author
Sir Thomas Walker Arnold
1864–1930
A British scholar of Islam and Islamic art, he helped introduce many English-language readers to Muslim history with unusual care and sympathy. His best-known work, The Preaching of Islam, remained influential for decades.
1 Audiobook
The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith
by Sir Thomas Walker Arnold
About the author
Born in Devonport in 1864, Sir Thomas Walker Arnold studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and went on to build a career as an orientalist and historian of Islamic culture. He became especially closely connected with South Asia, teaching at the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh and later at Government College, Lahore.
Arnold wrote on Islamic history, art, and religious life at a time when these subjects were often treated superficially in English. His best-known book, The Preaching of Islam, examined how Islam spread across different regions and became widely read for its serious, research-based approach. He also taught notable students, including Muhammad Iqbal, and was known as a scholar who engaged thoughtfully with the Muslim intellectual world.
Later in his career he worked in London at the India Office and served as Professor of Arabic at the University of London. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy and was knighted before his death in 1930.