Muslim civilization has experienced an overall decline during the last five centuries after having witnessed a long period of prosperity and comprehensive development. This raises a number of questions such as what factors enabled Muslims to become successful during the earlier centuries of Islam and what led them to their present weak position. Is it Islam which is responsible for this decline or are other factors which come into play? Dr. Chapra, in this penetrating study, has tried to answer these questions thoroughly and has then discussed a reform program that could help reverse the cycle of decline.
About the Author :
Dr. M. Umer Chapra is Research Advisor at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Jeddah. Prior to this position, he worked at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), Riyadh, for nearly 35 years, retiring as Senior Economic Advisor. He has also taught as Assistant and Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin (Platteville), as Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, as Senior Economist and Associate Editor of the Pakistan Development Review at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, and as Reader (Associate Professor) at the Central Institute of Islamic Research (Pakistan). He has received a number of awards, including the Islamic Development Bank Award for Islamic Economics, and the King Faisal International Award for Islamic Studies.
