Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi أبو الحسن علي الحسني الندوي

A leading Indian Islamic scholar, thinker, writer, and reformer of the twentieth century (1333 to 1420 AH / 1914 to 1999 CE), born in Takia Kalan, Raebareli, and widely known as Ali Miyan. Of the Hasani sayyid lineage, from 1961 until his death he served as rector of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow, the seminary whose name he carried. A master of Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and English, he addressed both Muslim and global audiences, calling for moderation, mutual respect among communities, and the renewal of Islamic life. His most influential book, Maza Khasira al-Alam bi-Inhitat al-Muslimin (translated as Islam and the World), traced the rise and decline of Muslims and what their weakness cost the wider world, and it shaped Islamic thought across South Asia and the Arab lands. Among his many writings are Rijal al-Fikr wa-l-Dawa fi-l-Islam (Saviours of Islamic Spirit), a study of the great renewers, biographies of the Prophet, and works on hadith, history, and faith. Hanafi in law, he was associated with the reformist currents of the Indian subcontinent. He was a founding member of the Muslim World League, president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and founding chairman of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. His honors include the King Faisal International Prize. Through institutions and foundations bearing his name, his influence continues across the Muslim world.