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Tafazzul Husain Khan (1727?--1800?), who began his career in the court ofAwadh, spent the last two decades of his life as a trusted ally of the EastIndia Company. What set him apart from other court officials was not so muchhis erudition, political acumen and negotiating prowess, as his favouritepastime: delving into mathematics and astronomy. Contact with the Companypersonnel, some of whom were conversant with oriental languages and/orcontemporary scientific advances, provided him with the opportunity to brush uphis mathematical knowledge, and induced him to embark upon -- and, according tosome, bring to fruition -- the task of translating a few important mathematicaltreatises, among them Newton's \textit{Principia}. According to Campbell, theauthor of an obituary notice (published in 1804), "he translated the Principiafrom the original Latin, into Arabic". The evidence gathered by Campbell isexamined, and found insufficient to warrant this astounding and oft-repeatedclaim. Of the three tracts authored by Tafazzul (all published posthumously inabridged versions), none can be described as a translation of Newton's\textit{Principia}. Until the emergence of some tangible evidence, any talk ofhis translations of the \textit{Principia} and other western treatises can onlybe characterised as rumour, a process in which recall is often accompanied bydistortion.

Translation of Newton's \textit{Principia} into Arabic Under the Aegis of the East India Company: A Rumour Turning into a Myth?