The book presents Islam as a religion and a way of life to the Muslims as well as the followers of other religions.  The unique features of the book lie in the extensiveness of the sources of information both from the East and the West as well as an academic style of writing.  All the sources are properly documented. While most of the books on Islam present only one point of view the present book covers varied interpretations of the Islamic texts. The book also presents some common themes and precepts of the three divinely revealed religions –Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  The analysis of the three religions is based on the premise affirmed by the Quran that all the revealed doctrines in their pristine form convey an identical message. 

After the horrible tragedy of 9/11 it seems imperative that a balanced view of the Islamic faith is revived and revitalized.  Extreme religious views generate distorted perceptions of a system of beliefs and encourage dogmatic inclinations and narrow-mindedness that disturb peace on earth. The book is further designed to dispel some of the misunderstandings regarding Islam prevalent in the West generating in many instances irreconcilable cleavage between Islam and the other two revealed religions. 

Being comprehensive in its coverage, the book presents a broad view of the social, economic and political institutions of Islam.  The focal point of the book is the vision of Islam as a religion of peace and justice.  In this context the Islamic doctrine is viewed as a positive force that stands resolutely for equality among all human beings and a mission to create and maintain a social order strictly opposed to oppression, hatred, prejudice, intolerance and bigotry in all spheres of human life.

At the threshold of the twenty first century the world is fraught with religious conflicts and the future of religion as an instrument of peace is in question.  In case we are prepared to learn from the past events, it is imperatively a moment of reflection; a dedicated search for a spirit of enlightenment that would brighten the path of human understanding, tolerance and respect for each other’s religious beliefs, an earnest desire for human coexistence in tranquility and a positive hope that religion would foster humane qualities in the human world of the future.  The planet earth, being an interwoven web of life, inter-linked and interdependent entity of communities and nations, must be sustained by virtue of a spirit of unity and universal brotherhood.

The three revealed religions have had adversarial relations in the past.  Wars have been fought in the name of religion with dreadful consequences.  At one time or another in human history, the followers of each of the three religions have been persecuted by their antagonists.  Unfortunately, such persecution still exists and the seeds of discord sprout in the shape of prejudice, injustice, ignorance and bigotry.  Even when we do not understand the religion of the people having different beliefs than ours, we do not hesitate to make judgments about them and create dissension.  Islam is probably the most misunderstood religion in the Western world.  The people of the West in general and their media in particular tend to over-generalize without applying even the basic criteria for objectivity or authentic knowledge.  Their distorted images of Islam are based upon scanty knowledge and ingrained prejudices.

It is for the Muslims to present Islam with its original principles of equality, peace and justice.  They are obligated to live up to the ideological spirit of their faith reaffirming the Quranic injunction that all human beings originated from a single source, a common ancestry, implying the unity of human race.  Also the true religions of the past sprang from the same source, the Almighty God.  With all the variations in their rites and rituals, each of the revealed religions has the right to coexist with the others.  There is no reason for a compromise with the principles and practices of one’s faith; there is every reason to understand and respect the faith of others as it is.  The Muslims must live in peace with the other religious groups strictly following their own doctrine in its most authentic form without any concession or accommodation that would interfere with the true teachings of Islam.  The people of other religions also have the same rights to believe in and practice their own religious doctrines.  At the same time, it is incumbent upon the followers of other religions to understand Islam in its veritable version and not be misled by the stereotype generated by those who have a vested interest in degrading Islam and its teachings.

The author is a practicing Muslim who has studied Islam throughout his academic life.  He has earned M. Ed. and PhD degrees in education.   He also has a master’s degree in history with specialization in modern Islamic history.  He has authored and co-authored a book and several articles in the field of education.  He has taught at the university level for twenty seven years mostly teaching educational psychology and research techniques to graduate students.  His academic background has been useful in undertaking research in the various aspects of Islam including its social, economic and political institutions.  The author has studied the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad more intensively during the last nine years.  He has also surveyed the teachings of Christianity and Judaism to discern similarities among the three monotheistic religions.  It is his earnest hope that the adversarial relations among the three monotheistic religions would give way to mutual respect, tolerance and a dedicated pursuit of peace and justice on earth.