A new scholarly volume reflecting on the enduring ethical legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, marking 1500 years since the Prophet’s birth by exploring the continued relevance of his message in our contemporary world.

Bringing together scholars, educators, religious leaders and public intellectuals, the book examines how the Prophetic tradition speaks to the moral, social and planetary challenges of our time. Rather than offering simple historical reflection, the chapters engage the Prophet’s legacy as a living ethical inheritance that continues to guide reflection on justice, mercy, dignity, leadership, education and social responsibility.

The contributors move beyond devotional narration to explore what may be described as a Prophetic ethical grammar – the ways in which the life and teachings of the Prophet provide resources for ethical renewal and thoughtful engagement with contemporary crises. The volume addresses issues such as inequality, violence, technological disruption and ecological vulnerability in a rapidly changing world. Rooted in South Africa yet continentally and globally oriented, the book places Muslim intellectual reflection within broader debates about ethics and public life.

The volume is edited by Professor Aslam Fataar, a South African scholar known for his work on education, ethics and social transformation.

In this compelling anthology of essays, professor Aslam Fataar reflflects on the ethical foundations essential for faithful and just living in today’s complex world. Anchored in the principle of adab al-ihsān – ethics of beauty and excellence – Fataar guides readers towards God-conscious, dignifified living that champions social justice.

Drawing from personal experiences, including his hajj pilgrimage with his wife, Najwa (co-author of four of the essays), and the legacies of anti-apartheid icons such as Imām Abdullah Haron and Imām Gassan Solomon, this work offffers both intellectual depth and practical wisdom. Addressing critical issues such as social inequality, genocide, war, environmental crises, and digital disruption, Fataar inspires readers to confront moral challenges with compassion, truth, and justice.

This essential volume serves as a beacon for those invested in public theology, ethical leadership, and social transformation in South Africa and globally.

Decolonising Knowledge and Knowers contributes to the current struggles for decolonising education in the global South, focusing on the highly illuminating case of South African higher education. Galvanised by #FeesMustFall and #RhodesMustFall student protests, South Africa has seen particularly intense and broad social engagement with debates over decolonising universities. However, much of this debate has been consumed with definitions and meanings. In contrast, Decolonising Knowledge and Knowers shows how conceptual tools, specifically from Legitimation Code Theory, can be enacted in research and teaching to meaningfully work towards productive decolonisation. Each chapter addresses a key issue in contemporary debates in South African higher education and show how practices concerning knowledge and knowers are playing a role, drawing on quantitative and qualitative research, praxis, and interdisciplinary research.

Table of Contents

1. Introducing "decolonising knowledge and knowers", Mlamuli Nkosingphile Hlatshwayo, Hanelie Adendorff, Margaret A.L. Blackie, Aslam Fataar, and Paul Maluleka 2. Pursuing decolonial knowledge-building in South African higher education, Aslam Fataar 3. Building a ‘decolonial knower’: Contestations in the humanities, Kathy Luckett 4. Decolonising the university: Some thoughts on recontextualising knowledge, Mlamuli Nkosingphile Hlatshwayo 5. Towards a decolonized school history curriculum in post-apartheid South Africa through enacting Legitimation Code Theory, Paul Maluleka and Neo Lekgotla laga Ramoupi 6. Decolonization and science education: What is at stake? Hanelie Adendorff and Margaret A.L. Blackie 7. A decolonial science education: How do we move forward? Margaret A.L. Blackie and Hanelie Adendorff

The lived experiences of students’ educational practices are analysed and explained in terms of the book’s plea for the recognition of the ‘multi-dimentionality’ of students as educational beings with unexplored cultural wealth and hidden capitals. The book presents an argument that student lives are entangled in complex social-spatial relations and processes that extend across family, neighbourhood and peer associations, which are largely misrecognised in educational policy and practice. The book is relevant to understanding the role of policy, curriculum and pedagogy in addressing the educational performance of working-class youth.