Knowledge Every Muslim Should Know (Book One)

Muslim Writers versus Islamic Writers

MUSLIM WRITERS VERSUS ISLAMIC WRITERS

by Shifnas Thamiem

Islam is a wonderful religion. It makes you stand out from the crowd in a special manner. From the way you consume water to the way you sleep, you are being taught to make every action different from everyone else. Yes, Islam even teaches you how to fulfill nature’s call. The way you smile, the way you eat, the way you walk, the way you gaze, the way you talk, the way you cry and many more actions you perform – all these have already been prescribed to be under certain rules and regulations. So the way you admire or give birth to any literature should also be performed under certain guidelines.

I would like to share what I know with regards to this particular topic, with you readers. It’s not my intention to point out at any individual or organization. Rather, it is a collection of my own understandings and observations that I’ve developed while writing, which I would like to share with you since I think it would be of immense benefit to all of us in sha Allah, including myself.

We are in need of Islamic writers, not just Muslim writers. In other words, it’s not about a Muslim who writes, but about the impact of what is written. Anything that is written should fill the reader’s heart with Islamic knowledge and every writer should strive to produce this type of prominent work.

 Anything that is written should fill the reader’s heart with Islamic knowledge and every writer should strive to produce this type of prominent work.

As such, Islamic writers should make themselves aware of Islamic teachings. A writer should be aware of or be able to source Islamic rulings, while creating any piece of literature. Every one of us should make sure that we never promote falsehood no matter what we write. Any literature, including poetry, prose, paintings or novel writing, should undergo the same rules as that of any speech.

Shaikh Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: “Poetry is like speech. What is good is good, and what is bad is bad.”

An Islamic author of any literature should make sure that each and every line which he or she produces never goes beyond the limits which Allah (Glorified and Praised is He) and His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have set. Writers should also have sincere and pure intention or ikhlas. “Ikhlas” is the basic media which transfers any day to day activity into an act of worship. When it comes to writing, if the writer possesses pure intention of pleasing Allah (Glorified and Praised is He), the act of writing may be considered as ibadah (worship) in the sight of Allah (Glorified and Praised is He). By having ikhlas, writers can protect themselves from falling into sins, such as promoting falsehood. Rather, they can motivate themselves to ink the good things which may bring goodness to the whole of humankind.

Let’s analyze some common mistakes we make while writing, learn from them and correct ourselves in our future writings in sha Allah.

Writings That Blame Destiny

The faith a Muslim has in predestination plays a major role in their life. In other words aqeedah (which qualifies a Muslim to be who he is supposed to be) has dedicated a vast area for faith in destiny or Qadr. A lot of Muslim literature nowadays is targeted towards the painful inner feelings one goes through when they are being tested in this dunya. The way they feel about their loss and the struggles they go through, as if they are fed up of this life, are described by many Muslim authors in their own work.

In fact, let’s not deny the truth. Usually, inner pain is the catalyst for a lot of literature. The concept of pain is what’s mostly being used to refill the pens. It is not at all prohibited for any Islamic author to pen aspects of pain in their own style, but Islamic writers should make sure that they never spoil the readers’ acceptance of the destiny or despair in their hope of Allah's (Glorified and Praised is He) mercy with their writings. In other words, when a reader goes through the lines of emotion and pain in any literature, they must also be reminded through the same literature that Allah's (Glorified and Praised is He) plan is always just and He is the one who can undo every knot.