DAWAH ON THE INTERNET BY YAQEEN UL HAQ AHMAD SIKANDER

In the modern times Internet is one of the most powerful means of mass media. Internet is used by more than a billion people worldwide. So internet can be turned into a powerful tool for E-Dawah. Many western people say that "Islam needs reformation". Islam doesn't need any reformation but "It needs to be taught in a scientific and relevant way". There are innumerable Islamic websites floating in cyberspace which provide enlightening information on Islam and its various aspects. There are thousands of Islamic websites in the cyberspace. In our country a large number of Islamic websites are uploaded regularly. Besides providing information about various aspects of Islam, many websites have separate sections for removing the misconceptions among the non-Muslims. Some websites also have discussion forums and online chatting specially for those who are interested in knowing more about Islam. From the past years I am collecting the details about authentic Islamic websites and my efforts have proved successful up to a great extent. I have listed below some of the websites and their details which I found very useful for Dawah work: 1) www.irf.net This is the website of Islamic Research Foundation headed by Dr.Zakir Naik. Books authored by Ahmed Deedat, Dr.Zakir Naik,etc. can be downloaded from this site. It also provides an online Dawah training for an effective Dawah. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) provided by the website are very useful. This website also has childrens section and Ladies wing. It has provides details about the coming events of IRF. 2) www.sultan.org , www.islammessage.com These two websites offer free downloading of various Islamic Literature, books on Prophet Muhammad (SAW)'s life, The Quran and the Hadith, etc. Besides books a number of important articles can be downloaded from these sites. 3) www.ahya.org , www.quransunnah.org Both are these are websites of Salafis. From these websites you can download hundreds of articles and important audio lectures by eminent scholars of Islam. You can also subscribe to AHYA's mailing list. 4) www.islamqa.com

This website provides online fatwas (Islamic Rulings). This website is run by Shaykh Salih Al Munajjid and it is highly recommended and used by many scholars for getting Islamic Rulings on various contemporary issues. You ask a fatwa on any issue and they provide one, many a time within hours.

5) www.tanzeem.org It is the website of Tanzeem-e-Islami headed by Dr.Israr Ahmad, Pakistan. From this website you can download dozens of articles on the Hadith, commentary of Quran,etc. You can also download audio lectures of Dr.Israr Ahmad. You can even subscribe to Tanzeem's online newsletter. 6) www.islamcan.com It is an Indian website. From this website you can download a number of Islamic articles. This website also has a list of names for Muslim children. You can send e-greetings to your beloved ones from this site. You can subscribe to Islamcan's mailing list to receive Islamic stories. Besides these this website also has an Audio section, Arabic to english dictionary, online quizzes, free wallpapers, Questions and answers and much more. 7) www.theintellectual.info This website provides various articles on Islam, Comparative religion, Society, Book reviews, etc. It also has its own video gallery. Many young writers write for this website and its content is also very authentic and relevant. The inspiring stories of many reverts can also be found on this website. If you are a good writer then you can also contribute articles and material to this website. 8) www.islamtomorrow.com , www.shareislam.com This website is headed by Yusuf Estes. He is a revert and now he is one of the dynamic International Orators. From this site you can download a number of articles and this site also provides you with online Islamic chatting. You can also subscribe to its mailing list. 9) www.youngmuslims.ca This website provides you with an online Islamic library where you can view and download the books of eminent scholars like Hasan Al-Banna, Khurran Murad,etc. You can also download articles from this site. Apart from these you can even subscribe to its mailing list to receive periodic newsletters known as Friday Nasiha which are mailed every Friday. 10) www.islamnewsroom.com , www.islamicvoice.com , www.youngmuslimdigest.com , www.milligazette.com

These are the websites which provide news from the Islamic world as well as features and articles on a slew of subjects related to the community (Ummah) and Islamic ideology. 11) www.yaqeenulhaq.info, www.ieshajaved.info These are the personal as well as the official websites of Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander and Sister Iesha Javed. Both are Islamic Activists and Writers and their websites provide a good platform for the audience to interact with them and to know more about them. The Dawah websites indeed provide enlightening information on Islam but these sites can only be a supplement, a means for Dawah and not an end in itself. Without human touch the Dawah can never be complete. If the human touch was not required, Almighty Allah would have only sent the Holy book (Quran) and not the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Practice is more important than mere preaching. Thus until and unless the efforts through the internet is supplemented with the personal touch, the real purpose of Dawah cannot be achieved. And it should also be noted that all the websites are not authentic in content and should be blindly relied upon. During the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), it was his exemplary character that influenced the most hostile tribes of Arabia and led them to embrace Islam. There was no internet or these hi-tech communication techniques then, but still the effect of Dawah was so powerful. Our generation has innumerable means of communication and we must make an intelligent use of these to propagate the message of Islam and to remove the "Islamophobia" from the minds of people.

(The Author can be reached at www.yaqeenulhaq.info or can be mailed at yaqeen@ymail.com)