An unbiased observer cannot help admiring the equilibrium...

An unbiased observer cannot help admiring the equilibrium which it has achieved balancing the demands of body and spirit, providing guidance concerning life in this world as well as teachings concerning life in the hereafter. It is the Leading Light which brightly illuminates every turning in the highway of human life. It is the Perfect shari `ah which did not leave any human need uncared for.

In so far as family-life goes, we see that Islam has unravelled every problem of the family system with such dexterity that one has to accept that it could not be solved in a better way. One cannot but register astonishment at the attitude adopted by some Christians writers. They seem to be suffering from an inferiority complex when they compare the Islamic shari `ah with their religion which has no shari `ah at all.

Therefore, they try to imply that, that perfection of shari `ah is a "drawback" or that the moral standard of Islamic teachings is not as high as that of Christianity. In any family there are those persons without whom a family cannot be regarded as complete. A human being is born of a father and a mother; the parents look after the child and bring it up. This child in turn attains maturity and is joined to a spouse in the golden link of matrimony. Then this couple start their own family.

Thus we may say that the persons who form pillars of the family are father, mother, child, husband and wife. Some people need help in their domestic chores. Therefore, Islam has added the `servant' also in the list. 4. JOINT FAMILY AND SEPARATE FAMILY SYSTEMS According to sociologists, there are two types of family systems in the world: "The Joint Family System" and "The Separate Family System". that all members of a clan:- father, son, brother, sister, uncle, nephew etc., live together.

The in come of the individual is not treated as his personal property, rather it belongs to the family and the expenses of all members are met by that `family income.' Separate Family System: In this system everyone is responsible for his own immediate dependants. His income belongs to him and not to the family. The Hindu family is a joint family while in Arabia the separate family system prevails.

Perhaps it is for this reason that cousins are called 'bro thers' and `sisters' in India, while in Arabia they are just sons and daughters of the uncle or aunt.