William Muir

William Muir was a historian, politician, writer, missionary, philologist and islamicist (1819–1905). He was born at Glasgow and died at Edinburgh.

Also recorded as Sir William Muir.

William Muir in brief

Born
1819
Died
1905
Known for
historian, politician, writer, missionary, philologist and islamicist
Place of birth
Glasgow
Contents

Identity and origins

The authorities additionally record the heading Sir William Muir. His recorded language was English.

He married Elizabeth Huntly Wemyss. One child is recorded: Helen Mary Muir.

Recognition and collections

William Muir received Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, Honorary doctor of the University of Bologna, Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford, honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge and honorary doctor of the University of Edinburgh.

Catalogued works

12 works under this name are catalogued by Wikidata Query Service, The Art Institute of Chicago and Wellcome Collection. Their recorded dates run from 1845 to 2001.

The opium revenue. The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. The Caliphate: its Rise, Decline, and Fall (The Religious Tract Society, 1892). Coverlet, dated 1845, cotton and wool, plain weave double cloth; woven on loom with jacquard attachment; two loom widths joined; fringed, held by The Art Institute of Chicago, inventory 1950.102. Cycladic Figure with His Hair in a Roller, dated 1985, silver, nickel, and anodized aluminum, held by The Art Institute of Chicago, inventory 1988.206a-b. William Muir Connell / John Connell., dated 2001, held by Wellcome Collection. Specification of William Muir Campbell : furnaces or fire-places., dated 1855, held by Wellcome Collection. Thomas William Muir Longmore - certificate, testimonials, passport, etc., dated 1888-1891, held by Wellcome Collection. Text-book of pathology / by Robert Muir., dated 1933, held by Wellcome Collection. A manual of practical X-ray work / by David Arthur and John Muir., dated 1917, held by Wellcome Collection. A manual of practical X-ray work : being a third edition of the manual by Arthur & Muir / by John Muir ; in collaboration with Sir Archibald Reid and F.J. Harlow., dated 1924, held by Wellcome Collection. Medical missions : their place and power / by John Lowe ; with introduction by Sir William Muir., dated 1886, held by Wellcome Collection.

In public collections

Work associated with this heading is recorded in 2 named public collections.

The Art Institute of Chicago: 3 recorded objects, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Wellcome Collection: 84 recorded objects, read from the institution's own published catalogue.

Literature

13 scholarly publications naming this subject were located in the registry of record.

William A. Muir, Authors group, 2021. Muir, William (1787–1869), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2018. Muir, William (1806–1888), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2017. Muir, William, (1844–21 June 1929), Who Was Who, 2007. Muir, Sir William (1819–1905), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2018. Research and Critical Review of Orientalist Doubts on the Marital Aspect of Sira-e-Taiba, The Islamic Culture, 2021. Volume kinetics of crystalloid and colloid solutions administered to healthy anesthetized cats., PLoS ONE, 2025. Kritik Orientalis dalam Aspek Ontologis Studi Al-Qur’an, Al-Adabiya: Jurnal Kebudayaan dan Keagamaan, 2022. The Evolution of the Orientalist Chronological Theory of the Quran: Methodological Shifts and Epistemological Implications for Contemporary Qur’anic Studies, An-Nida', 2025. İNGİLİZ MÜSTEŞRİK WİLLİAM MUİR’İN SİYER KAYNAKLARINA YAKLAŞIMI, İstem, 2017. Erratum to: Genomic prediction using subsampling, BMC Bioinformatics, 2017. Lipidomics of the chicken egg yolk: high-resolution mass spectrometric characterization of nutritional lipid families, Poultry Science, 2021. ARABIC-ORIENTALIST WILLIAM MUIR AND HIS DEALINGS WITH AL-WAQIDI NARRATIONS IN HIS BOOK "THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD” STUDY AND CRITICISM, دی اسکالر, 2021.

Digitised editions and texts

11 digitised items associated with this heading are catalogued by Internet Archive.

