In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
"Verily, we have sent down the Reminder, and, verily, we will guard it" (Quran 1:59)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the final prophet to come, Quran is the final revelation, and Islam is the final set of rules from Allah, and there will be no more amendments, or updates coming. If we think about this for a second, this is a very important part of the message of Islam. Every other religion came before it was localized in time and place, and then another Prophet will come to replace the earlier one, and new set of rules may come down to match the situation of that nation. However, it changed with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and he was given something that had to last until Qiyamah. So, how can an Arab living in a desert, who can not read or write, will set an example for all humanity to follow until the end of days?
Answer is very simple that Allah chose Islam as a religion for mankind, and he is the Most Wise. He selected the best of the human being to present the best way of life. Islam has survived more than 1434 years because, it does not prohibit scientific research and development, rather it makes it part of faith to benefit from new ideas and inventions, as long as they don't go against the principles of Islam. Following ahadith shows this point clearly.
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit al-Ansari, one of the scribes of the Revelation: Abu Bakr sent for me after the casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra (memorizers of the Quran, were killed)...Abu Bakr said to me (Zaid bin Thabit): You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness) and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur'an and collect it (in one manuscript)'...So I started locating the Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leafstalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who know it by heart)..." (Bukhari 6:201)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham (Syria) and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azherbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their differences in the recitation of the Quran, so he said to Uthman, 'O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and Christians did before'... 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Said bin Al-As and Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies (in Qureyshi tongue)... Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy ... and ordered that all the other Quranic materials whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt..." (Bukhari 6:510)
When Umar (RA) and Abu Bakr came to Zaid bin Thabit, and asked him to compile Quranic verse in a single text, they were basically recognizing that Islam will not be preserved if it is not recorded in its entirety in one place as a back up copy. (Bukhari 6:201) Then, Uthman (RA) recognized that oral recitation of the Quran is being debated, and there is a need to standardize the Quran as a written form. He asked Zaid bin Thabit and a few others to make several copies and sent to all corner of the world.
Similarly, we have to recognize that if we want to survive as a community, we need to take the aid of everything available. In our generation, every organization and community is using electronic media to preserve, and share their message, which is very powerful than other forms of primitive communication. Just like many of us have text of Quran at home now, which was the adoption to new medium, it is an obligation of the muslim community to "upgrade" the Ummah to the 21st century. Websites, emails, and other software and internet based portals are very powerful tools, and not utilizing in the service of a masjid is like not having any text of Quran in the masjid. There are basically three benefits of using websites and emails for a muslim community, which are the most convincing ones.
First benefit is the power of availability and accessibility of the internet, which means if there is an effort requiring funds for the masjid, anyone around the world could know about it, and respond to it. Also, community members can access the information they are looking for from anywhere at anytime. Events can be organized with a simple effort, and notification can be sent to people without any expense to the masjid.
Second benefit is to preserve the message and communication. In fact, it is an obligation for every Muslim to practice Islam, and make every effort to preserve Islam for the next generations to come. If properly setup, electronic media is much more reliable and long lasting than physical media. If there is a message posted on a notice board of the masjid, it will be replaced soon, or fall off, or wear of. However, a website post will stay there for as long as we want it to be available. For example, prayer time table can be posted on the website and accessible easily. This sounds an obvious thing, but it is worth mentioning.
Third but not least benefit is that message of Islam and community can be reached to people who don't come to masjid that often, or do not have enough time to volunteer. It is vital to reach out to people who are available online, and attract them to the masjid, and having a website and electronic communication can do that. Every organization in the world has a web presence now, and not having a website for the masjid, is like not having any sign or markings outside the building of the masjid that people can use to find the masjid.
Actually, these benefits are so common now that almost everyone is aware of it. Moreover, these are just top three benefits of electronic communication within Muslim community, but we could list hundreds of them without covering all. If the Prophet (PBUH), or Umar or Abu Bakr were alive today, they would have certainly taken advantage of internet and electronic media to preserve, share, and preach Islam. Many of us struggle to keep up with the community, so bringing the community closer to the Muslims will serve the purpose, which Allah has assigned to us.
