Bonn in 1997 where she gave lecture on sufism for an hour extemporaneously. Dr. Annemarie Schimmel had been to my residence while I also paid a visit to her residence near Bonn University. In fact, Bonn University has offered a chair in her name. She spoke highly about our food and sought a recipe from my wife Momtaz Hossain. Having received recipe Annemarie Schimmel wrote a letter to my wife. Thanking her and apologise by saying “I apologise for the delay in writing to you since I was constantly on lecture tours in England, Sweden and Germany, and so it goes on. The letter was dated June 6 of 1999. In my official residence Annemarie Schimmel met Dr. Novak after thirty years who was German Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. It was an interesting coincidence indeed.
Being Christian she spoke highly of Islam who incidentally learnt Quran at the early age who was of the opinion that performance of prayer five times a day means of educating Muslims punctuality, cleanness, and washing five times a day. The performance of prayer at the prescribed time constitute ideally means of educating Muslims to punctuality, cleanness and since there is no ranking in the mosques, equal participation in the life of the community. Prayer can also lead to ecstasy experiences and when one observes a praying Muslim who is oblivious of anything and he seems to have drawn himself as it were out of this world to stand humbly before the Lord. Annemarie Schimmel became undisputed writer on Islam. The University of North Carolina Press pointed out that Schimmel’s sensivity and deep understanding of Sufisim– its origins, development, and historical context– as well as her erudite expression of Sufism as reflected in Islamic poetry, draw readers into the mood, the vision and the way of the Sufi.
Madam Annemarie Schimmel wrote more than 100 books but out of which I found mystical dimensions of Islam appears to be interesting because she touched on many sufis around the world. She became a undisputed writer on Islam.
Madam Annemarie Schimmel used to speak fluently in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and French who obtained Doctorate in Islamic language and civilisation from the University of Berlin at the age of 19 and moved to teach at the University of Marburg, one of the oldest Universities of the World and from there She fortunately obtained another doctoral degree on the history of religions at the age of 23 while she became a Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies. A turning point in her education career came when she was appointed as Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Ankara in 1954. During her stay in Ankara she came to know more about sufism since sufism has been spread from old Persian and Turkish to the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. She also served Harvard University from 1967 to 1992 for exploring of Indo-Muslim culture. She also acknowledged subsidy accorded by Ozai-Durrani funds, Harvard University, which was given that reflected in her book: Mystical Dimensions of Islam. It is interesting to note that Annemarie Schimmel was offered national awards from Pakistan, Turkey and Germany and German award grand order of merit while prestigious peace prize in 1995 of German book trade has caused controversy as Annmarie Scimmel depended the culture of Islam and outrage of Islamic world against Salman Rushde, author of the Satanic verses. She happened to be the highest recipient of national award of Pakistan for writing on Islam, sufism and Allama Muhammad Iqbal, national poet of Pakistan. She paid several visit to Pakistan. On Islam she wrote several books including mystical dimension of Islam and Muhammad is His messenger and Islam, Calligraphy of Islamic culture and Islam, an Introduction etc. I would like to share the comment by distinguished scholar on Islam Professor Carl W. Ernst who served as Professor of North Carolina University and Harvard University holds the opinion of Annemarie Schimmel that no scholar in the last half of the twentieth century had a greater impact on the study of Islamic mysticism than Annemarie Schimmel. Schimmel expired on 26 January, 2003 at 80 and BBC held the opinion that her life long celebration of God was to make understanding for Islam. University of Bonn honored late Annemarie Schimm observing 100th birth day on 14 April on 2022 who was non-Muslim scholar on Islam.
(Mohammad Amjad Hossain, retired diplomat from Bangladesh and former President of Nova International Toastmaster of America writes from Falls Church, Virginia).