Christmas traditions (1931) — Internet Archive. Chemical Quantitation of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine in Plasma (1959) — Internet Archive. The Apology Of Al Kindy (1887) — Internet Archive. The Life of Mahomet and History of Islam, to the Era of the Hegira: With ... (1861) — Internet Archive. The life of Mahomet: with introductory chapters on the original ..., Volume 4 (1861) — Internet Archive. The Life Of Mahomet Vi (1861) — Internet Archive. Christmas tidings (1933) — Internet Archive. Chemical quantitation of epinephrine and norepinephrine in plasma ; a clinical and experimental study; a study of epinephrine and norepinephrine: their plasma concentration in hypertension, shock, and mental disease, with some metabolic studies (1959) — Internet Archive. The Caliphate, its rise, decline, and fall: from original sources (1915) — Internet Archive. Our Gland Old Bible (1911) — Internet Archive. Records Of The Intelligencedepartment (Vol I) (1902) — Internet Archive.

Scholarly footprint

Bibliographic registers publish measured figures for this heading: 20 language editions of the general reference literature carrying an article (Wikimedia (language editions)). A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.

Evidence base

This article draws on 6 independent source lineages. Copies and mirrors of the same underlying record were collapsed into a single witness, so 6 means 6 genuinely separate publishers of record. 13 further registers were consulted and returned nothing for this heading.

In detail

William Muir studied at University of Edinburgh, Haileybury and Imperial Service College and Kilmarnock Academy. the recorded working language is English.

Employment is recorded with University of Edinburgh.

Distinctions recorded are Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, Honorary doctor of the University of Bologna, Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford and honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge.

Chronology

  1. 1819William Muir born at Glasgow.
  2. 1845Coverlet (The Art Institute of Chicago).
  3. 1855Specification of William Muir Campbell : furnaces or fire-places digitised by Internet Archive.
  4. 1861The Life of Mahomet and History of Islam, to the Era of the Hegira: With ... digitised by Internet Archive.
  5. 1861The life of Mahomet: with introductory chapters on the original ..., Volume 4 digitised by Internet Archive.
  6. 1861The Life Of Mahomet Vi digitised by Internet Archive.
  7. 1861The Life Of Mahomet Vol Ii digitised by Internet Archive.
  8. 1887The Apology Of Al Kindy digitised by Internet Archive.
  9. 1891The Caliphate (William Muir) digitised by Internet Archive.
  10. 1892Tahqeeq Uddin Al Qauem digitised by Internet Archive.
  11. 1896The Mameluke, or, Slave dynasty of Egypt digitised by Internet Archive.
  12. 1896The Mameluke or slave dynasty of Egypt, 12601517, A.D. digitised by Internet Archive.
  13. 1902Records of the Intelligence Department of the Government of the NOrth-west Provinces of India ... digitised by Internet Archive.
  14. 1905William Muir died at Edinburgh.
  15. 1915The Caliphate, its rise, decline, and fall: from original sources digitised by Internet Archive.
  16. 1923The Life Of Mohammed The Prophet Of Allah digitised by Internet Archive.
  17. 1931Christmas traditions digitised by Internet Archive.
  18. 1933Christmas tidings digitised by Internet Archive.

Sources

Each source is named with the standing the house places on it, so the evidence can be weighed rather than taken on trust.

  1. 1.

    Muir, Sir William (1819–1905), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2018

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  2. 2.

    Muir, William (1787–1869), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2018

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  3. 3.

    Muir, William (1806–1888), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2017

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  4. 4.

    Muir, William, (1844–21 June 1929), Who Was Who, 2007

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  5. 5.

    Open Library author record for William Muir (Internet Archive), 50 catalogued works.

    Institutional database · Scholarly · Internet Archive

    Consult the source
  6. 6.

    William A. Muir, Authors group, 2021

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  7. 7.

    Directory of Open Access Journals lists 10 articles naming William Muir.

    open access index · Unverified

    Consult the source
  8. 8.

    Internet Archive, 89 digitised items catalogued under William Muir as creator.

    digital repository · Unverified

    Consult the source
  9. 9.

    Project Gutenberg holds 2 full texts attributed to William Muir.

    digital repository · Unverified

    Consult the source
  10. 10.

    The Art Institute of Chicago, collection records associated with William Muir.

    museum collection · Unverified · The Art Institute of Chicago

    Consult the source
  11. 11.

    Wellcome Collection catalogue records 84 works naming William Muir.

    museum collection · Unverified · Wellcome Collection

    Consult the source
  12. 12.

    Wikidata, structured authority record Q1391199: William Muir

    reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation

    Consult the source
  13. 13.

    “William Muir”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading

    reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikipedia

    Consult the source

Elsewhere in Books

For owners

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