THE PROPAGATION METHODS OF THE RELIGION OF ISLAM REFERENCE TO
NIGERIA
(PART 4 OF 5)
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY 20th AUGUST 2019 CE and 18th DHUL HIJJA 1440 AH
TEL +2348186961697 (WHATSAPP)
7.0 THE
BEGINNING OF USE OF THE INTERNET
TO PROPAGATE ISLAM
In the beginning of the
year 1969 CE, in the state of California, people were able to transfer
data between two personal computers which were few metres apart via a telephone
line, and this was the first such connection to be established anywhere.
Before this incident, such a link was only a concept which was to be implemented in the computer laboratories of the United States Department of Defence as part of their Star Wars program. The aim was to have a network fit for military use.
The number of people who connected to this initial network increased rapidly and developed at a very rapid rate, such that the number has reached more than billion people today, who are connected through millions of personal computers globally, and this, in the opinion of many, was the most important invention of the twentieth century. Allah Says (what means): فَسَتُبۡصِرُ وَيُبۡصِرُونَ (٥)
Before this incident, such a link was only a concept which was to be implemented in the computer laboratories of the United States Department of Defence as part of their Star Wars program. The aim was to have a network fit for military use.
The number of people who connected to this initial network increased rapidly and developed at a very rapid rate, such that the number has reached more than billion people today, who are connected through millions of personal computers globally, and this, in the opinion of many, was the most important invention of the twentieth century. Allah Says (what means): فَسَتُبۡصِرُ وَيُبۡصِرُونَ (٥)
“[Allah] Taught man that which he knew not.” [Holy Qur'an
Chapter 68: 5]
Allah has made mankind a successive authority upon the earth, wherein man lives and worships Allah; He has granted man great ability of mind and has created for him upon the earth things which he can invest in and utilize in the obedience of Allah; so glad tidings for the one who utilizes the earth's resources in the obedience of Allah and woe to those who utilize them in His disobedience.
One cannot help but be surprised when he witnesses the development of the Internet in light of the Hadeeth of the Prophet which was narrated by Abu Hurayrah in the book of Imam Ahmad and others; he said: “The Hour will not come until trials appear in large numbers, lying becomes widespread, markets converge and time shortens.” In another narration, he said: “Until time shortens and Harj increases.” So a companion of his asked: “What is Harj?” and he replied: “Countless killing.”
In the past, the scholars such as Ibn Al-Khattab, Al-Khattabi, Ath-Thawri & Ibn Hajar have interpreted the shortness of time to mean that time will lose its value and people will feel that there is not enough of it to do anything. Contemporary scholars like Shaykh ibn Baaz said commenting on the book Fath Al-Bari of Imam ibn Hajar : “This can be interpreted to be the contraction of distance and the time required to travel it due to aircraft and cars, as well as the closeness that people feel regarding events due to radio (which broadcasts these events).”
However, if we take a look at the invention of the Internet, we will see that it best fits as an interpretation for this narration, because the Internet has made everything seem closer and turned the entire world into a global village. As for the closeness of markets, Shaykh Mas’ood Ad-Dakheeli said: “It seems that this is referring to how the distance between places has shortened during our time due to the various means of transportation via air and land, and due to the electronic devices, like radios and televisions, which transmit sound and images and have made the markets in different parts of earth seem near to each other, so that traders know about any changes in price anywhere in the world, and consequently raise their prices in their own locations accordingly, or decrease them if they drop elsewhere.”
Therefore, the closeness of markets is in three ways: firstly, the speed of transfer of market data, secondly, the physical proximity due to modern transportation methods, and thirdly, the similarity in prices between markets.
Anyone who is well acquainted with the Internet will realise just how closely it fits the abovementioned prophetic narration.
