First published in 1950, titled Madha Khasira Al-'alam Bi-inhitat Al-Muslimin, in its original Arabic version, Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi’s (1914-1999) magnum opus Rise and Fall of Muslims: Its Impact on the World is one of the most insightful post-war Islamic texts expounding the theme of Muslim renaissance by recounting, analytically and objectively, the story of many of the world’s civilisations in relation to the rise and fall of Islamic civilisation and its impact on the humanity in general. In the book Sayyid Nadwi makes a bold attempt that departs from a conventional understanding of Islamic history, Muslims’ predicaments and challenges that they encounter. By connecting the fall of the glorious classical Muslim civlisation that once enlightened Europe and rest of the world, Sayyid Nadwi asks an important question: what has the world lost due to the changing fortunes of the collective Muslim identity? Shaykh Nadwi does not make sweeping generalisations but frames global dilemmas through the lens of Islamic teachings, rooted in Islam’s universal vision, embracing people of all cultures and civilisations. As a preeminent scholar of history and the intellectual trends in the West and Islamic world, Shaykh Nadwi’s in-depth knowledge marks a new approach in understanding the relations between Islam and the West. And the republication of this timeless modern Muslim classic, superbly edited by Abdul Kader Choughley, the South African scholar, with a very significant contribution to the contemporary South Muslim scholarship, is very timely, as Islam’s relation with West is currently debated and contested. Choughley’s multivolume series on the life and legacy of Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Tawasul, Rome, 2024) has been widely acclaimed in the academic world. Another work of Choughley is a comprehensive study of the tafsir tradition in South Asia. Two upcoming multivolume publications of Choughley are: Caravan of My Life (Shaykh Nadwi’s autobiography) and Meaning and Message of the Qur’ān
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