October 16, 2004
Conferences and Speakers: A Partial Primer
Section: WRITINGS | 106 reads
Here is a three-point process that can help you to get a fuller and a socially and Islamically healthier perspective on this:
(a) Do the Right Thing.
(b) Do it Right.
(c) Do it for the Right Reasons.
Let me explain what I mean.
First of all, make sure that what you are doing is the right thing – that it is lawful and Halal; it is good; it is according to the law of the land; it is in keeping with the rules and procedures of the place in which you live and work; it does not rob, hurt, cheat, insult or attack anyone; and in the doing of it you are not cutting all sorts of corners and trampling underfoot the legitimate feelings, sensitivities, interests and concerns of all sorts of people. Chanting the name of Islam is not a licence for social mayhem and adventurism.
Next, make sure you do it right – whatever it is that you are doing.
That you do it correctly, properly, according to procedure and in the way it should be done.
It also means whenever you do something don’t do a half-hearted, perfunctory, lackadaisical job. Don’t try to cheat or cut corners – and worst of all use the name of Islam and Muslims for doing it. Put your heart – and your mind – in what you are doing and make sure it is done right – and properly – and in the best possible manner.
In one word, that is what Islam really is. It is the way of doing the right thing and doing it right – that means doing it the right way. Islam is in fact about doing the best things in the best possible manner and with the best possible motives and intentions.
That is because Islam is a system designed by the master of the universe for the running and management of the universe. That includes human beings and their lives and affairs. Therefore, nothing but the best has any role or room in such a system – or in activities and endeavours undertaken in its name.
How I wish Muslims knew this! There was a time when they did. It used to be self-evident to them. That is why Islam spread so quickly throughout the globe: because it offered people the better alternative – a better, fuller and more fulfilling and successful way to live their lives.
Third, make sure you do whatever you are doing for the right reasons – whatever those reasons maybe. Don’t have hidden agendas and secret plans. Don’t try to fool, trick, deceive or manipulate people. Always practice transparency and full disclosure – because half truths are often full-blown lies. Don’t forget there are two ways of lying: through speech and through silence.
Don’t take advantage of people’s naivete and vulnerability – or of their trust in you, which they gave you because they saw you using the name of Allah and his Deen Islam. Islam is an open, civilized system that is built on candour, disclosure and trust. Keep it that way or leave it alone and do something else.
There is no room for charlatanism in the name of Islam and Muslim. Nor is there such a thing as Islamic charlatanism or trickery. All charlatanism, trickery and exploitation and all manner of deceiving and taking advantage of the nairve, the trusting and the gullible is anathema to all that Islam stands for. It is precisely this kind of sick and pagan culture (Jahiliyyah) that Islam came to cleanse the world of.
There are all kinds of avenues open for devious and unscrupulous people like that. Shaitan never runs out of options and he never tires of trying to make those avenues and options attractive to them.
As the Qur’an says:
Fa-Zayyana Lahumush-Shaitaanu A’maalahum.
Paraphrase:
And Satan made their actions appear beautiful and attractive to them.
Therefore, it is extremely important that we do our best to bring everything we do under the rubric of seeking Allah’s pleasure and do so the right way.
If you need help, recite frequently the famous commitment of Ibrahim, Alaihis-Salam in the Qur’an:
Inna Salaatee, wa Nusukee, wa Mahyaaya, wa Mamaatee,Lillahi Rabbil Aalameen.
But a Convention, Why?
Having done all that, at some point stop and ask yourself, why it is that you want a convention?
Or a conference? Or a seminar? Or a camp? Or a get-together? Or just about any other fancy things like that? If I were you that is the first thing I would worry about. That is where I would start: why I want what I want.
And that, to me, would be the most important thing about the whole project. For, lack of a clear vision or understanding of why you are doing what you are doing, would leave you – and your participants and attendees – confused and directionless.
It will keep you – the organizers – from doing your best and producing the best possible program. And it will keep them – the participants – from getting the most and the best out of your program. Over the past three decades, I have seen many an Islamic conference and convention turn into what you may call Islamic parties, or fetes or Melas in which the overriding goal for the organizers seemed to be raising money and for a lot of the participants having a good time. I am not saying these are bad things. All I am saying is that organizers need to be clear in their motives and intentions.
In these gatherings, young Muslim men and women by the hundreds and thousands wander about the halls and corridors of expensive hotels and convention centres without any clear sense of purpose or direction.
These are often national, ethnic, linguistic and regional groups, which simply do not bother to break out of their particular groupings and try to reach out to other Muslims from other groups.
For the most part, no one talks to them; they talk to no one other than themselves. No one trains them into anything. No one mobilizes or organizes them for anything. And no one gives them any direction or guidance for the future. Many of these wandering souls often don’t even say Assalamu Alaikum except to their own kind.
Speeches on Islam fill the air – sometimes some of them without much sense or purpose. Most participants return home without asking themselves what they were doing there or how they spent their time or what they got out of their experience that cost them a thousand dollars and three days of their life.
Next Article: SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 – THE Muslim Story and A strategy for Coping – Part One
Previous Article: REACH OUT, MUSLIMS! How to change the world, One thing at a time
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