They were not only critical of conservative elements within the Muslim community but also of the corrosive effects of British imperial rule in India.
[5] The stories of Rashid Jahan dealt with oppressive worlds of Muslim women and the outdated religious and social dogma their societies.
[6][4] Ali's stories delved primarily on the condition of women like poverty, domestic abuse, sexual desire and longing experienced by widows.
[7] The book created controversy in the Muslim community of the British India upon its release and was met with outrage from both the religious and civil authorities.
[4][8] Four months after publication, on 15 March 1933, the book was banned by the government of the United Provinces under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code.
[10] In 1987 the microfilm of the book was found to have been preserved in the British Museum in London and was brought back to India by Qamar Rais, the head of the Urdu department of Delhi University.
The second book titled "Angaaray" is translated by Snehal Shingavi, an academic at the University of Texas and printed by Penguin.