In every era of challenge, Islam has been served by men of deep insight, moral strength, and intellectual courage. This volume brings together the stories of such luminaries-not just as historical figures, but as living witnesses to Islam's enduring vitality.
The work traces the lives of key revivalists from early Islam to the medieval period, including scholars, jurists, mystics, and rulers. Figures like Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, Al-Ghazali, and Salahuddin Ayyubi are presented not as isolated heroes, but as part of a continuous effort to preserve faith, restore justice, and revive the moral and spiritual core of the Muslim community. Their struggles-against tyranny, intellectual stagnation, or moral decline-are described with clarity and context, allowing the reader to appreciate their achievements on their own terms.
Written with careful attention to original sources, the book avoids romanticising its subjects. Instead, it offers a nuanced portrayal of their thought, character, and context. The author emphasizes not just what these individuals achieved, but how they responded to the crises of their times with faith, wisdom, and resolve.
Ideal for readers who seek more than just names and dates, this is a book for anyone who wants to understand how Islam has been kept alive-not by abstract theory, but by real people who lived and acted with conviction.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Transliteration
Preface
Prologue
I. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz
II. Hasan Al Basri
III. The traditionists and jurists of Islam
IV. Ahmad ibn Hanbal
V. Abul Hasan al-Ashari
VI. Decline of Dialectics
VII. Al Ghazali
VIII. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani
IX. Ibn Al Jawzi
X. Nur ud-din Zangi and Salah uddin Ayyubi
XI. Sheikh-ul Islam Izz uddin ibn Abdul Salam
XII. Tartars - the scourge of God
XIII. Maulana Jalal-ud-din Rumi