William Montgomery Watt

The Reverend Professor W. Montgomery Watt
Watt (right), interviewed by Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi
Born	William Montgomery Watt (1909-03-14)14 March 1909 Ceres, Fife, Scotland
Died	24 October 2006(2006-10-24) (aged 97) Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality	Scottish
Title	Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Academic work
Discipline	Oriental studies and Religious studies
Sub discipline	Arabic History of Islam Muhammad Islamic Philosophy Islamic theology
Institutions	Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem University of Edinburgh
Notable works	Muhammad at Mecca (1953) Muhammad at Medina (1956)

William Montgomery Watt (14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was a Scottish historian, Orientalist, Anglican priest, and academic. From 1964 to 1979, he was Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Watt was one of the foremost non-Muslim interpreters of Islam in the West, and according to Carole Hillenbrand "an enormously influential scholar in the field of Islamic studies and a much-revered name for many Muslims all over the world". Watt's comprehensive biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Muhammad at Mecca (1953) and Muhammad at Medina (1956), are considered to be classics in the field.

Watt was born on 14 March 1909 in Ceres, Fife, Scotland. His father, who died when he was only 14 months old, was a minister of the Church of Scotland.

Watt was ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church as a deacon in 1939 and as a priest in 1940. He served his curacy at St Mary The Boltons, West Brompton, in the Diocese of London from 1939 to 1941. When St Mary's was damaged in The Blitz, he moved to Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh to continue his training. From 1943 to 1946, he served as an Arabic specialist to the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem.