New Literature for a New Era

Preparation

Thoroughness and careful attention to detail are  key to preparation. They are also part of the basic teaching of Islam.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, laid great emphasis on the principle that whenever Muslims embarked on an undertaking, they must do it well and thoroughly.

Like everything else, purity of intention – doing things solely to please Allah – is a vital part of this process.

That means, in everything they do, Muslims must seek the pleasure of their creator and not do it merely to gain some worldly gain or benefit. The mosque Open House project is no exception in this regard.

While, an Open House has many practical benefits for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, its primary objective should be to please the creator and not just his creation.

The key to this whole thing, therefore, is to make as thorough a preparation as possible for the project.

And here is how it can be done:

1. Before you do anything else, appoint an Open House committee.

2. Make sure that the Open House committee would consist of people who have a number of key qualifications:

a. First, these people must be willing, motivated and excited to do the work. Often, people get thrown into committees in which they do not want to participate. As a result, after appointment they begin to drag their feet and show other signs of lack of motivation.

b. Second, make sure that you only appoint people who have excellent People Skills – skills needed to treat others with the same respect and consideration which one expects for oneself.

Islam is, among other things, a people culture. At every turn and with regard to everything, Islam places great emphasis on the way people treat people.

c. Third, they must be people who can work with others in a harmonious, positive, cooperative and constructive manner.

This is one of the things that congregational prayer – Salatul Jama’ah – teaches Muslims on a daily basis.

d. Fourth, these must be results-oriented people who know how to get things done.

They must be the kind of practical, pragmatic, common sense driven type, who are good at working toward negotiated, mutually advantageous solutions and compromises to practical problems on hand.

e. Fifth, make sure you seek the consent of these people before you nominate or appoint them to your committee.

Islamic culture is rooted in freedom and independence. Individual’s will plays a determining role in Islamic thought and practice.

So, don’t take people for granted. First ask them if they were willing and available, then go ahead and appoint or nominate them.

Planning

Planning is the key to Islam.

The hadith says: Organize your worldly affairs as if you will live forever; but plan for your departure for the next life as if you will die tomorrow.

Setting clear objectives and identifying resource potentials of all kinds are central to effective planning.

First of all, do the Open House, if it were possible and advisable, once every week.

Or do it once in two or three weeks, if that were more convenient and more advisable.

But do it, without fail, at least once a month.

Here are some ideas on how to do this:

1. Once your Open House committee is in place, hold the first meeting. This would be your planning session.

2. In this meeting, thrash out every thing pertaining to the Open House. Don’t leave things to chance. Allah does not leave things to chance. Allah says everything in this world moves based on a meticulous calculus of divine planning.

3. Assign roles and responsibilities to people in a clear manner.

4. Decide to hold the Open House on the mosque premises. The idea here is to connect both Muslims and non-Muslims to the mosque. For, mosques are the centers of Muslim life.

5. Decide on a day, date and time.

6. Allocate funds for refreshments.

7. Assign specific responsibilities such as cleaning, preparation of the hall and arranging the chairs and tables to clearly designated individuals.

8. Obtain adequate quantities of quality Islamic literature for free distribution as well as for sale.

9. Widely publicize the project.

Publicity

Publicity is part of the basic teachings of Islam. Effective publicity is also a vital requirement of program success.

There are several ways in which you can attract people’s attention and entice them to attend the Open House:

1. Mass media such as radio, newspaper, etc.

2. Word of mouth.

3. Signs in prominent places including malls, schools and grocery stores.

While each is effective in its own way, the word-of-mouth method is often the most productive in terms of influencing people to try something new.

Here is how to do it with the mass media.

Place an ad in the local daily newspaper.

In this ad, invite non-Muslims to attend the Open House at the mosque and get to know Islam and Muslims – their neighbors.

Alert the local radio and television stations about the Open House.

Place ads in campus media, if a college campus is nearby.

Send out a press release to all these media about the Open House.

Invite the media to do some kind of a “feature story” on Islam and Muslims.

There is virtually no end to the topics and angles which the local media could use to generate a story on Islam and local Muslims. Do not hesitate to suggest to the media any topics that you may have in mind. The media are always open to ideas provided they are offered courteously.

Here is how you can use the word-of-mouth method:

1. Ask the Muslims in the community to encourage their non-Muslim friends and acquaintances to attend the Open House.

2. Ask the Muslims in the community to bring a non-Muslim friend or acquaintance with them to the Open House.

3. Use the Jumu’ah Khutbah to educate the Muslim community on what you are planning to do and what role you expect the members of the community to play in it.

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