Schacht was a British-German professor of Arabic and Islam at Columbia University in New York. He was the leading Western scholar on Islamic law whose ‘Origins of Mohammadan Jurisprudence’ (1950) is considered as an important work on the subject by a western scholar.
He is the author of many articles in the various editions of the ‘Encyclopedia of Islam’ and edited ‘The Legacy of Islam’ for Oxford University Press.
In his article, ‘Mohammad’ in the ‘Encyclopedia of Social Sciences’, has also emphasized the Prophet Muḥammad’s (peace be upon him) sincerity of his mission while delineating the various aspects of his personality. He says:
“The sincerity of Mohammad’s Prophetic convictions is beyond dispute. Religious genius was the most forcefully developed aspect of his personality, and with it was combined an extra ordinary political capacity which made it possible for him to prevail as a Prophet.
His enthusiastic perseverance in Mecca as well as his calculated course of action in Medina was manifestation of his struggle for an idea which so possessed him that he shunned no means of realizing it. His extra ordinary personal influence, which undoubtedly contributed to his success, has left an indelible impress upon Islam”.