In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Introducing

            This message is for every inquiring and broad-minded human being. It is for every seeker of the truth who might have once wondered what the religion of Islam is all about? Who is Allah? What is the ultimate goal of man's existence? Or what happens after death? These questions and many others one may come across on certain occasions but brushed them aside for various reasons.

            Islam is indeed misunderstood and misrepresented in the West. "This is hardly surprising" ,remarks the Frenchman, Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in the introduction to his book, The Bible, The Qur'an, and Science[1]: "If we consider the way so many generations in the West were instructed in the religious problems facing humanity and admit the ignorance in which they were kept in about anything related to Islam."[2]

            Hence Islamic ideals remain obscure for the vast majority of non-Muslims. This booklet does not attempt to answer all the questions you may have. It will open before you, however, a new dimension of thinking and will help you appreciate the importance of your role as a human being in this universe, and the relationship between you and your Creator, God Almighty Allah. It presents Islam to you concisely, and provides straightforward answers to many questions about Islam and its credentials.

            From this booklet, you may begin to understand who Allah is, what Islam means, and the role of man in this life, and to familiarize yourself with the Last of the Divine Scriptures, and the last of the Prophets and Messengers.

            The Qur'an exists only in Arabic. Allah did not reveal its contents in any other language. Therefore no one can give literal translation of the meaning of any Ayah, verse or Surah, chapter of the Qur'an into any other language. The same applies, though to a lesser extent, also to the sayings of the man commissioned by Allah to interpret the Qur'an, namely, the Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him.

            Although I prefixed the Qur'anic quotations and Prophetic traditions cited in this booklet by, "Allah says" or "the Prophet says" ,yet I have given only the general meaning of such quotations in English.

Mahmoud Murad.
Jamada II 1414.
December 1993.

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[1]The book was originally written in French, entitled La Bible, le Coran et la Science. Its English version was published by American Trust Publications in 1979.
[2]P. ii.