The ways and means that can be employed for Islamic work are numerous and diverse. There are new approaches coming about all the time. We will look at some of them.
1. The written word:
People read. There can be no doubt about it. We cannot believe the popular claim that people have given up reading when we can see bookstores opening all the time and book fairs being held everywhere. This shows us that there must be readers out there. It it were not for readers, there would be no books.
Books are not all that people read. They read newspapers and magazines as well. What is important is that the written word must be read and that it is also something that can be preserved. People keep libraries in their homes. Even those people who keep books in their homes merely for decoration are inadvertently providing the visitors to their homes an opportunity to read. Haven’t we all experienced being to people’s homes where our host has left us for a while and we picked up a book or magazine lying about and started to read it?
The written word comes in many forms. Each has its own merits and unique qualities.
Books: Writing a book is a serious undertaking. A person should not write a book merely to write one and take up shelf space with it. An author needs to have a good reason for doing so. Hâjî Khalîfah enumerates the reasons why someone should want to take the trouble to write a book:
The task of writing takes seven valid forms. No rational scholar would pursue any other. The first of these is a topic that no one has dealt with before and needs to be addressed. The second is a topic that has been insufficiently dealt with and needs to be supplemented. The third is something that is difficult to understand and needs to be explained. The fourth is something that is long and drawn out and needs to be abridged without its content being made to suffer. The fifth is a topic that is scattered about in different references and that needs to be compiled together in one place. The sixth is a topic that has been handled only in a disorganized manner and that demands to be arranged in a systematic and orderly manner. The seventh is a mistake hat needs to be corrected.
Every author who would write on a topic that someone else has already written about should make sure that his book provides at least one of the following five benefits: It should draw forth or introduce some idea that had heretofore either been problematic or had gone unnoticed. It should bring together some related ideas that had previously been kept separate. It should explain and clarify difficult concepts. It should present the material in a better, more organized manner. It should dispense with unnecessary material that unnecessarily draws the topic out. [Kashf al-Zunûn (1/35-36)]
Islamic work is a business that we engage in with our Lord. It is not something we do for money. Worldly business is a competitive arena where only the fittest survive. Islamic work is different. If one of us sees that his brother has already carried out the task that we had wished to perform, we should praise Allah that the need has been fulfilled and look for some other contribution that we can make. It must not be the goal of Islamic workers to take to pieces or disparage the efforts of others. Instead we must lend our support, assistance, and encouragement.
Letters and mailings: Some organizations involved in Islamic work as well as some private individuals draft letters, often personally addressed to their recipients. This correspondence can indeed be on the level of a very direct personal interchange. For some people, letter writing is a hobby that they enjoy and people seek out pen pals from far afield for this purpose.
Pamphlets and booklets: These are short written tracts devoted to particular topics. They might discuss Islamic beliefs, some issues of Islamic Law, some points of morality, etiquettes, or some other topic suited to this format. Publications of this nature abound these days. From one angle, this can be seen as a good thing. It shows a healthy level of activity. However, there is a downside to it as well. For some people, booklets and pamphlets have become their only source of Islamic knowledge. People have begun neglecting the important source works from which the information in those pamphlets is taken.
SMS: One of the newest ways of disseminating the written word is the short messaging system that works via cell phone. If these messages are used properly, they can prove to be a very effective means of influencing friends and acquaintances.
Periodicals: Periodicals are of two kinds. First, there are journals, magazines, and newspapers devoted to Islamic issues. Contributing to publications of this nature is not problematic. Then there are magazines and newspapers that target a general audience. They are devoted to various topics. Contributing to such publications is generally a good idea. However, those who wish to do so should adhere to the following guidelines:
1. The place of publication of any contribution should be clearly predefined. Periodicals are of many kinds and it important that any contribution is only published in a suitable publication.
2. Another necessary condition is that no modification or alteration should be made to the contributed article that could in any way change the author’s intended meaning.
