It is true that whatever the difficulties may be, they can be solved by resolute courage, firm determination and steady efforts.

Our social problems are not a few in number but they are too many and each one of them have to be tackled with in right earnest.

We have powerful and relentless enemies who are keen to suck even the last drop of our blood. If they want to see us alive it is for the reason that we should serve their interests.

We have also some foolish friends amongst us who miss no opportunity to create dissensions and dispersion. It appears that they have been created only to cause conflicts among the people and to sow the seeds of dispersion and disunity.

In fact these people are unpaid agents of our enemies and they provide an effective assistance to them to succeed in their nefarious designs.

When the intelligentsia have not yet succeeded in filling even one fissure of disunity among our ranks and file that one of these lunatics comes round and throws a fresh stone in the well so as to create fresh ripples of dissension and dispersion!

We do not know why the temperament of our society too, is much more prepared to accept the material which leads to differences and disputes as compared with the programs which end in unity, fraternity, friendliness and brotherly feelings. At times we find that if ten persons participate in a meeting they suggest ten different views, ten ways of thinking and consequently ten contradictory schemes and programs.

Able indeed and influential people in our society usually harp on their own tune and the spirit of co-operation and collective efforts are hardly found in them. Every one of them is like an individual piece of a cloud which passes on, drizzles and vanishes. It is quite evident that the edifice of our society cannot be built up in this hip-shod manner.

This spirit of diversity and dispersion has taken roots in all sections of our society like a malignant tumor and it is for this very reason that collective efforts are not usually made so much so that even the economy of our country is not supported by the real sense of co-operative spirit. Those which are run on partnership basis are in a state of disarray much like the unstable atoms of uranium; and those which are stable and flourishing are in fact one man’s show with only the name and structure of partnership-based enterprise.

The present day world complexion I such that individuals, to whatever extent they may be competent, skilled and intelligent are bound to face defeat as the world today is the world of collective bodies, unions and organizations and not of individuals.

Now the question arises as to why are we in this deplorable condition? Have we not yet realized that nothing can be achieved through dissensions or by individual activities?

May be that we have received a wrong guidance which has prompted different sections of our society towards individual activities instead of collective performance. Or perhaps we have not yet acquired sufficient oral strength, spirit of self-sacrifice, tolerance, broad mindedness and high qualities of character which are essential for nurturing a collective system of social activities.

These are the questions replies to which are unfortunately beyond the scope of the task undertaken by us. However, it is our duty to acquaint the Muslims with those problems and to seek solutions for them.

For quite some time class distinction has appeared in our society which has divided it into two divergent groups. On group consists of enlightened individuals and the other of those who cling to old ideas.

The second group considers the first to consist of persons who are new-comers, raw and immature, superficial and brainless and unrestrained and careless whereas the first group considers the second to be stubborn, fanatical, static and ignorant. Thus they are engaged in constant state of confrontation.

It is a fact that our age is an age of revolutionary change and our society is entering a new historical phase. In other words we are leaving behind the times of oil lamps and entering the era of electricity, atom and rockets. And the conflict between the newer elements and those of the past age is a natural phenomenon in every transitional period.

However we do not consider it necessary that we should give up everything for fear of these conflicts. The best thing would be that we should profit from this contrariety and competition in such a manner that we should adopt whatever is beneficial and useful under the new circumstances and discard all that entails deviation, misfortune and backwardness.

Ours is a strange country. It consists of areas with different dialects, different races, different customs and traditions and different climates. For example, there is no common factor which may unify the residents of northern areas with those of the south areas except one factor.

Yes! The only factor which unifies all these people with different languages, races and geographical zones is Islam which is the religion of an absolute majority constituting its population. It is only this common factor which can serve as a symbol of unity fraternity and solidarity among the people.

Now please ponder on this point! In this world which is spending huge sums of money to create artificial an unstable common values under one or the other group formation or parry affiliation, how immensely valuable is the existence of a really strong and stable common value which can bring all of us on one common platform.

However, it may be stated with great regret that this common value is also being neglected like other resources of the Muslim Ummah. Not only that it is not being utilized beneficially but we ourselves are also creating means to weaken it!

What should we do so that we may derive maximum possible benefit from this common value (Islam) which once had made Muslims to reach the height of glory and splendor under the glow of its radiant light.

There is certainly no better way than to present Islam in its true perspective and without any pretentions and ostentations to the masses. This is the best and the most effective means of attracting people’s attention to this Divine religion.

