The CEO of the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia offers condolences for the passing of Professor Wilferd Madelung, the German scholar of Islamic history

9/19/2023 10:00

Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung, the prominent German scholar of Islamic history, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopedia Islamica and member of the CGIE’s Science Council, died on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at the age of 93.

CGIE: Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung, the prominent German scholar of Islamic history, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopedia Islamica and member of the CGIE’s Science Council, died on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at the age of 93.

Kāẓim Mūsavī Bojnurdī, CEO of the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, extended his condolences for the passing of this outstanding scholar in a statement as follows:

 “The sad loss of Wilferd Madelung, a high-ranking scholar and a highly esteemed professor, is regrettable and damaging to the world of Islamic studies. With innumerable works, from the correction of [historical Islamic] texts to the research studies of the history [of early and medieval Islam] and Kalām (the speculative theology), he set a new level of research and compilation in Islamic studies. His vast knowledge [of the sources,] the meticulousness [with which he handled the details], and his fair perspectives on sciences are some of his distinguishing characteristics which deserve consideration.

Professor Madelung was associated with a widely-known scientific tradition when it came to orientalism; During his academic career, he tried to study Islam, Iran and the Shiʿism with attention to the original heritage which had remained of the past centuries, while keeping himself from non-scientific ideas. Hence his works are regarded as invaluable collections of study and thinking, with every single one of them exemplifying hard and meticulous work in science and research and being considered a model for research studies in the areas of history, thought and belief systems.

Throughout his academic life, professor Madelung conducted research, wrote and corrected sources on Zaydiyyah and studied their activities in the northern regions of Iran and other parts of the Islamic world, Yemen in particular; therefore, we owe much of our knowledge and understanding of the Zaydiyyah and the ruling dynasties in the Northern Iran to his in-depth, extensive and academic research.

Madelung’s scientific efforts to correct and publish some of the literature on history and Kalām are noteworthy and illustrate his thorough knowledge of the rich heritage which has remained of the past centuries.

Having a vast knowledge of the beliefs and sects in Islam, he undertook painstaking research into one of the momentous events in the history of Islam, i.e. the succession to the Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) and the establishment of the Caliphate and made precise, critical and fair attempts to examine the Islamic traditions in order to pave the way for understanding the era of the Caliphate; as a result of this comprehensive study, he made a remarkable scientific achievement which without doubt cast light on a type of orientalism which he represented himself.

 The Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia had the honor of having professor Madelung’s collaboration as a member of the CGIE’s Science Council and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopedia Islamica and the researchers at the Center were honored as well to enjoy his in-depth and broad scholarship.

    The CGIE pays tribute to this outstanding scholar who will be remembered for many years to come by the researchers and the men of knowledge. May God bless him and may his soul rest in everlasting peace.”

 Kāẓim Mūsavī Bojnurdī

May 10, 2023