Louis Massignon
A Tribute to a Pioneer in Interfaith Relations
Fifty years ago the renowned French Catholic
scholar of Islam and the Islamic world, Louis
Massignon, died on October 31,1962. He left
a legacy of books, articles and lectures, many
of which are dedicated to Interfaith dialogue
and particularly to the relationship of the Three
Abrahamic faith traditions, Judaism, Christianity
and Islam.F
Many have described Louis Massignon's voice
as "prophetic" and his own intense religious faith
and commitment as "mystical." Some have called
him an "Islamized Christian" due to his passionate
desire "to know," to understand Islam and the
experience of his Muslim friends and colleagues
from the inside out. His relationship with the Muslim
world began in his early twenties when he was
introduced to the 10th century Persian Sufi saint
and mystic known as Husayn Ibn Mansur
al-Hallaj. Hallaj was born into an Arabic speaking
family in a small town in Iran in 858 CE and
became a renowned teacher and outspoken
lover of Allah with many followers. A threat to
the religious establishment, he was subjected
to a long imprisonment in Baghdad before
being put to death in 922 CE. Massignon was
intrigued by this story and began his research
on the life and legend of al-Hallaj, initially for
his University dissertation.F