Tabligh e Islam and the media (internet)

Early Muslim scholars relied upon ‘word of mouth’ to spread the Final Message of Allah and many spent months traveling by horse or camel to share the glad tidings of Islam with others.

The endeavor was enormous, grueling, time-consuming and extremely difficult as extenuating circumstances often interfered with the cause.Tribal wars, unfavorable weather, and poor equipment were just a few of the kinks that often hampered the effort of traveling for the sake of da’wah.

Now fast forward a thousand or so years to our current ‘Internet Age,’ which makes communicating and spreading the message of Islam as fast as the speed of light.

The Internet is the most successful modern-day da’wah tool in the history of Islam. Authentic Islamic information is available with just a few strokes of the keyboard. Translations of the Holy Qur’an are available for download on Islamic Web sites in just about every language known to man.

And every action, word, and deed that Prophet Muhammad and ahlulbayt lived can easily by accessed on the Internet with just a couple of clicks on the mouse.

Boon for newly converted Muslims.

Prior to the Internet it was difficult for new Muslims, or even born Muslims seeking to refresh their Islamic knowledge base, to learn about their faith. They were wholly reliant upon finding Islamic knowledge from books in their native language. However, the pickings were quite scarce.

These days new Muslims, and even non-Muslims interested in learning more about Islam, need only to surf the World Wide Web to learn more about the world’s fastest growing religion. In fact, many new converts to Islam often reveal that the Internet was an integral part of their choice to embrace Islam, as they either met a Muslim online who helped answer their questions or found the information themselves on an Islamic Web site.

As equally as the Internet is a powerful tool for promulgating the message of Islam, so too is it a powerful force for damaging it. The enemies of Islam have constructed their own fake Web sites that are made to look ‘Islamic’ so as to lead Muslims astray. 

Some of these adversaries have created hate-monger Web sites that blatantly attack Islam and Muslims. Extreme caution and common sense must be exercised when relying on the Internet for Islamic knowledge.

Islamic webmasters face a great responsibility in ensuring that all the web content of their Web site adheres strictly to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet.Muslim preachers, many of them volunteers, usually take two to three hours to reach a mosque within their own city to deliver a sermon. That’s why I encourage scholars to spread the word through broader masses through the Web,"

Keep Us on the Straight Path

In the exegesis of the words of Allah Ehdinas Siratal Mustaqeem ("Keep us on the Straight Path"), Imam as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has said that this means, "Guide us to the path whose result is Your love and which reaches to Your Deen (complete code and way of life) and which would prevent us from following our lower desires or which we would take views and opinions (over Yours) which would result in our destruction." (Masnad al-Rida, vol. 1, p. 314)

 

Commentary of the Hadith Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi

In the exegesis of this verse of the Qur’an which we read ten times within a 24 hour period, Imam as-Sadiq has stated the following points:

1. The first sign of the Straight Path is that this is the path which leads to the love of Allah. If day by day our love for Allah increases, then this is a sign that we are on the Straight Path (the Sirat al-Mustaqim).

 

2. The Straight Path is the thing which makes us reach to the Deen of Allah and the truth of the teachings of Allah. If day by day, we see that we are becoming closer to the truths of the faith, then it should be clear for us that we are on the Straight Path

 

3. The Straight Path is that road which prevents us from following our lower, base desires, and our own personal opinions and our own personal judgments. If we see that we have all of these within ourselves, then we should know that we are definitely on the Straight Path.

 

If we see that there is no effect of the love of Allah in our essence, or that year after year, our sincerity and presence of heart in the Salat is becoming less and less, then it is clear that we have gone astray from the Straight Path.

 

In addition, if we see that, in relation to the Deen of Allah whether this be in the Usul (fundamental beliefs) or the Furu (practical matters), there is no increase in our knowledge of these two branches, then it is perfectly clear that we have lost out direction from the Straight Path.

 

We seek refuge in Allah that a person, due to his base and lower desires, destroys the color of the faith and his religious responsibilities, as this is something very dangerous! When we stand for the Salat, we must seek from Allah guidance onto the Straight Path with our entire presence and essence and an increase in love for Him.

 

For those people who are traveling the path of Islamic studies seeking to become religious scholars, this is something as a show of pride that there is a purpose to their life that they are given more insight into their Deen and that their love and affection for Allah is increased.

 

At this point, the first question that comes up is, what is the Straight Path? And secondly, if we are constantly seeking guidance to the Straight Path from Allah, does that mean we are currently misguided? Furthermore, supposing that these words of ours are true, then what about the Prophet and the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them all), who are the examples of the perfect human being? What does it mean in relation to them?

 

Firstly, the Straight Path is the path of purity and goodness, the path of justice and equality, and the path of true faith and righteous actions.

 

Secondly, in response to the question raised, we must state that while a person is traversing upon the path of guidance, there is a fear that at any moment, he may slip off of the path and become misguided, and it is because of this fact that we must give ourselves up to our Lord and implore Him that he keep us firm and steady on the Straight Path.

In addition, traveling upon the path of guidance is the path towards perfection upon which, stage by stage, a person passes through the stages of difficulties so that he can reach to a higher level.

We also know that the paths towards perfection are limitless, and they lead to the Limitless Entity, and therefore, there is no room for amazement that even the Prophets and Imams used to ask Allah for guidance to the Straight Path, since it is only Allah who is the Purely Perfect Entity, and without exception, all others are traveling upon the path to reaching complete perfection. Thus, what harm is there in that these personalities too also ask Allah to reach to a higher level of perfection?!