An author who wishes to write for these publications has to be able to put some vitality into his writing. We often find while reading articles about Islam that, in spite of their being well supported with references from the Qur’ân and Sunnah, are quite weak in their presentation and fail to hold the reader’s attention. The readership has to see clearly how the references from the Qur’ân and Sunnah support the point the author is trying to make. Muslim readers, for instance, already know the Qur’ân and Sunnah and have direct access to these two sources. What they need to read are articles that will give them deeper insights.
The Internet: This is one of the modern means of conveying the message of Islam. Though it is a multimedia vehicle for information that can be used for the dissemination of audio and video materials, the written word predominates. The Internet can no longer be ignored. It has become indispensable.
It should not be viewed as something evil concocted by the West to corrupt the Muslims. That is a bad attitude to have. And why should we have such an attitude? Experience has shown us that the Internet is something that we can use to our advantage. If we turn our backs on it, we are wasting a golden opportunity for calling people to Islam.
Those who wish to engage in Islamic work using this medium should be people who have at least a reasonable degree of Islamic knowledge. They should also have the ability to discuss matters in a convincing manner.
The Internet accommodates articles of all lengths as well as dialogue. It is an ideal medium for the propagation of Islam. A Muslim needs only to put his trust in Allah and get involved.
2. The spoken word:
The spoken word can be heard on its own or it can be part of a broader visual experience. In either event, it can have a great impact on the listener. It all depends on the strength of the topic and the strength of the delivery. There are many ways that the spoken word can be employed:
Teaching: This can occur in the classroom, an informal study circle, or the local mosque. The teacher can have a great impact on his students – no matter who they are – as long as he takes their needs into consideration and speaks to them on a level that they can understand. He can inspire them and help to shape them, no matter how young those students might be.
`Amr b. al-`Âs joined a study circle that had convened near the Ka`bah. He learned that they had forbidden children from attending their circles. He said to them: “Do not do that. Though they may be the smallest people in society today, they will be its leaders tomorrow, just as we had been the least of our people at one time but now we are leaders of others.”
1. The written word:
People read. There can be no doubt about it. We cannot believe the popular claim that people have given up reading when we can see bookstores opening all the time and book fairs being held everywhere. This shows us that there must be readers out there. It it were not for readers, there would be no books.
Books are not all that people read. They read newspapers and magazines as well. What is important is that the written word must be read and that it is also something that can be preserved. People keep libraries in their homes. Even those people who keep books in their homes merely for decoration are inadvertently providing the visitors to their homes an opportunity to read. Haven’t we all experienced being to people’s homes where our host has left us for a while and we picked up a book or magazine lying about and started to read it?
The written word comes in many forms. Each has its own merits and unique qualities.
Books: Writing a book is a serious undertaking. A person should not write a book merely to write one and take up shelf space with it. An author needs to have a good reason for doing so. Hâjî Khalîfah enumerates the reasons why someone should want to take the trouble to write a book:
The task of writing takes seven valid forms. No rational scholar would pursue any other. The first of these is a topic that no one has dealt with before and needs to be addressed. The second is a topic that has been insufficiently dealt with and needs to be supplemented. The third is something that is difficult to understand and needs to be explained. The fourth is something that is long and drawn out and needs to be abridged without its content being made to suffer. The fifth is a topic that is scattered about in different references and that needs to be compiled together in one place. The sixth is a topic that has been handled only in a disorganized manner and that demands to be arranged in a systematic and orderly manner. The seventh is a mistake hat needs to be corrected.
Every author who would write on a topic that someone else has already written about should make sure that his book provides at least one of the following five benefits: It should draw forth or introduce some idea that had heretofore either been problematic or had gone unnoticed. It should bring together some related ideas that had previously been kept separate. It should explain and clarify difficult concepts. It should present the material in a better, more organized manner. It should dispense with unnecessary material that unnecessarily draws the topic out. [Kashf al-Zunûn (1/35-36)]
Islamic work is a business that we engage in with our Lord. It is not something we do for money. Worldly business is a competitive arena where only the fittest survive. Islamic work is different. If one of us sees that his brother has already carried out the task that we had wished to perform, we should praise Allah that the need has been fulfilled and look for some other contribution that we can make. It must not be the goal of Islamic workers to take to pieces or disparage the efforts of others. Instead we must lend our support, assistance, and encouragement.
