Book review: Islam translated: literature, conversion, and the Arabic cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia by Ronit Ricci

Ahmad, Siti Nuraishah (2017) Book review: Islam translated: literature, conversion, and the Arabic cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia by Ronit Ricci. Kajian Malaysia, 35 (2). pp. 131-133. ISSN 0127-4082 E-ISSN 2180-4273

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Abstract

The coming of Islam to South Asia and Southeast Asia has long held the interest of scholars of religion, history and culture around the world. There is an impressive body of work on the Islamisation of these regions, studying its routes and the roles played by traders, missionaries, Sufi brotherhoods and diplomatic emissaries. Lesser known, perhaps, is the role of literary activity such as composing, translating and the public reading of texts, in the spread of Islam in these regions. The award-winning1 Islam Translated: Literature, Conversion, and the Arabic Cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia by Ronit Ricci sets out to investigate how literary texts, their production and translation contributed to Islamisation in South India, Java and the Malay world. The writing of literature and their translation into vernacular languages, Ricci proposes, are intertwined with the conversion to Islam of people and cultures in these regions. The text at the centre of Ricci's study is the Book of One Thousand Questions, which was translated into multiple languages from the original Arabic, including Tamil, Javanese and Malay. To understand the significance of this text and its correlation with the themes explored in Ricci's book, it is necessary to provide a brief summary of the Book of One Thousand Questions and how it came to South and Southeast Asia. .......

Item Type:	Article (Book Review)
Additional Information:	4869/58734
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Translation studies; Islamic literature; Islam in South Asia; Islam in Southeast Asia
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PI Oriental languages and literatures
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of English Language & Literature
Depositing User:	Dr. Siti Nuraishah Ahmad
Date Deposited:	12 Oct 2017 12:24
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2018 18:58
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/58734

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