One of the pioneering works by an Indian Muslim woman, this book is a collection of essays on a range of social reform topics including women's education (especially of Muslim girls), dowry, beggary, the position of women in Islam, and the Indian woman's status. It also touches on the Girl Guides Movement in which the author was an enthusiastic participant.
The author's eloquent pleas for the clearing away of religious dogma and the reassertion of the true Islamic status of womanhood are based on sound knowledge born out of her own rich experience and study. She explains her purpose, 'The disparity between the real Islamic theory about womanhood and the actual practice has been one of the causes that led to the degeneration of the Muslims.' With Muslim women still struggling with this dichotomy, what she wrote seventy years ago is no less relevant today.