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با قرار نشانگر موس بر روي كلماتي كه زيرخطدار هستند ميتوانيد
معاني آنها را به فارسي ببينيد:
شبكه دعوت در شيكاگو تلاش دارد تا اسلام را در آمريكا
از طريق دانشآموزان و دانشجويان مسلمان گسترش دهد. روشهايي كه در اين راستا
به كار بستهاند بسيار خواندني است:
Dawa in public schools
Definition of Dawa
Dawa means to invite non-Muslims to accept the truth of Islam.
Performing Dawa involves both our words and actions.
Importance of Dawa in Islam
The Quran and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) give numerous references on the importance and the
obligations of Dawa. The prophetic life of the Prophet involved
spreading the message of Islam. Dawa is also reflected in the lives
of the Sahabas (the Companions of the Prophet). Now the
responsibility of spreading the message of Islam rests on our
shoulders.
"Invite all to the way of your Lord with Wisdom and beautiful
Preaching" (Quran 16:125)
"you are made witnesses unto mankind" (Quran 2:143)
"Let there arise a group inviting to all that is good" (Quran 3:104)
Provided below would be some practical suggestions that Muslim
students as individuals and as a group should undertake to
accomplish the above-mentioned goal.
Students: receptive to new ideas
Students are routinely exposed in their classroom to new information
and opinions, hence they tend to be more receptive to new beliefs
and ideas.
Schools are therefore fertile grounds where the seeds of Islam can
be sowed inside the hearts of non-Muslim students. Muslim students
should take ample advantage of this opportunity and present to their
schoolmates the beautiful beliefs of Islam.
Getting started
First and foremost the Muslim students should establish themselves
into a Muslim group (Muslim Students Association, Islamic Circle,
Quran Study Group etc.) if they haven't yet instituted one.
Organized efforts give better results and contain blessings of Allah
in them. The prime aim of this group should be to evolve Muslim
themselves into dynamic Muslim personalities and also to
portray
Islam to their non-Muslim
peers and school staff in a positive way
using words and actions.
Personal contact
It has been proven that
one-to-one contact
with non-Muslim students in the
classroom is the most effective way to share Islam. Personal contact
tends to be more informal and invites more questions from
non-Muslims. It is advised that brothers work with non-Muslim boys
and sisters work with non-Muslim girls.
Inviting questions
Muslims can create opportunities for non-Muslims to ask questions by
simple actions that reflect living Islam like saying "Insha Allah"
(God willing) when talking about a future activity; saying that they
are going to prayer during Salaat time; brothers wearing Kufis;
sisters wearing Hijab; not using swear words during conversations;
telling the truth; wearing modest clothes etc.
The questions that
do crop up from peers should be dealt with in a
very concise and
eloquent manner. Doing this will require some basic
knowledge on the part of Muslim students.
Be prepared to explain:
Some of the topics that all Muslims should be able to explain are:
All students should obtain the ways to explain these topics through
knowledge gained from their study circle, by reading articles in
Islamic magazines, watching videos, attending lectures, and through
experiences of other students.
Dawa through the school newspaper
The school newspaper is another effective way of doing Dawa. Muslim
students are highly encouraged to become writers and editors of
their school papers. Inform the writing staff to consult you before
publishing articles on Islam and Muslims. Being a writer will give
you ample opportunity to provide Islamically oriented articles which
will Insha Allah open the hearts and minds of readers.
As a group, the Muslim students should try to contribute an article
on Islam in each issue of its paper. The school may not allow you to
preach in the school paper, but Alhamdu lillah, there are ways to
circumvent this problem.
When your Islamic group holds any Islamic event like lectures,
religious/ cultural events etc, submit an article about this event
as a "news" article. This way, you are still presenting an aspect of
Islam without coming across as a preacher.
The second way to circumvent the problem is to write articles about
Islamic holidays, the two Eids and again submit them as "news"
articles. It also helps to have a good rapport with the editor and
the writing staff of the paper. Invite them to your Iftar parties,
gatherings, lectures etc.
Relief booths to help disaster victims
When natural and human created disasters
occur, Muslims students
should be the first ones to respond by setting up a disaster relief
assistance booth, which collects money, canned food, clothes etc.
This gives a very positive picture of Islam and Muslims as servers
of humanity, compared to the negative images of Islam portrayed by
the media.
Including Islamic holidays in the school calendar
Many school events and exams are scheduled around Jewish and
Christian holidays. Muslims students should approach the school
authorities as a group and get Islamic dates included in the school
diaries to be considered during the scheduling of important school
events.
Islamic books in school libraries
Encourage school libraries to shelf books and magazines on Islam
written by Muslims, and to provide the librarian with a list of
recommended books on Islam. If the library is unwilling to purchase
the books themselves, Muslim students should raise funds
amongst
themselves and from their parents and
come up with the required
books.
Scanning textbooks for misinformation on Islam
Students of all grades and their parents should regularly scan
textbooks to detect any biased material on Islam. If any is found,
it should be brought to the attention of the teachers and the school
authorities, providing them with the correct information with
evidence, and have the teacher announce to the students the correct
information.
In this area, the Council on Islamic Education can also help.
Starting an Islamic newsletter
A newsletter on Islam and Muslims can be started by the Muslim
students, if the school allows it. This newsletter can be funded
mostly by advertisements and
donations. A newsletter on Islam and
Muslims will again help in
dispelling the misinformation
circulating
about Islam and encourage Muslims to be organized and proactive.
Incorporating Islam into class projects
Some aspects of Islam can be
incorporated in school projects. For
example, for a speech class, if there is freedom to choose a topic,
an Islamic topic should be selected. Similar opportunities can be
created in history, social science, writing and other classes.
Remember, it was the Will and help of Allah, Iman (faith) and Muslim
creativity that won victories for the Muslims. Schools and campuses
are no exceptions as places where Islam can be victorious.
Other Miscellaneous activities
-
Setting up Dawa tables with Islamic literature
- Hosting Islamic exhibitions
- Placing advertisements in the school paper with the toll-free
telephone number for non-Muslims
1-800-662-Islam
It is highly recommended that all Muslim students carry Dawa flyers
in their schoolbags and purses to pass them on to their friends at
school. To obtain free Islam brochures for
distribution, contact the
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) at 718-658-1199.
The bottom line
We should use every opportunity to
sensitize non-Muslim peers and
school staff to Islam and to establish an environment in which
everywhere a non-Muslim turns, he notices Islam portrayed in a
positive way, is influenced by it and
eventually accepts Islam with
Allah's guidance, Insha Allah (if God wills).
Food for thought
... and action
"When three of you are together, let two of you not talk between
themselves - until you are among a larger number of people - so as
not to hurt him." Hadith
Copyright © 2006 DawaNet
2303 Randall Rd # 231, Carpentersville, IL 60110, USA
Email: info@dawanet.com
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