Islam and the earliest Muslims - Two Conflicting Portraits

The Two Contradictory Portraits-seeks to present an sketch of the earliest ideal era of islam, the period of the holy Prophet and his companions, in the light of beliefs, religious traditions and writings of the experts of two major sects of Muslims, Ahl-e Sunnat Wal Jama’at and the Ethna ’Ashari sects, which project two contradictory portraits of Islam and its earliest adherents. It has been left to the discretion-common sense, prudence, and better judgement of the readers to decide which of the two portrayals is upheld by the Quran as well as historians, Muslims and non- Muslims. The reader can decide which of the two presentations of Islam befit the Prophet held to be the most successful Messenger of God, and the religion laying a claim to show the path of godliness and virtue to all races and nations in every time and clime.About the AuthorSyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, a direct descendant of Hasan b. Ali and Husain b. Ali, comes from an illustrious family which has produced numerous spiritual preceptors as well as men of letters. A gifted speaker and a prolific writer of Arabic and Urdu, the author authored over 60 books of which several have been rendered into different languages like English, Turkish, Persian, Bhasa Indonesia. Tamil, Bengali etc. He was the head of some of the most eminent religious and literary institutions like the Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow, Darul Musannifin, Azamgarh, within the country and associated with numerous similar organizations all over the World of Islam. He was awarded King Faisal Award in 1980 for his services to the cause of Islam.