Nearly a quarter of a century ago, I brought out the monthly Journal Muslim India.  Singlehandedly, I worked for 20 years from January, 1983 to December, 2002 to bring out 240 issues without any interruption. No one believed that my staff consisted of a typist, a clerk and a messenger, all part-time!  It was and is still being acclaimed as a unique experiment, unparalleled in the history of journalism to produce an authenticated and accurate record of the period. Indeed the history of Muslim India for the last 2 decades of the last century cannot be written without reference to the files of Muslim India.
But circumstances forced to close it.
I gave the reasons in my last editorial of December, 2002 issue – my failing energy, continuing loss, limited staff and dwindling number of buyers. Every one thought that it enjoyed financial support. So no one would believe my despair and everyone wished its publication to continue.
My esteemed friend Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan took up the challenge and brought out 13 issues, each running into hundreds of pages, covering the period January, 2003 to December, 2004. He had his own style and gave it a new form and content. Muslim India contained many valuable writings by renowned writers and commentators on various aspects of Muslim life in India.  But he finally gave up as the recurring loss were too high. His priority was to nurse his baby ‘The Milli Gazette’, born in January, 2000, into a healthy, promising child. And he has done it! The Milli Gazette has become the most widely read periodical on Muslim concerns in India and also on developments all over the Muslim world.
Naturally pressures on me grew, to revive it. No one wanted it to be totally closed! With my responsibilities as President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, I simply did not have the time, nor the energy in my declining years, nor the resources to take the plunge but a friend, who shall remain anonymous for the present,  came up with the proposition that he would take care of 50% of the production cost. Another friend offered another 25%. And Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan has gracefully agreed to the new arrangement.
Though I have not yet been able to assemble a team, I had no valid reason to resist the pressure.  So I gave in. But keeping my limitations in mind, I have decided to bring out a shorter version of Muslim India consisting of 36 pages, with advertisements limited to the cover pages only, concentrating on factual developments and statistics without analytical articles whose summarization took a lot of my time.
At my personal request, all our past benefactors have kindly agreed to rejoin the Editorial Advisory Board.  Some new members like Mr. Muchkund Dubey, former Foreign Secretary, Mr. Mohd. Hamid Ansari, former Permanent Representative to the UN, former VC of the AMU and presently Chairman, National Commission for Minorities and Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, Editor of the Milli Gazette have also kindly joined the Board.
In its third phase, Muslim India will gradually cover the gap -- the period of 18 months from January, 2005 to June, 2006 -- so that there is no break in the continuity of the historical narrative.
I hope the Community, particularly those members of the intelligentsia who loudly expressed their appreciation of the contribution made by Muslim India to the political education of a whole generation of the Muslim community shall support the effort.
To cover the financial gap, Muslim India proposes to have Donor Subscribers in addition to Annual and Life as well as to enroll ‘Friends of Muslim India’ who commit themselves to contribute Rs. 5,000/- annually.
Muslim India also hopes to engage promising young journalists, as Sub-editors to assist me and an Assistant Manager to look after production and distribution.
This is the first issue which has been hurriedly put together at short notice. We propose to introduce some important features like Monthly Summary of Important Events, Book Review, Judicial Decisions, Parliamentary Proceedings, Progress of Central Government Schemes,  Appointment of Senior Muslim Officers in the Central Secretariat, Progress of Government Institutions like the National Commission for Minorities, the Central Wakf Council, the Haj Committee, the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language and Maulana Azad Education Foundation.
The first issue is a bit delayed. Normally we shall try to adhere to the target date - the 7th of the month.
Muslim India is a labour of love, a symbol of commitment, not a commercial venture. I seek your indulgence and request you to excuse any flaws or inadequacies and to favour me with your ideas to improve the contents and to pray for it maintain its standards of fairness, impartiality, accuracy and authenticity. Thus  alone Muslim India shall make a positive contribution in joining the heart and mind of the Muslim Indians more firmly with their motherland, with all its people, in their historic march towards greatness

.New Delhi     
7 July, 2006