The Late Raden Soedewo
Parto Kertodinegoro
Translator into Dutch of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s
first edition of the English translation of the Holy Quran
Brother Soedewo P.K. was born in Jember in February 1906 and passed
away on 22 November 1971 in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was buried in
Bogor. He was an active member of Jong Islamieten Bond (Union
of Young Muslims/Young Islamic Association) and launched a vigorous
campaign in 1928 for the liberation of Indonesia from Dutch domination
with a slogan, “One Homeland, One Nation, One Mother Tongue”. He
organised in Bogor, Sukabumi and Cianjur teachers, who took a solemn
oath on 28 October 1928 not to cooperate with the Dutch Government
until the country was given freedom. He also took an active part
in the guerrilla war as a freedom fighter. In recognition of his
zealous efforts for the independence of his motherland, he was awarded
the “Satya Lancana Karya” (Decoration of Loyalty) medal by
the Republic of Indonesia.
Brother Soedewo finished his elementary school education at Hollands
Inlandse School (HIS), in 1919. He completed teacher’s training
courses (Kweekschool) in 1923, and High Training College (Hogere
Kweekschool) in 1926. Then he specialised in the Dutch language
and obtained a higher certificate in the Dutch language (Hoofdakte)
in 1934. He was an intelligent student and loved English poetry
and language. When Mirza Wali Ahmad Beg, missionary from the Ahmadiyya
Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore, arrived in Indonesia, his keen interest
in English poetry helped develop a close friendship between the
two.
Mirza Wali Ahmad Beg not only helped Brother Soedewo in obtaining
proficiency in the English language and understanding poetry, but
he also explained to him that there is yet another poetry more beautiful
and inspiring, viz., the Holy Quran, the revealed word of
Allah. The idea struck this intelligent young man and he started
studying the English translation and commentary of the Holy Quran
by Maulana Muhammad Ali. The study of the Quran impressed him so
much and created in him such a love for the Quran that he decided
to render it into Dutch. His thoughts and interest were thus diverted
from English poetry to the study of Islamic books written by Maulana
Muhammad Ali. He acquired a thorough knowledge of the Quran and
the teachings of Islam and became a renowned scholar of Islam.
From a young age, he was an active member of the Muhammadiyya organisation.
But after the death of its founder, Kh. Ahmad Dahla, the organisation
suffered badly and became inactive and in disarray. Soon after,
some members of its Committee established a new organisation, Ahmadiyya
Centrum Lahore, which ultimately became Geraken Ahmadiyya Centrum
Lahore, Indonesia. Mr. Soedewo became its first secretary and H.
H. Ng. M. Djojosoegito its founding president. This organisation
was entirely devoted to the propagation and publication of literature
on Islam. The late Brother Soedewo played a leading role in producing
invaluable literature in Dutch.
Soedewo’s passion for knowledge and devotion for the propagation
of Islam enabled him to accomplish at the young age of twenty-eight
the Dutch translation of such a voluminous and literary work as
the English translation of the Holy Quran with commentary by Maulana
Muhammad Ali. His Dutch translation was first published in April
1935, and later on reprinted from Suriname in 1968. It may be pointed
out that the Maulana’s first edition of the English translation,
which Soedewo ventured to translate into Dutch, contained more copious
footnotes and a very exhaustive introduction as compared to the
Maulana’s revised edition published in 1951. This Dutch translation
was the first translation of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s English Translation
into any other language. Many years later, translations into Spanish,
French and Russian were published from the 1951 revised English
edition, and in 2004 an entirely new Dutch version was published
from it.
The Quran in Dutch in 1935 was followed by an equally remarkable
translation into Dutch of yet another encyclopaedic work of Maulana
Muhammad Ali viz., The Religion of Islam. Soedewo
then went on translating English publications from the Central Ahmadiyya
Anjuman in Lahore into Dutch. Some of the translations from English
into Dutch were:
- Muhammad the Prophet by Maulana Muhammad Ali
- Islamic Principles
- The Secret of Existence by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
- The Sources from God
- The Sources of Christianity by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
- The Birth of Jesus by Dr. Basharat Ahmad
- Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Man by Maulana Muhammad Yakub
Khan
- The Muslim Prayer Book by Maulana Muhammad Ali
- The Truth of the Holy Prophet Goes to Europe
- The Holy Prophet’s Way of Life
- A Brief Sketch of the Holy Prophet’s Life by Maulana
Muhammad Ali
- Introduction to the Study of the Holy Qur’an by Maulana
Muhammad Ali / Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
Some of his own publications were:
- Islam – A Way of Life
- How to Study the Holy Qur’an
- A Handbook to Study Arabic
- Editor As-Salaam (Dutch)
- Editor Risalah Ahmadiyya (Dutch / Indonesian)
- Safinah-i Nuh (The Ark of Noah) (Dutch /Indonesian)
- Freedom Movement of Indonesia
- The Ahmadiyya Movement (Dutch /Indonesian)
- The Theme of the Holy Quran
- Islam that we Defend (or Believe)
- Islam and Science
- How to Study the Quran
- Jesus Did Not Die on the Cross
- Who was Sacrificed: Isaac or Ishmael?
- Is Jesus Still Living with his Body in Heaven?
- Ascension of the Holy Prophet
- A Guide to Learn Arabic
- Unity of God
Unity of God was his last masterpiece. As chairman of “Sale
and Publications” viz., Ikhtiar, he worked very hard
in promoting the publication and distribution of the Dutch translation
of the encyclopaedic work on Islam, The Religion of Islam
by Maulana Muhammad Ali. It became so popular that it was considered
a standard work on Islam in all Islamic institutes of the universities
of Indonesia.
His lectures and discourses in meetings and annual conferences
were always highly intellectual. His favourite subjects were the
unity of Allah, Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and
salient features of Islam. His thought-provoking lectures were always
impressive and inspiring. It will not be an exaggeration to record
that he was the main Indonesian architect of the invaluable literature
produced on Islam and the Ahmadiyya Movement. He deserved to be
classed as the pioneer of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Indonesia.
May his soul rest in eternal peace. “To Allah we belong and to Him
is our return.”
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