# Reynold A. Nicholson

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British orientalist (1868–1945)

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Reynold A. Nicholson FBA Born (1868-08-18)18 August 1868 Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England Died 27 August 1945(1945-08-27) (aged 77) Chester, Cheshire, England Occupation Orientalist translator scholar Nationality British Alma mater University of Aberdeen Trinity College, Cambridge Notable awards Porson Prize (1890) Parent Henry Alleyne Nicholson (father)

**Reynold Alleyne Nicholson**, [FBA](/source/Fellow_of_the_British_Academy) (18 August 1868 – 27 August 1945), or **R. A. Nicholson**, was an eminent [English](/source/English_people) [orientalist](/source/Oriental_studies), scholar of both [Islamic literature](/source/Islamic_literature) and [Islamic mysticism](/source/Sufism), and widely regarded as one of the greatest [Rumi](/source/Rumi) (Mevlana or Mawlana) scholars and translators in the [English language](/source/English_language).

## Life

The son of [Henry Alleyne Nicholson](/source/Henry_Alleyne_Nicholson), he was born at [Keighley](/source/Keighley), [West Riding of Yorkshire](/source/West_Riding_of_Yorkshire), [England](/source/England) and died at [Chester](/source/Chester), [Cheshire](/source/Cheshire). He was educated at [University of Aberdeen](/source/University_of_Aberdeen) and [Trinity College, Cambridge](/source/Trinity_College%2C_Cambridge),[1] where he won the [Porson Prize](/source/Porson_Prize) twice.[2]

Nicholson was professor of [Persian](/source/Persian_language) at [University College London](/source/University_College_London) from 1901 to June 1902,[3] then lecturer in Persian at the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge) from 1902 to 1926, and [Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic](/source/Sir_Thomas_Adams's_Professor_of_Arabic) at the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge) from 1926 to 1933.[4] He is considered a leading scholar in [Islamic literature](/source/Islamic_literature) and [Islamic mysticism](/source/Sufism) who exercised a lasting influence on [Islamic studies](/source/Islamic_studies).[5][6] He was able to study and translate major [Sufi](/source/Sufi) texts in [Arabic](/source/Arabic), [Persian](/source/Persian_language), [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language) and [Ottoman Turkish](/source/Ottoman_Turkish_language) to English. Nicholson wrote two influential books: *Literary History of The Arabs* (1907) and *The Mystics of Islam* (1914).[6]

He was one of the original trustees of the [Gibb Memorial Trust](/source/Gibb_Memorial_Series).[7]

## Works

- *Studies in Islamic Mysticism*, Cambridge University Press, 1921.

- *Le soufisme en 101 définitions*, Éditions i, mai 2023 (ISBN 978-2-37650-105-3)

### Works on Rumi

Nicholson's [magnum opus](/source/Masterpiece) was his work on Rumi's *[Masnavi](/source/Masnavi)*, published in eight volumes between 1925 and 1940. He produced the first critical Persian edition of the Masnavi, the first full translation of it into English, and the first commentary on the entire work in English. This work has been highly influential in the field of Rumi studies worldwide.[6]

### Work on Ali Hujwiri Daata Ganj Bakhsh

Nicholson translated the famous [Persian](/source/Persian_language) book on [sufism](/source/Sufism) *[Kashf ul Mahjoob](/source/Kashf_ul_Mahjoob)* into English which was written by the famous [saint](/source/Saint) of the Subcontinent, [Ali Hujwiri](/source/Ali_Hujwiri) Daata Ganj Bakhsh[8]

### Works on Iqbal

Being a teacher of the [Indian](/source/India) scholar and poet, [Muhammad Iqbal](/source/Muhammad_Iqbal), Nicholson translated Iqbal's first philosophical poetry book, *[Asrar-i-Khudi](/source/Asrar-i-Khudi)*, from Persian into English and titled it,*[The Secrets of the Self](/source/The_Secrets_of_the_Self)*.

### Other significant translations

- The Sufi treatise of [Hujviri](/source/Hujviri)

- [Rumi](/source/Rumi)'s *[Mathnawi](/source/Mathnawi)*

- Rumi's *[Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi](/source/Divan-i_Shams-i_Tabrizi) (Divan e Shams)*, 1898

- [Ibn Arabi](/source/Ibn_Arabi)'s *[Tarjumān al-Ashwāq](/source/Tarjum%C4%81n_al-Ashw%C4%81q)* (1911)

- Poetry by the [Sindhi language](/source/Sindhi_language) poet [Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai](/source/Shah_Abdul_Latif_Bhittai)[9]

- Poetry by the [Punjabi language](/source/Punjabi_language) poet [Bulleh Shah](/source/Bulleh_Shah)[10][11][12][13]

### Students

Among Nicholson's students was [A. J. Arberry](/source/Arthur_John_Arberry), a translator of Rumi and the Quran. Another student, [Muhammad Iqbal](/source/Muhammad_Iqbal), was a famous poet and has been called the "Spiritual Father of [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan)". He briefly tutored Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, during summer holidays when the latter was a student at Oxford in 1920-1921. The subject was translation techniques.

