Islam and the World by Syed Abul Hassan Ali AL Nadwi

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ISLAM and the WORLD
THE RISE AND DECLINE OF MUSLIMS AND ITS EFFECT ON MANKIND
Sayyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
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ISLAM AND THE WORLD, originally written in Arabic, examines the role Islam played in history and its impact on human progress and the loss that humanity suffered by its decline. It counters the prevailing attitude that Islam is a spent force, that it has outlived its usefulness.
The author persuasively argues for the
eternal reality of Islam and that it is a programme of life which is always dynamic and can never grow obsolete.
This thought-provoking tour de force throws new light on the motives, opportunities and impact of the Islamic and other civilisations, on the material welfare and spiritual progress of humanity.
SAYYED ABUL HASAN ALI NADWĪ (1914–99), a leading Muslim scholar of the twentieth century, hailed from a family that has produced such illustrious figures as Sayyed Ahmad Shahid (1786-1831). He was Rector of Nadwatul Ulama; Chairman, Managing Committee, Dārul Muşannifin (Shibli Academy), Azamgarh, India. He has authored numerous works; many have been translated into English: among them are Hadith: Status and Role; Ibn Taimiyah: Life and Achievements; Muslims: Beliefs, Customs and Traditions; Studying the Glorious Qur'an; Stories of the Prophets; Muhammad the Last Prophet; Stories from Islamic History, The Minaret Speaks, Starlight View of Islam's Past.
ISBN 1-872531-32-6
UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY
9 781872 531328
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vi ISLAM AND THE WORLD
This book succeeds in stimulating an awareness of this responsibility in its readers and in bringing home to them its validity. In its style and treatment, however, it does not pander to mere sentiment or excite passions of dogmatism. The claims that the book makes are sustained by solid scholarship and objective research in a manner that appeals to both the mind and the heart. The enlightened and unprejudiced approach of the author is clearly revealed by the scrupulous care and deep concern for truth with which historical events and their sequences are recorded and environmental effects and ramifications analyzed. Decisions are left to the discernment of enlightened minds and to consciences that are sensitive to truth. Topics have been discussed, arranged and interfused in such a manner that no conclusion is ever forced on the reader.
What was the condition of the world before the advent of Islam and the state of affairs in the East and the West, the North and the South? What was the intellectual temper of man from China to India, from Persia to Rome? What was the colour and texture of contemporary society? In what state were those religions of the world that are based on Heavenly sanction, such as Judaism and Christianity, and those that preach idol and fire-worship, such as Hinduism and Magianism? These questions with which the book begins are dealt with in a concise but comprehensive manner. The picture presented of that age is clear-cut and delineates its features with accuracy and insight. In preparing the picture, the author never gives the impression that he is self- opinionated or bigoted. He quotes non-Muslim authors, particularly those who have been notorious for their enmity towards Islam and for their persistent efforts to belittle Islam and the achievements of the age associated with Muslim glory. The age before Islam was steeped in ignorance in which the mind and the spirit of man had become benighted and high standards and values of life debased. It was an age of tyranny and slavery in which the very roots of humanity were corroded by a criminally luxurious and wasteful life on the one hand, and hopelessness and frustration and despair on the other. In addition, clouds of scepticism, agnosticism and infidelity hovered overhead and the religions of the world were helpless to dispel them. Religions that
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CONTENTS
Foreword V
Translator's Note xi
Preface xvi
I Before the Advent of Prophet Muhammad I
The Era of Muslim Glory 62
II
The Advent of the Prophet
Muslim Decadence 79
The Rise of the West and Its Consequences 102
Mankind's Real Loss Under Western Domination 153
VII The Revival of the Muslim World 174
VII The Leadership of the Arab World 193
Notes 207 Index 215