There is one website, for example, that has three million items and runs an international auction on a number of these items. One can buy anything via such websites, and there are very many of these on the internet. Also, one can also display on such websites what items he himself has to sell, and this is an indication that we are living at the end of time, close to the Hour, as in the aforementioned narration, and that the minor preconditions of the Hour are taking place and that there are about three of them still left to occur. After these, the ten major preconditions will start occurring. It is worth mentioning that there is nothing to prevent a major sign from occurring concurrently with some of the minor signs of the Hour, as some of the scholars noted.
Allah has made mankind a successive authority upon the earth, wherein man lives and worships Allah; He has granted man great ability of mind and has created for him upon the earth things which he can invest in and utilize in the obedience of Allah; so glad tidings for the one who utilizes the earth's resources in the obedience of Allah and woe to those who utilize them in His disobedience.
One cannot help but be surprised when he witnesses the development of the Internet in light of the Hadeeth of the Prophet which was narrated by Abu Hurayrah in the book of Imam Ahmad and others; he said: “The Hour will not come until trials appear in large numbers, lying becomes widespread, markets converge and time shortens.” In another narration, he said: “Until time shortens and Harj increases.” So a companion of his asked: “What is Harj?” and he replied: “Countless killing.”
In the past, the scholars such as Ibn Al-Khattab, Al-Khattabi, Ath-Thawri & Ibn Hajar have interpreted the shortness of time to mean that time will lose its value and people will feel that there is not enough of it to do anything. Contemporary scholars like Shaykh ibn Baaz said commenting on the book Fath Al-Bari of Imam ibn Hajar : “This can be interpreted to be the contraction of distance and the time required to travel it due to aircraft and cars, as well as the closeness that people feel regarding events due to radio (which broadcasts these events).”
However, if we take a look at the invention of the Internet, we will see that it best fits as an interpretation for this narration, because the Internet has made everything seem closer and turned the entire world into a global village. As for the closeness of markets, Shaykh Mas’ood Ad-Dakheeli said: “It seems that this is referring to how the distance between places has shortened during our time due to the various means of transportation via air and land, and due to the electronic devices, like radios and televisions, which transmit sound and images and have made the markets in different parts of earth seem near to each other, so that traders know about any changes in price anywhere in the world, and consequently raise their prices in their own locations accordingly, or decrease them if they drop elsewhere.”
Therefore, the closeness of markets is in three ways: firstly, the speed of transfer of market data, secondly, the physical proximity due to modern transportation methods, and thirdly, the similarity in prices between markets.
Anyone who is well acquainted with the Internet will realise just how closely it fits the abovementioned prophetic narration.
There is one website, for example, that has three million items and runs an international auction on a number of these items. One can buy anything via such websites, and there are very many of these on the internet. Also, one can also display on such websites what items he himself has to sell, and this is an indication that we are living at the end of time, close to the Hour, as in the aforementioned narration, and that the minor preconditions of the Hour are taking place and that there are about three of them still left to occur. After these, the ten major preconditions will start occurring. It is worth mentioning that there is nothing to prevent a major sign from occurring concurrently with some of the minor signs of the Hour, as some of the scholars noted.
The point here is the closeness of markets and the
shortness of time, which is fulfilled by the Internet, and is another proof of
the prophethood of the Prophet who informed us fourteen hundred years ago about
things that are taking place during our time.
Other narrations related to the preconditions of
the Hour include the saying of the Prophet: “Before the Hour, dealing in trade
will become widespread.” Electronic trade has overwhelmed the markets and is in
the billions of dollars. He also informed us that of these signs will be: “…the
spread of adultery and fornication” as in the narration in the book of Imam
Bukhari. In the narration of Imam Al-Hakim he said: “Immorality will spread…” -
In excess of four hundred thousand pornographic websites are present on the
Internet which spread immorality worldwide.
