Introduction
Wickedness, injustice, grief, pessimism, trouble, loneliness, fear, stress,
frustration, distrust, unscrupulousness, anxiety, rage, jealousy, resentment,
drug addiction, immorality, gambling, prostitution, hunger, poverty, social
corruption, theft, war, struggle, violence, oppression, fear of death…
News about these issues appear in the newspapers and on TV every day.
The popular press devotes entire pages to these subjects, while others
serialise articles about their psychological and social aspects. However,
our acquaintance with these feelings is not limited solely to the press;
in daily life, we, too, frequently come across such problems and, more
importantly, personally experience them.
People and societies endeavour to liberate themselves from the distressing
experiences, disorder and repressive social structures that have prevailed
over the world for long periods. We only need to glance at ancient Greece;
the Great Roman Empire; Tsarist Russia, or the so-called Age of Enlightenment,
and even the 20th century-a century of misery which saw two world wars
and world-wide social disasters. No matter upon which century or location
you concentrate your research, the picture will not be appreciably different.
If this is the case, why haven't people succeeded in solving these problems,
or at least some efforts been made to remove such social diseases from
society?
People have encountered these problems in all ages, yet each time they
have failed to find any solutions because the methods they employed were
inappropriate. They sought various solutions, tried different political
systems, laid down impracticable and totalitarian rules, stirred up revolutions
or subscribed to perverted ideologies, while many others preferred to
adopt an indifferent attitude and merely accepted the status quo.
In our day, people are almost numbed by this way of living. They readily
believe these problems to be "facts of life." They picture a society immune
to these problems as being nothing short of impossible-a dream utopia.
They persistently and openly express their distaste for such a way of
living, yet easily embrace it, since they think they have no other alternative.
The resolution of all these problematic issues is possible only by living
by the principles of the "true religion." Only when the values of true
religion prevail can a pleasant and tranquil scene replace this gloomy
and unfavourable picture, which is doomed to continue so long as God's
limits are ignored. To put it another way, people are enslaved by these
complications as long as they avoid the values of the Qur'an. Put simply,
this is the "nightmare of disbelief."
In this book, you will find how the regulation of life by the "norms
of morality" introduced by the Qur'an revealed to mankind by God will
banish the "nightmare of disbelief," how pessimism, corruption and social
restlessness can be eliminated from society, how the individual can surround
himself with an ideal environment, what spiritual and material benefits
he is likely to attain by adherence to these norms of morality are gone
into in detail, and finally, that the unique alternative to all these
problems is the morality of the Qur'an.
So far, many books have attempted to deal with the social and psychological
problems societies face. Yet, what distinguishes this book from others
is its stress on the most realistic solution. It also sincerely warns
people against the troublesome future they are likely to face if they
fail to resort to this solution.
We expect that every reader of conscience will grasp that peace, mutual
trust and an ideal social life is attainable only by embracing the values
of the Qur'an and will turn to the true religion, which is Islam.
They will then happily join the ranks of those who never suffer, mentally
or physically, from any of the above-mentioned complications. Around them,
there will always be an abundance of favours, comfort, love, respect,
peace and confidence, and moral virtues will prevail. They will know how
to earn God's approval, by observing His limits and the commandments of
the Qur'an. They will thus, by having faith in God, attain His mercy and
at last enter Paradise.
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