Book excerpt: The Economic System of Islam, is an English version of a lecture delivered in Urdu by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the Second Khalifah Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to a gathering of academia in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1945. The book presents a detailed account of the teachings of Islam regarding the system of economics. It demonstrates that economic system of Islam is placed within the broader teachings of Islam, with the objective of attaining the pleasure of Allah and everlasting bliss in the Hereafter. It provides for a healthy and progressive society in which the basic needs of all are met, and incentives for achieving excellence are provided, with due regard to justice and fair play. The lecture then makes a critical evaluation of the economic aspects of Communism. It provides ample evidence that Communism has failed in its pretensions of promoting justice and equality both within its own borders and in international affairs. It brings out serious objections against Communism from a religious point of view, and cites three prophecies about the decline of Communism.