TITLE: Decadence in Muslim Intellectualism: Reasons, Ramifications, and Remedies
AUTHOR: Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray
PUBLISHER: New Delhi: Viva Books Pvt. Ltd., in association with Ahsan Academy of Research, Springs, South Africa, 2021
ISBN: 978-93-90054-93-0
PAGES: 224
MRP: Rs. 995/-
About the BOOK:
The major theme of this work is to provide a succinct overview of the concept of Knowledge in the Qur’anic perspective, to describe, precisely, the rise of “Muslim intellectualism”—from its formative phase to the golden age—reasons and ramifications of its fall (decadence), and to provide some (possible) remedies to overcome this “decadence” and “deficit” in the present scenario. In other words, this work is a modest endeavor to find answers to these nagging and niggling questions about the intellectual history of Muslims: what were the reasons that led to the fall of Muslim intellectual legacy, or “Muslim intellectualism”?; how Muslims can rise again from this “slumber” to make their presence on the “intellectual map” of the 21st century global world? It is, thus, hoped that this book will prove beneficial for knowing the reasons and ramifications of the “decadence of Muslim intellectualism” and the remedies and reforms that are needed to fill this deficit.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray has published extensively on the Muslim Intellectual history. His latest book, Decadence of Muslim Intellectualismstands out as an incisive critique on the decline that has regrettably crept into the Muslim learning. … This compelling book will be read with much profit by all those interested in Islamic history, Muslim thought and Cultural studies”
(Prof. Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Aligarh Muslim University, India)
“For Muslims scholars and intellectuals, the question of Muslim intellectual decay has been one of the most worrying questions. … The present work is a serious and valuable effort which attempts to find an answer to the same (perturbing) question”
(Dr M. Razi Ul Islam Nadwi, Assistant Editor, Urdu Quarterly ‘Tehqeeqat-e-Islami’)
“…Dr Tauseef Parray is a leading scholar of contemporary Islamic studies who has to his credit several widely-acclaimed works. … This work is a must-read for academics, researchers and students seeking to understand the various strands that have defined the [Muslim] intellectual tradition”
(Dr Abdul Kader Choughley, Independent Researcher/ Author, Springs, South Africa)
CONTENTS
Preface
Chapter 1: Prologue: The Noble Qur’an as ‘Epitome of Knowledge’
Chapter 2: Islamic Concept of Knowledge (‘Ilm)
Chapter 3: Muslim Intellectual Contribution: From Formative Period to ‘Golden Age’
Chapter 4: What (and Where) Went Wrong?
Chapter 5: Post-Colonial Era Challenges and the Muslim World (1950s onwards)
Chapter 6: The Other Side of the Coin: Internal Challenges
Chapter 7: Some Important Muslim Research Institutes and Centers
Chapter 8: Epilogue: The (Possible) Way Out from Current ‘Muslim Intellectual Deficit’
Appendix | Bibliography | Index
TARGET AUDIENCE: This book is for academics, researchers and students who are interested in Islamic history, Muslim thought and Cultural studies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tauseef Ahmad Parray is presently working as an Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in Higher Education Department (J&K).He is author of six (6) books and has also published various book chapters and encyclopedia entries as well. Moreover, he has published over 50 research papers and hundreds of reviews in more than two dozen reputed academic journals/ periodicals from over a dozen countries, globally, mostly in the areas of Islam and Democracy, South Asian Modernist/ Reformist Thought, Muslim Intellectual Tradition, and Recent Trends and English Scholarship in Qur’anic Studies.
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Correction
In our previous bookshelf column, published on 26thAugust 2021 (p. 7), there was an error in the publication details of Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray’s book, ‘21stCentury Islamic Scholarship…’(which is his forthcoming book, not published yet).The error is regretted.