First and foremost, gratitude is due to Allah Whose beneficence and mercy blesses all our endeavours. Thereafter, this work would not have been possible without the constant guidance and support of Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah be his helper) whose instructions, directives and close attention to detail are a source of help and encouragement to us all.
Heartfelt thanks to Mirza Usman Ahmad for his translation of these two essays and for his efforts in overseeing the project as a whole. I am further thankful to Haseeb Ahmad, Awais Rabbani, Tanwir Mujtaba and Farhan Iqbal for all of their editorial assistance. Finally, mention must be made of Arsalan Qamar, Syed Talib Mehmood and the team at the Review of Religions for all their technical and design support.
Nasir Ahmad Shams
Secretary Fazle Umar Foundation