On March 12, 1990, at the invitation of the Department of Islamic Studies, Seville University, Spain, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad^(rh) delivered an address entitled Islam — A Discourse on its Elementary and Fundamental Teachings. He was advised by the Head of the Department to introduce Islam at an elementary level, keeping in view that most of the audience, drawn from other departments and the general public, would have very little knowledge of Islam. The time allotted for the speech was limited to one hour. He provided a brief introduction to the Islamic faith and touched upon a variety of very important topics. He showed how religious teachings have evolved over time culminating in the complete and universal teachings and emphasised the areas of similarities between Islam and other religions.

This treatise has been developed out of that speech. The author has expanded on various themes, which time didn’t permit him in the original lecture. Additionally, in converting the spoken word into writing, certain changes and amendments were also effected by the speaker himself. In this book he highlighted the salient characteristics especially the universal nature of Islam which renders it capable of uniting the people from all the nations of the world under one banner of peace. The author brought this short treatise to a close, with an earnest appeal to the leadership of the world religions: ‘The quest for peace is a matter of human survival, and as such should not be taken lightly.’

May Allah Almighty make this booklet a source of enlightenment and guidance to help understand the basic teachings of Islam for all. Ameen.