## See also

- [Persian literature](/source/Persian_literature)

- [Sufi poetry](/source/Sufi_poetry)

- [Iranology](/source/Iranology)

- [Ali Hujwiri](/source/Ali_Hujwiri)

- [Rumi](/source/Rumi)

- [Iqbal](/source/Muhammad_Iqbal)

- *[The Secrets of the Self](/source/The_Secrets_of_the_Self)*

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Nicholson, Reynold Alleyne (NCL887RA)"](https://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=NCL887RA&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50). *A Cambridge Alumni Database*. University of Cambridge.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "Obituary: Professor R. A. Nicholson", *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, 31 August 1945, p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "University College London". *The Times*. No. 36788. London. 7 June 1902. p. 12.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** H. A. R. Gibb, ‘Nicholson, Reynold Alleyne (1868–1945)’, rev. Christine Woodhead, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [accessed 24 Oct 2016](http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35230,) Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (1868–1945): doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35230

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, Britannica.com entry](http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055742)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Gibb_2004_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Gibb_2004_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Gibb_2004_6-2) Gibb, H. A. R. (2004), "Nicholson, Reynold Alleyne", *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography*, Oxford: Oxford University Press

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [*The Tajârib al-umam; or, History of Ibn Miskawayh*](https://archive.org/details/tajribalumamor05ibnmuoft/page/n12), Volume V, Leiden: E. J. Brill and London: Luzac & Co., 1913. Retrieved 20 December 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Nicholson, Reynold (2000). *Kashf al-Mahjub of al-Hajvari*. E. J. W. Gibb Memorial.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Н.wrote, Ходжа; hojja_nusreddin, Ходжа Н. ["Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (August 18, 1868 – August 27, 1945)"](https://hojja-nusreddin.livejournal.com/2947040.html). *hojja-nusreddin.livejournal.com*. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Pakistan Journal of Language Studies (28 April 2020). [*Pragma-Stylistic Analysis of Bulleh Shah's Translated Poem "Ilmon Bas kren O-Yaar"*](http://archive.org/details/article-5-v-3-1-pjls).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Amir, Dr; Dr, Ahmad (4 March 2020). [*Suggested Socio-Religious Reforms by Regional Sufi (Mystic) Poets: Analysis of Selected Poets of Punjab*](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339676837).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Bulleh Shah - The Love-Intoxicated Iconclast | PDF | Sufism"](https://www.scribd.com/document/519882149/Bulleh-Shah-The-Love-Intoxicated-Iconclast). *Scribd*. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Das, Sisir Kumar (2003). ["The Mad Lover"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/23341676). *Indian Literature*. **47** (3 (215)): 149–178. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0019-5804](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0019-5804). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [23341676](https://www.jstor.org/stable/23341676).

## External links

English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original works by or about:

**[Reynold Alleyne Nicholson](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Author:Reynold_Alleyne_Nicholson)**

- [Works by Reynold A. Nicholson](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39176) at [Project Gutenberg](/source/Project_Gutenberg)

- [Works by or about Reynold A. Nicholson](https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20Alleyne%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20A%2E%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20R%2E%20A%2E%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Reynold%20Alleyne%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Reynold%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22R%2E%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Reynold%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Reynold%20Alleyne%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Reynold%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22R%2E%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22R%2E%20Alleyne%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20Alleyne%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20A%2E%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20R%2E%20A%2E%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20R%2E%20Alleyne%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Reynold%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Reynold%20Alleyne%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Reynold%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20title%3A%22R%2E%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Reynold%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Reynold%20Alleyne%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Reynold%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20description%3A%22R%2E%20A%2E%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20Alleyne%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%20A%2E%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Reynold%20Nicholson%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Nicholson%2C%20Reynold%22%29%20OR%20%28%221868-1945%22%20AND%20Nicholson%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29) at the [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive)

- [Works by Reynold A. Nicholson](https://librivox.org/author/15413) at [LibriVox](/source/LibriVox) (public domain audiobooks)

- [*A Literary History of the Arabs* (1907)](https://archive.org/details/cu31924083936561) at Google Books

- [*The Mystics of Islam* (1914)](https://books.google.com/books?id=TXX9IM0wbsoC) at Google Books

- [*Encyclopædia Britannica'*s entry for Reynold Nicholson](http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055742)

- [Bio from Dar-al-Mathnawi](https://web.archive.org/web/20070928142921/http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/about-nicholson.html) at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (archived 28 September 2007)

- [Short bio of Rumi by Reynold Alleyne Nicholson](https://web.archive.org/web/20061017141204/http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/study_res/rumi/intro_nicholson.html)

- [*The Secrets of the Self*](http://www.allamaiqbal.com/works/poetry/persian/asrar/translation/index.htm), from Iqbal Academy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Reynold A. Nicholson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynold_A._Nicholson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynold_A._Nicholson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.