THE OPPONENTS AND critics of Islam have always levelled allegations against Islam and raised questions on various aspects of Islam. In the recent past, attacks have intensified through the use of various mediums and avenues, including books published against Islam. The enemies of Islam perceive themselves to be attacking Islam in new and innovative ways. For instance, a misconstrued concept of Jihad - a subject of great controversy in recent years – has been used as a means to criticize Islam. One such attempt was made some time back by the late Dr. Nabeel Qureshi. Reading his criticisms and the criticisms of others, we discover that they present nothing new. The questions are the same – Is Islam a religion of war or peace? Does Islam advocate violence, bloodshed, and disorder? Does it condone persecution in any form?

In this day and age, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qādiān, the Promised Messiah and Imām Mahdī^as was divinely appointed to revive the pristine and peaceful teachings of Islam. As part of this effort, he penned a great number of books that defended Islam through arguments that were most apt and cogent, and comprehensively answered such allegations against Islam and removed the misunderstandings associated with Islam.

Today, with all the propaganda and continuous one-sided media coverage against Islam, many in the non-Muslim world believe that Islam is a religion of extremism and terror. Indeed, some people declare that Islam is at the root cause of destroying peace in the world through its “violent” teachings. In doing so, they forget that no religion at its source has ever promoted violence and bloodshed. It is a most tragic irony that of all the books, the Holy Quran is singled out today and presented as a proponent of extremism, violence and coercion.

An even greater tragedy that exists today is that many a Muslim clergy, themselves, support these false notions and blatantly attribute them to the Holy Quran. The book Understanding Islam provides detailed answers to these false notions, using arguments that are simple to follow, effective and made in a contemporary style. The book helps a person enhance their understanding of true Islam as opposed to the one often portrayed in the media. This book comes at a time when a genuine need was felt to address the topics of aggressive Jihad or holy war, violence and oppression, that are incorrectly assumed to be a part of Islam.

In light of the writings of Promised Messiah^as, the true teachings of Islam about these subjects are presented for the benefit of both Muslims and non-Muslims, alike. May Allah reward Maulānā Farhan Iqbal, Dr. Tauseef Ahmad Khan, and the team members of The Review of Religions Research Canada, who made a collective effort in producing this book! Āmīn! May Allah make this book a means for opening the hearts of all people towards understanding the true Islam and accepting its perfect, beneficial teachings! Āmīn!

Sheikh Abdul Wadood

National Secretary Ishā‘at, Canada

Ramadhan 2018