If some thoughts and beliefs need to be presented in an exaggerated manner with apparent praise and commendation Islam does not need any such instruments of glorification and ornamentations because its teachings and guidance are so genuine that they appeal the mind and touch the soul. Hence it is vitally important that Islam should be presented in its pristine purity so that its blessings could be derived easily by the people.

In the modern times the hearts of some of our educated young men have turned away from Islam. We feel that it is only because they have not been informed of the realities of this sacred religion.

Well-informed sources say: “At present more readiness is observed in the Western world for embracing Islam and it can be said that the civilized world is on the cross­road either to accept Islam or to go atheist. There is no third way”

However, notwithstanding all these possibilities, Islam is not making headway in this sensitive part of the world. Why? It is because it has not been properly introduced to the western countries.

We believe that one of the reasons for deep penetration and expansion of Islam in so short a time in the bygone days that it stormed the old world and established a new world with a new zest of life, wisdom, virtues and blessings was that it was presented to the people in its right perspective on realistic ground.

It is this very thing which can provide an atmosphere of honesty, resolution, truth and goodness to a world which is burning in the fire of corruption, strife, dispersion, nerve wars, armed conflicts, racial discrimination, mischief and imperialistic designs.

Thus it should be admitted once again that the most effective method of introducing Islam to the outside world is to present its teachings in a pure and simple manner.

It is a matter of great regret that some persons residing at distant places think that Islam is confined to prayers, fasting and occasionally performing Hajj of the Holy Ka’bah. Some, who do not perhaps know even this much, believe Islam to consist of lamentation at the time of commemorating the tragedy of Karbala. It may be admitted that the behavior of some followers of Islam who have practically dissociated themselves from all social activities also lend much support to this misunderstanding.

It should also be admitted that our organizations imparting religious instruction are not yet so well-equipped that they should make at least those people who live in our own environments to understand Islam in its original form.

Books on ‘Islamic Studies’ are, no doubt, included in the syllabus of our schools. However, that too is nothing more than a dry, insipid, difficult and intricate set of teachings which, instead of acquainting our young ones with the true spirit and the realities of Islam, distracts them from Islam and makes them weary and disgusted.

Our people who have visited the West also have some queer ideas about Islam. Whatever they have seen of the practices and religious ceremonies of the Christians is declared by them to be a pattern for Islam viz. they consider the extensive teachings of Islam to be at par with the insipid ceremonials and brief worship of the Christians performed once in a week in the church accompanied with music which have very little social value. On the contrary Islam is the religion of life and contains the most sublime rules and regulations for a prosperous life.

Islam possesses such an extensive, self-contained and rich program that it specifies the itinerary of human prosperity from cradle to grave, from the confines of the house to the theatre of war and from business institutions to the seat of justice.

At the same time, in view of the stimulating strength inherent in this religion, it conforms the conditions of space age and quenches the need of man in different matters. Not only that Islam also lays down man’s obligations towards animal care too for which the modern civilization is bragging too much under the ‘Prevention of cruelties to animals’ and ‘Preservation of wild life’.

The object of compilation of this book is to present to the readers the text of the sublime Islamic laws without any ornamentation and embellishment. To achieve this end more than 1900 verses of the Holy Qur’an were collected and out of them 582 which were found to be more interesting, simple and clear have been selected and incorporated in this book. Here we would like to secure the attention of the readers to the following points:

(i) As stated above 582 verses of the Holy Qur’an and traditions of the Prophet of Islam and his progeny have been selected out of more than 1900. The task of collecting the traditions from scores of relevant authentic books was performed by as many as 30 scholars whose names are mentioned in Appendix I.

(ii) The texts of the traditions have been compared with original sources.

(iii) In order to present the original text of Islamic rules and regulations the following method has been adopted:

(a) English translation of the verses and traditions has been given in the book itself.

(b) References of the verses and traditions have been given in Appendix II.

(c) Complete Arabic texts of the verses and traditions have been quoted in Appendix III. This is for the benefit of those who wish to study the original Arabic texts or to conduct further research on the subject.

In some cases only short sentences have been added to elucidate the meanings of some traditions and to show their relationship with one another. At the same time care has been taken to record such sentences separately so that they do not mingle up with the translation of the traditions.

(iv) Care has been taken to give simple and intelligible translation instead of word-for-word translation which is often difficult to understand.

It appears necessary to mention here that in this book only some rules and regulations pertaining to social life have been collected and many books must be prepared to deal with all of them.

We hope that the book in hand will enable different sections of the society and especially the educated young men and women, to observe new horizons of the social laws of Islam and will induce them to recognize Islam as a meaningful Code of Life.

The Publishers