Challenges of Tweeting Islam
Dr. Firdaus Kamalodeen
Alhamdulillah, our tweets have been going out. And they are about Islam – stuff generally gleaned from www.IslamicSolutions.Com.
Did you know there are billions of voices out there on Twitter? All of them are competing for the same audience, the same space?
What is amazing is to discover how everyone is an expert – on practically everything – and how everyone has an opinion.
And, of course, everyone has something to say.
How beautifully – or should I say “how perfectly”? – they all make use of the physical and mental abilities and technical skills God Almighty has blessed them with!
Any sense of accountability on the part of anyone? I don’t think so.
What if it does turn out that there is a God out there, and you do meet up with him at some point in your life, or thereafter, and then he demands to know how you used the abilities and the faculties he gave you; the skills he taught you; the resources he conferred upon you; and all those days, months, years and decades that you got free of charge from him?
Did you ever consider yourself responsible for any of those things? Did you ever think you should exercise any degree of care or caution in putting to use any of them?
What do you think your answer is going to be?
Allahu Akbar!
So, our voice is just one in billions.
Make no mistake. Muslims make up a significant part of those billions of voices all over the Internet, coming from all parts of the world.
I sometimes wonder how many people – Muslims and non-Muslims alike, but Muslims in particular – read our literature.
I know many of them, Muslims as well as non-Muslims, would gladly, almost automatically, forward or post or re-tweet all sort of messages, articles, photos and similar stuff.
But I just don't understand why they would not do the same for our literature.
You speak to these wonderful people face to face, many of them what Dr. Pasha calls Good Muslims, and tell them about the work – about taking the Qur'an to every home and heart that needs it; about reaching out to people and sharing our literature; and about inviting them to Allah – and they will never disagree with you or contest anything you are saying to them.
Some may even nod their heads in agreement. Others, of course, would stare at you with blank faces.
You try to be subtle with them in requesting their support and they will be silent and noncommittal.
You change your approach and try to be open and direct with them, and they still will remain silent and noncommittal.
For all practical purposes it would appear they did not hear a word you were saying. You and your message are completely ignored.
Subhanallah, I just don't get it.
So who knows who reads and who is interested in what we do or what we send out!
But the beautiful thing about doing this work is to know that this is no different from the way some of the best human beings on this earth – God Almighty’s own messengers, may Allah bless them – were treated when they presented their message to their people.
Silence and indifference were the least of their challenges!
Indeed, how merciful God Almighty is!
Ar-Rahman! Ar-Rahim!
He sees and hears all the things we do and say, and how woefully we fall short on every count, and yet he continues to give us food and shelter, health and wellbeing, success and happiness, family and friends, jobs and businesses, and homes and communities!
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