It was one to two lakh years back that Almighty Allah created Adam and Eve as the first couple on earth. The first brick of civilization was laid with the formation of a family, with a husband and a wife. And from them twain sprouted the countless families and the whole humanity. Thus, family is the basic and most important institution of mankind. The development, progress, efficacy and success of a civilization is dependent upon the strength of the family.
The ever-expanding number of families gave birth to society and civilization. Each generation hands over its collective knowledge, wisdom and achievements to other generations and this leads to development of a civilization. For continuous progress of civilization, it basic components, the families, must have mutual love, trust, goodwill, sincerity and sense of sacrifice.
Islam, the divinely ordained way of life, lays utmost stress on some fundamental moral principles which should guide and govern the families. The collective efforts and contribution of all these families put together develop an ideal human civilization.
In Islam marriage is not only a civil contract. It is a divine institution, a religious responsibility and a must for every man and woman. Allah says in the Qur’ān: “And of His Signs is this: He has created for you your mates from your own kind that you may find peace in them and He has set between you love and mercy. Surely there are signs in this for those who reflect.” (30:21)
In the present day world, especially in the west the institution of family is under great stress. Rather it is denigrating and leading to the disintegration of society.
Islam and an ideal Islamic civilization based on Islamic principles can serve as a panacea to address the problems and save the human society from destruction.
Your magazine, Radiance Viewsweekly has brought out this Special Issue which throws light on various aspects of the problems and suggests solutions. We hope the contents of the issue will help you in promoting the values which are essential for reforming our society.
Our beloved country India, because of old prejudices and negative values, is also suffering from dangerous threats to family life. We can build ideal Islamic families by imbibing Islamic values and present the best solution to our larger society. This would be the best contribution of Islam which the country and the world require.
Islam gave to India universally acclaimed values of One God and one mankind. Now, in the present scenario, we can give another invaluable gift to our country in the form of the principles on which a happy, loving and prosperous family can be built.
We owe this to our beloved country. Therefore, let our deeds speak more loudly than our words. Words may evaporate but deeds and solid examples will never fail. So, Ya Allah, help us.