Islam and the Earliest Muslims - Two Conflicting Portraits

Islam and the Earliest Muslims: Two Conflicting Portraits presents a structured examination of the formative Islamic era through the lens of revelation, Prophetic guidance, and the historical character of the first Muslim community. Written by Mawl¿n¿ Sayyid Abul Hasan ¿Al¿ Nadw¿, the work explores the foundations upon which Islam claims universality, permanence, and guidance for humanity. The book begins by identifying essential prerequisites for a universal religion: miraculous guidance, the distinction between Prophets and political empire-builders, the preservation of divine scripture, and the necessity of a singular source of religious authority. These themes are examined through Qur¿¿nic evidence, historical testimony, and observations concerning the earliest generations of Muslims. A substantial portion of the work focuses on the transformative effect of Prophetic guidance upon the ¿ä¿bah, presenting their moral character, devotion, integrity, and social conduct as historical evidence of the success of the Prophetic mission. The author draws upon Muslim and non-Muslim testimonies, historical reports, and classical sources to illustrate the distinctive nature of the earliest Islamic community. The volume further discusses the preservation of the Qur¿¿n, the doctrine of Khatm al-Nubuwwah (Finality of Prophethood), the role of guidance in Islam, and contrasting theological portrayals of early Islamic history. Throughout the work, arguments are framed through textual evidence, historical analysis, and juristic reasoning rather than polemical rhetoric. Of particular importance is the author's effort to compare differing presentations of Islam against the historical record, encouraging readers to examine the earliest Muslim generation through documented evidence and the primary principles of the faith. Suitable for scholars, students of Islamic studies, academic libraries, researchers of Islamic intellectual history, and readers seeking a deeper understanding of the formative period of Islam, this volume offers a thoughtful study of religious authority, scripture, communal formation, and the ethical legacy of the earliest Muslims. Grounded in historical sources and classical Islamic scholarship, the work contributes to the study of Islamic belief, Prophetic guidance, and the development of the first Muslim society within its historical and textual context. Table of Contents (Summary) Introduction. Prerequisites for Universal Faith: Miraculous Guidance; Success of Prophetic Guidance; Ambiy¿¿ Are Not Political Strategists; Pure and Simple Scripture; Fount of Guidance. Miraculous Guidance: Moulding of Hearts; Soul Shining Through Its Crystal-Covering; Testimony of ¿Al¿; European Scholars; Sh¿¿¿ Scholar; ¿Uthm¿n ibn ¿Aff¿n; ¿Al¿ ibn Ab¿ ¿¿lib; Earlier Khulaf¿¿; Ab¿ Bakr; ¿Umar's Journey to Syria; ¿Al¿ and His Predecessors; ¿ä¿bah and Ahl al-Bayt; Heavenly Social Order; Sh¿¿¿ Portrayal; Khomeini; Müsin al-Mulk; al-Shäb¿; Sh¿¿¿ Presumption. Ambiy¿¿ Are Not Political Strategists: The Messenger's Household; The Last to Receive Favour; Key to Salvation; Order of Khil¿fah. Pure and Simple Scripture: Preservation of the Qur¿¿n; Non-Muslim Testimonies; Sh¿¿¿ Views on the Qur¿¿n; Indifference to the Qur¿¿n; Deniers of the Qur¿¿n. Fount of Guidance: Im¿mah; Iranian Influence; al-Im¿m al-Gh¿¿ib; Khomeini and the Im¿ms; Sh¿h Wal¿ All¿h; The Glorious Lamp of Heaven; Eulogistic Poetry; Approbation or Denunciation; ¿Al¿ and His Progeny; Contradictory Images of Early Islam; Khomeini's Creed; Followers of Khomeini; Significance of Creed; Secret of Khomeini's Success; Bibliography.