Every book has its own story. When the author types the final full stop, the relief can only be compared to the birth of a child. Only mothers can understand what an author suffers as they both share similar pangs of producing a new life. Carol Burnett describes the feeling concisely: “Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.”

Putting the full stop took a bit longer for Kutlukhan Shakirov when giving birth to his father’s Tarih-i Muhammadi. The following interview with Dr Shakirov presents the tragic story of his father’s book that is devoted to teaching about the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to a nation that was deprived of religious belief and practice for almost a century under a communist regime. The account of this book is important as it indicates the pivotal role the Prophet possesses after 1,400 years among his followers, even under the gravest conditions.

Dr Shakirov is an associate professor of economics who lives in Istanbul with his family. He was born in Gulja, Eastern Turkistan, but raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. After completing his degree on economics at Tashkent University, he served in the Red Army. After working for long years at the Scientific Research Center under the Uzbek State Planning Organization, he taught at the Tashkent University of Economics 1988-1996. He prepared more than 60 papers and articles on economics and Central Asian history and languages.

Could you tell us about your father, the author of Tarih-i Muhammadi?

My father, Alikhantura Saghuni, was born to an Uzbek family in 1885 in the city of Tokmak (formerly Balasagun) in what is today Kyrgyzstan. He attended schools and madrasas in Makka, Madina, and Bukhara. He actively participated in the armed uprising of the Turkistan peoples against the Tsarist Russia in 1914 and 1916. He was the first scholar to denounce sending children to the Russian army to fight against the Ottomans during the First World War.

He was incarcerated 6 times. He was the first president of the Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkistan in 1945-1946. He also held the title of Marshal, Commander-in-chief for the National Army. He participated in more than 300 military operations and fought for independence against China. He was later kidnapped to the Soviet Union, an event which was concealed from the world. He authored Tarih-i Muhammadi (The History of Muhammed), Turkistan Kaygisi (Turkistan Anxiety), Shifa al-ilal (Cure for Illnesses). Among his translations are T