author
Sir William Muir
1819–1905
A Scottish scholar and administrator whose work shaped both British India and the University of Edinburgh, he became one of the best-known 19th-century writers on early Islam. His books, public career, and long academic leadership made him an influential—and often debated—figure in Victorian intellectual life.
2 Audiobooks
Two old faiths : essays on the religions of the Hindus and the Mohammedans
by J. Murray (John Murray) Mitchell, Sir William Muir
About the author
Born in Glasgow on April 27, 1819, he was educated at Kilmarnock Academy, the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and Haileybury College before entering the Bengal Civil Service in 1837. He spent much of his working life in India, where he rose through the colonial administration and later served as Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces.
Alongside his government career, he wrote extensively on Islamic history and the life of Muhammad. His studies were widely read in his own time and helped establish his reputation as an Orientalist, though they are also closely tied to the assumptions and missionary outlook of the British imperial world in which he worked.
After returning to Scotland, he went on to serve as Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1885 to 1903. He died on July 11, 1905, leaving behind a legacy that combines public service, scholarship, and a continuing place in discussions about how Britain studied and represented Islam.