Letters and mailings: Some organizations involved in Islamic work as well as some private individuals draft letters, often personally addressed to their recipients. This correspondence can indeed be on the level of a very direct personal interchange. For some people, letter writing is a hobby that they enjoy and people seek out pen pals from far afield for this purpose.
Pamphlets and booklets: These are short written tracts devoted to particular topics. They might discuss Islamic beliefs, some issues of Islamic Law, some points of morality, etiquettes, or some other topic suited to this format. Publications of this nature abound these days. From one angle, this can be seen as a good thing. It shows a healthy level of activity. However, there is a downside to it as well. For some people, booklets and pamphlets have become their only source of Islamic knowledge. People have begun neglecting the important source works from which the information in those pamphlets is taken.
SMS: One of the newest ways of disseminating the written word is the short messaging system that works via cell phone. If these messages are used properly, they can prove to be a very effective means of influencing friends and acquaintances.
Periodicals: Periodicals are of two kinds. First, there are journals, magazines, and newspapers devoted to Islamic issues. Contributing to publications of this nature is not problematic. Then there are magazines and newspapers that target a general audience. They are devoted to various topics. Contributing to such publications is generally a good idea. However, those who wish to do so should adhere to the following guidelines:
1. The place of publication of any contribution should be clearly predefined. Periodicals are of many kinds and it important that any contribution is only published in a suitable publication.
2. Another necessary condition is that no modification or alteration should be made to the contributed article that could in any way change the author’s intended meaning.
An author who wishes to write for these publications has to be able to put some vitality into his writing. We often find while reading articles about Islam that, in spite of their being well supported with references from the Qur’ân and Sunnah, are quite weak in their presentation and fail to hold the reader’s attention. The readership has to see clearly how the references from the Qur’ân and Sunnah support the point the author is trying to make. Muslim readers, for instance, already know the Qur’ân and Sunnah and have direct access to these two sources. What they need to read are articles that will give them deeper insights.
The Internet: This is one of the modern means of conveying the message of Islam. Though it is a multimedia vehicle for information that can be used for the dissemination of audio and video materials, the written word predominates. The Internet can no longer be ignored. It has become indispensable.
It should not be viewed as something evil concocted by the West to corrupt the Muslims. That is a bad attitude to have. And why should we have such an attitude? Experience has shown us that the Internet is something that we can use to our advantage. If we turn our backs on it, we are wasting a golden opportunity for calling people to Islam.
Those who wish to engage in Islamic work using this medium should be people who have at least a reasonable degree of Islamic knowledge. They should also have the ability to discuss matters in a convincing manner.
The Internet accommodates articles of all lengths as well as dialogue. It is an ideal medium for the propagation of Islam. A Muslim needs only to put his trust in Allah and get involved.
2. The spoken word:
The spoken word can be heard on its own or it can be part of a broader visual experience. In either event, it can have a great impact on the listener. It all depends on the strength of the topic and the strength of the delivery. There are many ways that the spoken word can be employed:
Teaching: This can occur in the classroom, an informal study circle, or the local mosque. The teacher can have a great impact on his students – no matter who they are – as long as he takes their needs into consideration and speaks to them on a level that they can understand. He can inspire them and help to shape them, no matter how young those students might be.
`Amr b. al-`Âs joined a study circle that had convened near the Ka`bah. He learned that they had forbidden children from attending their circles. He said to them: “Do not do that. Though they may be the smallest people in society today, they will be its leaders tomorrow, just as we had been the least of our people at one time but now we are leaders of others.”