Another relationship between the Internet and the
preconditions of the Hour is highlighted in the narration in the book of Imam
At-Tabarani where the Prophet said: “Before the Hour, dealing in Riba (i.e.,
interest and usury) will become widespread.” It is well known that on the
Internet, dealing in Riba is widespread and many banks have established
websites and set the cost of a customer transaction via the Internet as only
ten cents, whereas the cost of a live transaction inside a bank building costs
one dollar and seven cents; this is an indication that as time passes, dealings
inside bank buildings will become obsolete and all banking transactions will be
done via the Internet by people who are at home or in their offices. These
banks are institutions that have been established on Riba and their
proliferation on the Internet has become evident. Additionally, the use of
credit cards on the Internet is also widespread. The prohibited use of cards
like Visa, MasterCard and American Express, all of which entail dealing in
Riba, causes the wrath of Allah to befall the one using them.
8.0
SPREADING ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE USING INTERNET
Another matter regarding the Internet which is
associated with the preconditions of the Hour is the saying of the Prophet
(Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salaam) as in the book of Imam Ibn Hibban “Lying will
spread.” A liar will be punished in his grave by having his face ripped down to
his rectum, because of how his lies spread among people. Nowadays, one can lie
and publish this on the Internet, and it would spread from the east to the west
in an instant.
A recent survey states that the number of users on
the internet are more than billion people, and the number is increasing
extremely rapidly. 77% of the Americans say that they have benefited from it,
44% say they cannot live without it, and 87% use it to call and contact their
relatives. The Internet has entered the Arab and Islamic world, but there are
two obstacles which obstruct it from being used freely in these countries:
1. The lack of technical knowledge on an
individual level.
2. The lack of knowledge of the English language.
On the other hand, the Internet is potentially
very beneficial; we are not trying to market the use of the Internet here, but
we are simply displaying its benefits as well as its dangers. There are many
benefits such as:
1.
It facilitates purchasing
and brings within reach the display of any item one desires to buy or order,
such as books etc.
2.
It facilitates running a
business.
3.
It is inexpensive to make
calls via it.
4.
It makes contacting
international research centres an easy task.
5.
It enables the swift
sending of mail.
6.
It enables people to
listen to the radio, watch medical programs and participate in discussions.
7.
It contains many means
that one can take advantage of in the propagation of Islam and calling people
to Allah.
A question arises: how can we benefit from the
Internet in the field of propagating Islam? Our presence on the internet is
very weak, which is a shame for a Nation that is supposed to be the best nation
ever sent out to mankind. I am addressing here those people who have a real
concern for spreading Islam, and not just anyone.
There is no doubt that there is a spiritual vacuum
in the west as well as the east, and that people lack a system which can
establish justice. The world is full of injustice and oppression; it is also
filled with corruption and enmity. People live the law of the jungle where the
strong eat the weak; this is a world whose evil knows no limit. This world is
full of people who commit suicide, have nervous breakdowns and many other
disorders which reflect the vacuum we mentioned earlier, and people will never
live in justice and peace except through Islam.
Islam is a religion which
is a mercy to mankind; it is the only religion which Allah accepts from people
as Allah Says (what means): وَمَن يَبۡتَغِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمِ دِينً۬ا فَلَن
يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرِينَ (٨٥)
“Whoever desires other than Islam as
religion - never will it be accepted from him.” [Holy Qur'an Chapter 3:
85]
If we acknowledge that Islam must become the international religion which all people should adopt, we must convey it to mankind using all available means and methods. We will not reign supreme if we fail to utilize all means to make this religion dominate, or else we will be forsaking Islam and not supporting it. We are commanded by Allah to explain Islam to the masses and we must have the sense of responsibility to spread this religion worldwide, to the best of our ability.
If we acknowledge that Islam must become the international religion which all people should adopt, we must convey it to mankind using all available means and methods. We will not reign supreme if we fail to utilize all means to make this religion dominate, or else we will be forsaking Islam and not supporting it. We are commanded by Allah to explain Islam to the masses and we must have the sense of responsibility to spread this religion worldwide, to the best of our ability.
