Modern means of communication exhibit of the Prophecy Muhammad, (pbuh). Despite posing a great challenge to Islamic missionaries, such means provide them with a golden opportunity to spread the message of Islam.

Modern communication has rendered the world a small accessible village, similar to the ones where individual prophets of Allah would be sent in the days prior to Muhammad, (pbuh). This may be seen as evidence to humanity in its entirety, rather than a specific people or nation. Our Creator has always possessed the knowledge that all corners of the world would become interconnected, eliminating the need for prophet after prophet to relay the message of Allah to individual townspeople. And thereforce, Allah sent Muhammad, (pbuh), whose example would become accessible to all people at all times.

Mass communication, in fact, started with the beginning of the message of the Prophet, (pbuh), and continues to spread and develop today. The future surely will bring further development and make our world even smaller and more connected. Who, other than the Almighty Allah, could have possibly possessed this knowledge? For Muslims, the connection between people that has brought this about through modern communication is not simply aspect of modern life. It relates to the essence of Islamic faith as it further strengthens the case for the absolute truth of the message of the Prophet, (pbuh).

Modern communication provides us with an opportunity like no other to spread the word of Allah. This is evident in numerous areas. Book publishing has gained unprecedented speed and ease of distribution. Words and ideas may now be stored, in infinite numbers, in different portable forms immediately accessible to million. No longer is the spoken word restricted by the boundaries of time and space through developments in audio and visual technology. Gone are the days when written communication was entrusted to camels or messengers. Now, in matter of seconds, we can exchange ideas via e-mail or fax. The World Wide Web combines all of these media with ease of transmission and storage further advancing communication.

Islamic missionaries have thankfully made use of these developments. The words of the Book of Allah have been recorded in the voices of several of our renowned readers and, many of the hadeeth of the Prophet, (pbuh) have also been recorded. Today we listen to talks and lectures delivered by some of our greatest scholars who have since passed away. The World Wide Web too, has been put to use; The appearance of Islamic sites and information is increasing and I have met several people-may Allah guide them-this way. Muslim in the West had been complaining that papers and magazines had been denying them opportunity to be published, even in response to fabrications or attacks on Islam. Today, these people are free to express themselves on the Web.

On the other hand. I still wish to see increased interest in and development of this amazing tool. I hope to see the day when all Islamic references can be easily accessed on the web, when online courses can be guide interested scholars through all levels of mastery. I hope our American Open University, and its sister school in London, can progress to become international Islamic Universities competing with other open University, with its large population of 200,000 students. I wish individuals and Islamic organizations would have more attention to the importance of distance education, which is now being described by Western educators as the system for the future. This system is being given the utmost support and subsidization in the west, to become free of charge and available to all, regardless of geography.

From another side, modern means of communication may challenge Muslims for two main reasons. Even though we have been able to our message heard by non-Muslims all over the world, we are able to hear the messages carried by non-Muslim missionaries, particularly those in the West. Those missionaries are backed by solid financial support and they possess a firmer grasp of the workings of modern technology and communication.

They have thus surpassed the Muslims inconvying their ideas to others. In addition, they do not limit themselves to conventional methods of access the globe. They have their agents among us, speaking our language, writing in our papers and making prominent appearance on our radio and TV channels. Their mission is to Westernize –be it our political or economic systems, values, behaviors, education, upbringing, literary styles, historical theories, or even our religious views. They give Arabic and Islamic terms new meanings and then bombard our view of things. For example, the word “Usuliyeen”, originally meaning orthodox is now being used to describe all religious and conservation entities as though they are extreme. The idea being spread today is that the modern Muslim is the one who views religion with a Western and liberal eye.

The second challenge that comes to Muslims with modern communication is that we are constantly reminded that most people on Earth are not Muslim and that the great world are non-Muslim. We are able to see that the majority of Islamic countries have adopted secular legal systems and lifestyle. And man is weak when swimming against the current, even when it only involves going against a small group of peoples, as might have been the case in the past. So, how would he fare defying most of the people in the world? This kind of feeling may cause one to give in and join the crowed in their rejection of the Truth.

In Surah Taha, ayah 16, the Almighty address Moses, (pbuh), saying: “So do not be hindered from it by he who disbelieves in it, following his own whims, or you would be lost”. Seeing people refute one’s religion, for whatever trivial reasons may subject one to pressure leading to become uncomfortable with what he knows is the truth. In Surah Hood, ayah 12, Allah the Almighty tells Muhammad, (pbuh): “Perhaps you may feel inclined to give up a part of what is revealed to you, and you feel uncomfortable with it, lest they say, ‘Why has a treasure not been sent down to him, or an angel come down with him? But you are only to warm them and Allah is the Trustee over all things”. Allah does not send prophets who will be influenced by the desires and ideas of the people, nor whose mission will be obstructed by the rejection of the people. In this verse, Allah gives the prophet, (pbuh), a reminder and a warning to the existence of this human weakness of submitting under pressure. And if Prophets need to be warned of this, then others need to be warned over and again.

However, I do believe that what may appears to be harmful to us in modern means of communication may hold benefits which are not immediately apparent which are not be used to serve the spread of Islam. I hope to able to discuss this in an upcoming essay, inshaAllah.