ABSTRACT
The preamble does not form part of the constitution as such and therefore does not have the same legal status as the constitution itself. However, it presents the rationale for and/or situation of the proclamation of the constitution. The normal Arabic translation of ‘Preamble’ is ﺔﻣﺪﻘﻤﻟا. It is common in English to have a preamble without a title line ‘Preamble’. The Constitution of the United States, for example, begins ‘WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION [. . .]’. The Constitution of India, by contrast, uses the title ‘PREAMBLE’ followed by the opening statement, ‘We, the People of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Democratic Republic [. . .]’.
