• The Islamic influence on Elizabethan England was significant, reflecting the widespread fascination with Islamic culture, particularly the Ottoman Empire.
• Shakespeare’s portrayal of Othello’s cultural & spiritual identity opens new interpretations, suggesting that Othello could have retained his Muslim faith.
Allah’s speech stands unparalleled in its eloquence and absolute precision, transcending all forms of expression. This supremacy encompasses the linguistic miracles of the Qur’an, which remain unmatched in their beauty and depth, and no one has ever been able to produce even a single passage comparable to it.
”Allama-l-Bayan” (Qur’an 55:4)
“He taught him eloquent speech.”
Allah reminds us in the Qur’an in Surah Ar-Rahman of the extraordinary human ability to communicate through complex languages, articulate ideas, and express emotions. The gift of “Bayan” (clear and expressive speech) refers to a divine favour that sets humanity apart from other creations.
In the domain of mankind, William Shakespeare elevates your mastery of the English language, deepens your understanding of the human condition, provides transformative insights and expands your perspective on timeless concepts and ideas.
A more recent assertion made by Academics is that William Shakespeare (1564-1616), England’s most renowned playwright who is taught up and down in schools in the country to date and is a symbol of British cultural identity, maintained a profound connection to the Islamic world through his vast corpus of work. This article endeavours to examine this postulation in shaa Allah.
“Without Islam, there would be no Shakespeare,” asserts Mathew Dimmock, Professor of Early Modern Studies at the University of Sussex. “Without Tudor and Jacobean England’s rich and complex engagement with Islamic cultures, the plays written by William Shakespeare would be very different, if they existed at all,” Dimmock says.
Thanks to Queen Elizabeth I’s political and trade alliances with the Muslim world, particularly with the Ottoman Empire and the Moroccan Kingdom, the influence of Muslim culture on England was immense, permeating both literature and theatre
The first commercial playhouse in London opened in 1576, and by the time Shakespeare emerged as a playwright, there were already works set against the backdrop of the Islamic world, with stories of Muslim empires and peoples enjoying widespread popularity. Between 1576 and 1603, more than 60 plays featuring Turks, Moors, and Persians were produced.
Othello
Shakespeare’s most famous depiction of a character with Muslim heritage is in Othello, where the protagonist is referred to as a “Moor” from Venice. The play suggests that Othello may have converted to Christianity, though alternative theories suggest he might not have changed his faith at all.
A 2018 production of Othello, directed by Richard Twyman for the English Touring Theatre, presented a reinterpretation of the character as a practising Muslim. Twyman, in an interview with Al Jazeera, revealed that historian Jerry Brotton’s research on the subject had broadened his perspective.
“We were aware of the history of the Moorish kingdom of Spain, where Spanish Muslims or Moriscos were forcibly converted to Christianity in 1492. But it wasn’t until I explored this further that I realized the term ‘Moor’ might also reference Othello’s spiritual and cultural identity,” Twyman explains.
Similarly Ambereen Dadabhoy in her book ‘ Shakespeare through Islamic worlds’ writes, ‘Furthermore, the play’s first scene is as much preoccupied with the military threat of the Ottomans in the eastern Mediterranean as it is with the elopement of Othello and Desdemona”.
The Merchant of Venice (Act IV, Scene 1)
The following speech is delivered by Portia, who is disguised as a lawyer, as she appeals for mercy over strict justice in a court scene:
“The quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice.”
Although the suggestion being made here isn’t that Shakespeare was a closet Muslim; it is fascinating to observe that Shakespeare’s depiction of divine mercy closely aligns with the Islamic understanding of it.
Qur’an Surah Al-A’raf (7:156): “And My mercy encompasses all things. So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses.”
This ayah illustrates the universality of Allah’s mercy, extending to all things, while emphasising its special connection to the believers.
The Subtle Symphony: Islam’s Influence on Shakespeare’s Language and Ideas
Shakespeare’s works resonate across time, capturing the essence of human emotions, desires, and flaws. But what if the brilliance of Shakespeare’s art was not merely a product of his genius, but also a reflection of a world enriched by diverse cultural currents? Among the many threads that may have shaped his work is the influence of Islamic culture—a subtle yet significant force that expanded the boundaries of art, philosophy, and language in Elizabethan England.
As the Renaissance brought Europe closer to the intellectual wealth of the Islamic Golden Age, Shakespeare would have encountered translations of Arabic philosophy, mathematics, and poetry. These works carried not only knowledge but also an aesthetic—a rhythm and depth—that aligned with his own instinct for language as an art form.
