Islam and Information
"Read in the name of your Lord who created, He created man from a clot of congealed blood.
Read and your Lord is most Bountiful - Who taught with the use of the pen (to write), Taught man what he knew not."
The Qur’an - Surah Al 'Alaq (96) : Ayat 1-5
The words above are taken from the Qur'an, the authentic guide to a Muslim's way of life, Islam. These words were revealed over fourteen hundred and thirty years ago in the cave of Hirah in Makkah and are still relevant and powerful today. Initially directed to Prophet Muhammad, the verses of this surah also imply that succeeding generations of Muslims (including us) must read, write and in essence seek knowledge to learn.
Islam is a way of life that encourages its followers to always strive for improvement and Allah tells Muslims that the best way to improve is through the acquisition of knowledge and information.
M. M. Azami The History of The Qur'anic Text, 2003 The first book in Arabic was in fact the Qur'an, its first revealed word being iqra' (read). With these syllables the pursuit of knowledge beacame an obligation...
An Islamic library or information centre is one which focuses on building a collection of materials produced by Muslims and non-Muslims, in various formats that pertain to Islam and Muslims.
As Muslims living in the information age we require information:
- to know more about our Deen (religion), Islam, so that we that we could become better Muslims
- about the status of Muslims around the world
- to access Islamic material for research and scholarship
- to preserve the Islamic heritage of peoples in different parts of the world
About this Site
Resources and practical advice on how to start and organsie a small library. Issues surrounding the classification of Islamic materials and how libraries can be a useful in dawah are also discussed.
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