What is the first thing Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) created?

The Pen (Abu Dawood 4700)

What did Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) say to the pen?

Write. (The decree of creation)

What is the first word revealed in the Quran?

Read (i.e. Iqraa, Quran 96:1)

Congratulations! We should be proud to be a civilization of the pen. The humble ‘pen’, to this day, remains a potent instrument of communication, giving life to today’s influential modern media i.e. TV, the internet and newspapers.

So how significant and effective are these mediums of communication? Phenomenal! People like you and me have the power, by Allah’s Will, to bring about great changes. The motivation to bring about changes is fueled by awareness. This is where the might of the news media plays a vital part. History is witness to how well-informed ordinary people, with the indispensable support of their media, managed to pressurize their leaders into ending futile wars. The initial coverage of the Vietnam War supported the US involvement, but following the Tet offensive, it changed its frame. The bold and uncensored TV coverage helped turn the public opinion against the war. The ensuing anti-war movements was also given wide media support and eventually led to success.

Another reason why the media is significant in our lives is the powerful role it plays in influencing social ideals and values thereby shaping individuals and societies. Today, in the name of globalisation, Muslims are threatened by cultural and intellectual invasion through media. As intangible and harmless as it sounds, in the long run, this war and enforcement of ideas is far more deadly than any war in the battlefield. This is because such an invasion leads to the enslavement of a free mind rendering it aimless, robbing its identity and instilling inferiority complexes. The way the Pakistani public recently raised a hue and cry and exhibited desperation at the ban on Indian entertainment channels is a sad but stark example of societies’ enslavement and defeat through media’s control.

Does that mean that we, as Muslims should shun media? No.

Since modern media has the power to reach far and wide and the potential to influence, so why not use them to enjoin Al-Ma'rûf and forbid Al-Munkar? Why not use it to put the correct Islam on the forefront? Why not use it for the wellbeing of Muslims? Why not use it to spread the word of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)? Why not use it to wage Jihad?

This verse orders us to wage jihad by proclaiming the truth. We can use media to do just that i. e. proclaim the truth, defend Islam and Muslims from criticisms and insults of the disbelievers. If Islam and Muslims are attacked physically, then we too should respond through physical might in the battlefields. But if we are attacked on an intellectual level, then it is wise to retaliate with mighty but similarly intellectual defense.

A book, blasphemous to Islam, was recently published. As a result people took to the streets protesting with swords in their hands. But did it accomplish anything? The swords were useless there. The attack was with the pen, thus an apt defense should have been with a pen too…pen of Muslim intellectuals that would have rebutted their baseless writings.

Also, everyday, thanks to our media, we are made witness to the daily atrocities committed against our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Darfur, Chechnya, etc. By default, we become participants to this violence as we simply cannot take the position of an oblivious viewer.

“The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another...” (Quran 9:71)

The least we can do for them is voice our condemnation and repulsion through our media. After all, it is better to protest than to accept injustice.