Heroes of Islam: The 30 Most Inspiring Figures in Muslim History, by Issâ Meyer

A community is defined as much by the future to which it aspires and the values by which it lives on a daily basis as by the past examples to which it refers. Such is therefore the aim of this modest work: to pay homage to these men who made Islamic civilization and whose life and death are not only vestiges of yesterday but also sources of inspiration for today and tomorrow. .

Distinguished by Allah for their personality and their extraordinary abilities, the thirty figures honored here all left their indelible mark in the annals of history. Heads of state or scholars, imams or conquerors, artists or reformers, mystics or generals, each of these thirty personalities dedicated their lives to Islam and contributed, in their own way, their stone to the building of the Muslim world – and to the -of the. Some forever changed the face of humanity; the world as we know it today would undoubtedly be very different without the composure of Abû Bakr, the vision of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, the flashes of Khalid ibn al-Walîd, the flashes of genius of Mehmed II or the intransigence of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Still others appeared at key moments in the course of the world as if to save the Ummah from the perils that assailed it from all sides: thus Nûr ad-Dîn, Salâh ad-Dîn, Yusûf ibn Tashfin or Baybars, respective victors of the Crusaders, the Reconquista and the Mongols. And since the gaze of the believer cannot be restricted to a narrow materialistic vision, some, if they hardly knew success here below, distinguished themselves by the height of their virtues and their ability to irrigate souls and inspire hearts: what would the Muslim conscience be without the spiritual chivalry of 'Alî ibn Abi Tâlib, the moving martyrdom of his son al-Husayn or closer to us, the abnegation of 'Umar al-Mukhtâr and the sincerity of Malcolm X?

Through a collection of edifying chronicles and biographies, "Heroes of Islam" thus offers an original attempt to explore the history of Islam and Muslims through the lives, thoughts and achievements of these thirty men outside of the common.