JazakAllah Khairin
"Verily, we have sent down the Reminder, and, verily, we will guard it" (Quran 1:59)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the final prophet to come, Quran is the final revelation, and Islam is the final set of rules from Allah, and there will be no more amendments, or updates coming. If we think about this for a second, this is a very important part of the message of Islam. Every other religion came before it was localized in time and place, and then another Prophet will come to replace the earlier one, and new set of rules may come down to match the situation of that nation. However, it changed with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and he was given something that had to last until Qiyamah. So, how can an Arab living in a desert, who can not read or write, will set an example for all humanity to follow until the end of days?
Answer is very simple that Allah chose Islam as a religion for mankind, and he is the Most Wise. He selected the best of the human being to present the best way of life. Islam has survived more than 1434 years because, it does not prohibit scientific research and development, rather it makes it part of faith to benefit from new ideas and inventions, as long as they don't go against the principles of Islam. Following ahadith shows this point clearly.
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit al-Ansari, one of the scribes of the Revelation: Abu Bakr sent for me after the casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra (memorizers of the Quran, were killed)...Abu Bakr said to me (Zaid bin Thabit): You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness) and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur'an and collect it (in one manuscript)'...So I started locating the Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leafstalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who know it by heart)..." (Bukhari 6:201)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham (Syria) and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azherbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their differences in the recitation of the Quran, so he said to Uthman, 'O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and Christians did before'... 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Said bin Al-As and Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies (in Qureyshi tongue)... Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy ... and ordered that all the other Quranic materials whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt..." (Bukhari 6:510)
When Umar (RA) and Abu Bakr came to Zaid bin Thabit, and asked him to compile Quranic verse in a single text, they were basically recognizing that Islam will not be preserved if it is not recorded in its entirety in one place as a back up copy. (Bukhari 6:201) Then, Uthman (RA) recognized that oral recitation of the Quran is being debated, and there is a need to standardize the Quran as a written form. He asked Zaid bin Thabit and a few others to make several copies and sent to all corner of the world.
Similarly, we have to recognize that if we want to survive as a community, we need to take the aid of everything available. In our generation, every organization and community is using electronic media to preserve, and share their message, which is very powerful than other forms of primitive communication. Just like many of us have text of Quran at home now, which was the adoption to new medium, it is an obligation of the muslim community to "upgrade" the Ummah to the 21st century. Websites, emails, and other software and internet based portals are very powerful tools, and not utilizing in the service of a masjid is like not having any text of Quran in the masjid. There are basically three benefits of using websites and emails for a muslim community, which are the most convincing ones.
First benefit is the power of availability and accessibility of the internet, which means if there is an effort requiring funds for the masjid, anyone around the world could know about it, and respond to it. Also, community members can access the information they are looking for from anywhere at anytime. Events can be organized with a simple effort, and notification can be sent to people without any expense to the masjid.
Second benefit is to preserve the message and communication. In fact, it is an obligation for every Muslim to practice Islam, and make every effort to preserve Islam for the next generations to come. If properly setup, electronic media is much more reliable and long lasting than physical media. If there is a message posted on a notice board of the masjid, it will be replaced soon, or fall off, or wear of. However, a website post will stay there for as long as we want it to be available. For example, prayer time table can be posted on the website and accessible easily. This sounds an obvious thing, but it is worth mentioning.
Third but not least benefit is that message of Islam and community can be reached to people who don't come to masjid that often, or do not have enough time to volunteer. It is vital to reach out to people who are available online, and attract them to the masjid, and having a website and electronic communication can do that. Every organization in the world has a web presence now, and not having a website for the masjid, is like not having any sign or markings outside the building of the masjid that people can use to find the masjid.
Actually, these benefits are so common now that almost everyone is aware of it. Moreover, these are just top three benefits of electronic communication within Muslim community, but we could list hundreds of them without covering all. If the Prophet (PBUH), or Umar or Abu Bakr were alive today, they would have certainly taken advantage of internet and electronic media to preserve, share, and preach Islam. Many of us struggle to keep up with the community, so bringing the community closer to the Muslims will serve the purpose, which Allah has assigned to us.
JazakAllah Khairin
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