أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

"The Arabian Prophet: A Life of Mohammed from Chinese and Arabic Sources" By Isaac Mason

"The Arabian Prophet: A Life of Mohammed from Chinese and Arabic Sources" is a seminal 1921 English translation by Isaac Mason. It translates the Tianfang Zhisheng Shilu ("The True Record of the Last Prophet of Heaven"), an 18th-century masterpiece by the prominent Chinese-Muslim scholar Liu Zhi (circa 1660–1730). The book is historically significant for several reasons as follows:-

Cross-Cultural Synthesis: It elegantly frames the Prophet's biography using a blend of traditional Arabic sources and classical Chinese/Neo-Confucian terminology, aiming to show that Islamic teachings align with Chinese core values.

Unique Interpretations: While Liu Zhi’s work mostly mirrors original Arabic texts, it contains unique divergences. For instance, it adapts the narrative of the Prophet's marriages to align with Chinese cultural sensibilities of the era.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not merely a religious event detached from its historical context. On the contrary, the Prophet (PBUH) was the inevitable answer to the great question the Arabian Peninsula had been asking itself for centuries: How could a scattered society living on the threshold of the desert, on the edge of history, transcend its narrow boundaries to establish a universal civilization?

Born an orphan in Mecca and raised in a society dominated by tribal fanaticism, a culture of revenge, and idol trade, this man was not an ordinary moral reformer. He was a great founder who radically reconstructed human identity by placing bonds of meaning above blood ties and loyalty to principles above tribal allegiance.

This is precisely what Chinese writer Liu Bingwen sees in his readings of the Prophet's biography. He approaches the life of the Prophet neither with the West's historical complexes toward Islam nor with the defensive sensitivities of a Muslim toward their own Prophet. Rather, he approaches it with the perspective of an ancient civilization well-versed in reading its own founders.

What makes this reading distinctive is its framing of the Prophet within a deep-rooted Chinese intellectual framework: the sage ruler, the practical philosopher, the man who does not separate thought from action, ethics from politics. It is precisely within this framework that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) becomes a familiar figure in the Chinese mind. For he embodied a unification of things the West persistently separates: prophethood and leadership, spirit and state, inner truth and societal movement.

Here, revelation is not merely a subject of theological debate; it is the central event that reshapes the collective consciousness of an entire community. This truth alone suffices to place him among the greatest civilization-builders in human history.

The text's core claim is this: Islam spread neither solely by the sword nor merely by persuasive power. Behind its expansion lay something deeper: in an era when existing religions had rigidified and political orders had unraveled, it offered humanity a holistic answer to existence. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not merely bring a system of belief; he proposed an order encompassing the entirety of life. He summoned the ruler and the ruled to the same ethical standard; he elevated the poor and the slave to human dignity; he gave direction to history and purpose to the individual.

That such a book finds readers in China demonstrates that its message contains a universal essence addressing not just the Arab or the Muslim, but humanity simply for being human. Indeed, this is the most rigorous and honest test of whether any idea is truly universal.

"The Arabian Prophet: A Life of Mohammed from Chinese and Arabic Sources" (1921), translated by Isaac Mason from the writings of the Chinese-Muslim scholar Liu Zhi (circa 1670–1724), provides a unique cross-cultural lens on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It synthesizes Islamic history with classical Chinese philosophical traditions. The biography highlights several distinct characteristics and cultural viewpoints:-

Sino-Islamic Integration: Liu Zhi wrote primarily to reconcile Islam with the Confucian establishment. He framed the Prophet's teachings in a way that resonated with Chinese scholars, elevating Muhammad to the same status as ancient Chinese sages.

Descriptions and Portrayals: Chinese-Islamic traditions occasionally incorporate unique descriptive nuances not heavily emphasized in standard Western biographies, such as depicting early Arab figures, including the Prophet, with distinct physical features like a "black gold" complexion.

Cultural Context: The text documents the deep admiration Chinese Muslims had for their Prophet, often framed to explain how Islam successfully took root and survived in China for over a millennium despite being geographically and culturally isolated from the Arabian Peninsula.

Historical Synchronicity: Liu Zhi’s work weaves standard biographical narratives of Muhammad’s (PBUH) life—his birth in Mecca, his marriage to Khadija, the revelations, and the establishment of Medina—into a broader, universal narrative of prophetic wisdom acceptable to a Chinese readership.

"The Arabian Prophet: A Life of Mohammed from Chinese and Arabic Sources" takes a comparison of Islamic and Chinese literature. What is recorded in the books of Islam (tianfang) is no different from what is in the Confucian canon. The book records that observing and practicing the proprieties of Islam is like observing and practicing the teachings of the ancient sages and kings. Liu Zhi, Tianfang dianli. This joint identity, however, led to an important realisation: utilising the breadth of his knowledge, Liu Zhi developed a conviction that Islam’s universal nature meant that Islamic thought could not be inward looking. In his own words:

“The sacred book is the sacred book of Islam, but li [justice] is the same li which exists everywhere under Heaven.”

Liu Zhi considered both Islam and Confucianism to be an expression of the same universal truth. Just like the Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH), Liu Zhi held both Confucius and the other Chinese sages to be the bearers of Divine inspiration. On this basis, Liu Zhi developed a strong desire to reach out to the Confucian Chinese establishment and reconcile them to Islam.

By drawing upon both Islamic and Chinese texts, Liu Zhi demonstrated a truly international mind set. Determined to fully reconcile the Chinese and Islamic intellectual traditions, he was unafraid to highlight commonalities between the traditions and see in them

the hand of God. After his death, Liu Zhi became a local walī (saint) in northwest China, where his name appears in many hagiographical texts as the spiritual forbearer of several important regional shaykhs. Liu Zhi’s grave, located outside the southern gate of Nanjing, is still an object of veneration for many Chinese Muslims today.

The key takeaway of "The Arabian Prophet: A Life of Mohammed From Chinese and Arabic Sources" (originally compiled by the Chinese scholar Liu Zhi) is the successful cultural synthesis of Islam with Confucian traditions to justify the existence and longevity of Islam within China. The book frames Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a paragon of wisdom and virtue to show that Islamic teachings were entirely compatible with traditional Chinese Confucian values, focusing on loyalty, righteousness, and correct conduct.

A core underlying message in the book's preface is the exploration of how Islamic faith, centered on the absolute unity and immateriality of God, not only survived for centuries in a completely foreign environment but thrived. This historical classic reveals how Chinese Muslims bridged two distinct worlds to claim a respected space for Islam within Chinese history.

"The Arabian Prophet: A Life Of Mohammed From Chinese And Arabic Sources" is a book written by Chai-Lien Liu in 1921. The book provides a comprehensive account of the life of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), the founder of Islam, based on both Chinese and Arabic sources. The author has meticulously researched and compiled information from various Chinese and Arabic texts to present a detailed biography of the Prophet (PBUH).

The book covers various aspects of Mohammed's life, including his childhood, his prophethood, his teachings, his battles, and his legacy. The author also sheds light on the social, political, and cultural context of the time in which Muhammed (PBUH) lived. The book is an important resource for scholars and students of Islamic history and provides a unique perspective on the life of one of the most influential figures in human history.