Preface to the First Edition

The International Institute of Islamic Thought and American Trust Publications are pleased to present this book to our readers in the English language. We have chosen it because of our concern for the future of the Ummah, Islamic thought, and Muslim youth. The author, Dr. Yusuf al Qaradawi, is famous for al Halal wa al Haram fi al Islam, published in English by American Trust Publications under the title The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam. Dr. al Qaradawi has extensive experience in the field of dawah and is recognized as an authority in Islamic aqidah (belief) and Shari'ah.

Allah (SWT) has entrusted this Ummah with a great mission to lead humanity to the right path of truth, justice, and progress. It is unfortunate that Muslims have been struggling but have not been able to fulfil this mission for the last few centuries. Allah (SWT) has been generous in bestowing upon Muslims tremendous human and material resources, but they have not been able to mobilize them effectively enough to influence the flow of current events in the direction of peace and prosperity for mankind.
The extraordinary pressures, internal decadence, and challenges of the modern age have tried the patience of Muslim youth. The great Islamic vision has become blurred, and the socioeconomic and political life of the Ummah has become fragmented and stagnanted. Muslim youth have pride and confidence in Islam, but with their limited experience and knowledge they tend to take desperate and extreme courses of action. They are swayed by misdirected, short-sighted, and superficial slogans. The suffering of the youth has inflicted more suffering and pain on the Ummah, wasted their valuable energy, and undermined Islamic leadership still further. This is an outstanding work by an outstanding scholar, daiyah, and educator. It helps the youth to reconstruct the total picture of the history and the destiny of the Ummah. It deals with the Qur'an and Sunnah in a balanced and comprehensive manner and provides a very constructive approach for Muslim youth to study the Qur'an and Sunnah and benefit from them. This book helps to analyze systematically and objectively the causes of the crises faced by Muslim youth and presents the ways and means Muslims should adopt to seek solutions. The different aspects of the Ummah and the proper Islamic way to resolve its crises are clarified. From this book the reader can gain a wealth of experience and Islamic knowledge.
Furthermore, the book is a great help to Muslim youth in developing right approaches to the challenges and pressures of the modern age in order to achieve the Islamic goals and objectives. This is recommended reading for every Muslim youth, intellectual, and scholar.

International Institute of Islamic Thought
American Trust Publications
Herndon Virginia

1407 AH/1987 AC