9.0 SPREADING AND PROPAGATING ISLAM VIA THE
INTERNET
Spreading and propagating
Islam via the Internet is something which cannot escape us. Even with simple
planning and limited resources we can establish projects to propagate Islam and
present them to people, which will have very beneficial results. Thus, we must
have the eagerness to address the hearts of people and try to convey to them
the light of Islam.
With regards to spreading Islamic knowledge:
First: We need a huge amount of resources and careful planning and entities to adopt mammoth projects and see their successful completion.
Second: We need to establish huge databases for the different Islamic sciences, in addition to advanced search engines in Arabic, because what is available on the Internet now is insufficient as well as substandard.
Third: We need to connect the masses to the lectures of scholars via the Internet.
Fourth: We need specific channels for academic lectures, where the scholar delivers them and people can instantly see him from their home - worldwide, because despite the fact that some of us are blessed to be around scholars and be able to attend their lectures, there are many others who are deprived of this bounty as they do not have either scholars or students of knowledge living in their area; this would open a way for people to seek knowledge, the reward for which is, as the Prophet said, Allah opening a way towards Paradise for the one who does so.
Fifth: we need to make the Fatawa of the scholars reach the masses people and enable them to inquire about matters directly via the Internet by setting aside certain times for them.
Sixth: Islamic universities should teach students around the world via the Internet for a small fee to cover the expenses of such a project, as is already the case with universities in the United States and Europethat teach worldly subjects … we must join the caravan.
Seventh: Another idea is to publish on the Internet Masters and PhD degree theses in Islamic studies and organize them with efficient indices, which would facilitate searching by Muslims and even non-Muslims who may thereby benefit greatly; there is a yearning to learn about Islam nowadays among the non-believers worldwide. The era that we live in has seen a revolution in the field of data and communications, and we must take advantage of this to spread Islamic information which will benefit those who search the Internet. There are many out there who compare the world's religions. There are people who would like to read the Quran, or the translation of its meaning, as well as prophetic narrations in order to know the nature of Islam, its economic, political and religious system, as well as all other things related to this religion. References/sources are listed at Part 5 of 5, of this article
With regards to spreading Islamic knowledge:
First: We need a huge amount of resources and careful planning and entities to adopt mammoth projects and see their successful completion.
Second: We need to establish huge databases for the different Islamic sciences, in addition to advanced search engines in Arabic, because what is available on the Internet now is insufficient as well as substandard.
Third: We need to connect the masses to the lectures of scholars via the Internet.
Fourth: We need specific channels for academic lectures, where the scholar delivers them and people can instantly see him from their home - worldwide, because despite the fact that some of us are blessed to be around scholars and be able to attend their lectures, there are many others who are deprived of this bounty as they do not have either scholars or students of knowledge living in their area; this would open a way for people to seek knowledge, the reward for which is, as the Prophet said, Allah opening a way towards Paradise for the one who does so.
Fifth: we need to make the Fatawa of the scholars reach the masses people and enable them to inquire about matters directly via the Internet by setting aside certain times for them.
Sixth: Islamic universities should teach students around the world via the Internet for a small fee to cover the expenses of such a project, as is already the case with universities in the United States and Europethat teach worldly subjects … we must join the caravan.
Seventh: Another idea is to publish on the Internet Masters and PhD degree theses in Islamic studies and organize them with efficient indices, which would facilitate searching by Muslims and even non-Muslims who may thereby benefit greatly; there is a yearning to learn about Islam nowadays among the non-believers worldwide. The era that we live in has seen a revolution in the field of data and communications, and we must take advantage of this to spread Islamic information which will benefit those who search the Internet. There are many out there who compare the world's religions. There are people who would like to read the Quran, or the translation of its meaning, as well as prophetic narrations in order to know the nature of Islam, its economic, political and religious system, as well as all other things related to this religion. References/sources are listed at Part 5 of 5, of this article
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