BaKhabar, April 2013, Page-10 [Media mostly spread bitterness, says columnist Soroor Ahmed + Beyond Excellence, Part-3: Doing one’s Best!]

Media mostly spread bitterness, says columnist Soroor Ahmed

… By M Naushad Ansari

Patna: “Role of media in promoting peace and communal harmony is mostly negative. Media, indeed, spread bitterness”, believes senior journalist and eminent columnist of The Telegraph, Soroor Ahmad.
Addressing a talk on ‘Role of media in promoting peace and communal harmony’ at Patna Book Fair on March 23, Ahmed, in his scholarly speech, said that peace and communal harmony is essential for development, but unfortunately, media sabotage it.
As long as media remains silent on social issues, peace and communal harmony will be present. The moment media starts playing things, mostly for sensationalization and susceptibility to market forces, peace gets disturbed.
Today is the time of explosion of information, particularly by electronic media and social networking. Egypt’s Tahrir Square protests, India’s Anna Hazare’s movement etc demonstrate that social media in general, and networking portals in particular, provide new sources of information, which is almost uncontrollable.
National problems are being decided by whims of few individuals. This rapid diffusion of the internet and the rise of dedicated social platforms dramatically changed the infrastructure of social connectivity. Today anybody is capable to plant news, without knowing its far reaching repercussions.
Loyalty to the public interest and social values has taken back seat, he said. The advancement in technology media has become all-pervasive, wide and deep.
Maulana Abdul Masjid Qasmi, Secretary General of Shanti Sandesh Kendr, Patna, stressed that though there are various writers and journalists who are honest, truth loving and unbiased, there is, unfortunately, a section in the media, which is less responsible and they believe in promoting disintegration.
Quoting from Geeta and Holy Quran, Maulana said that speaking truth is the essence of all religions in the world. Over the years, the problem of communalism has adversely affected progress of this country. Time demands that social values and loyalty to the public interest is given prime importance. ‘Development will be rapid only in a peaceful society’, he asserted.
Dr. Abdul Hai, a renowned surgeon and social worker presided over the function. He emphasized that various clashes take place because of misinformation about the issues. It has now been widely recognized that the print, electronic and other forms of social media can effectively play a very significant role in promoting communal harmony and peace. We need to use all possible sources of media to clear the cobwebs of misunderstanding among different communities.
The organization’s website www.shantisandeshkendr.org was also launched by Dr. Abdul Hai on the occasion. The theme of Shanti Sandesh Kendr is ‘learning and sharing in the light of scriptures. The Kendr is working for communal harmony, peace, national integrity and universal brotherhood.
The program was organized by Shanti Sandesh Kendr, Patna, Bihar.
This article was first published in TwoCircles

Beyond Excellence, Part-3: Doing one’s Best!

...By Muqeet

This is Part 3 on the series ‘Beyond Excellence: The Making of a Muhsin’, by brother MuQeet
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, Assalamu Alaikum.
When Allah is so good and gracious to us, should we not be good to Him, and consequently be good to ourselves and to others? If we are not good and true to Allah then we will be guilty of being ungrateful to Him. As Allah reveals in the Qur’an:
يَا أَيُّهَا الإنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ

الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ
“O man! What has seduced you from your Lord Most Beneficent? – Him Who created you, fashioned you in due proportion, and gave you a just bias?” (82: 6, 7)
Justice and reason demand that man should do good in the cause of Allah, as Allah has been good in the cause of humanity. The Qur’an says:
وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ

“…do good as Allah has been good to you…” (28: 77)
وَأَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“And do good, truly Allah loves the good doers” (2:195)
One should not be under the illusion that by being or doing good, one is doing a favour unto Allah or His Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him). It is only for one’s own good, one is asked to do good.
إِنْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ
“If you do good, you do good for your own selves….” (17:7)
He who gratefully acknowledges the favours and bounties of Allah by submitting his whole self to the will of Allah in fact grasps that firmest hand-hold which is never to be broken.
وَمَنْ يُسْلِمْ وَجْهَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ
“Whoever submits his whole self to Allah, and is a Muhsin (doer of good), has grasped indeed the firmest hand-hold: and to Allah shall all things return” (31:22)

MOTIVATION TO DO GOOD

While enjoining Muslims to do good deeds, Islam also encourages and motivates them to do so.
مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلا يُجْزَى إِلا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لا يُظْلَمُونَ
“He that does good shall have ten times as much to his credit: He that does evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: No wrong shall be done unto (any of) them” (6:160)
Narrated by Abu Huraira (R A) who said that the Messenger of Allah said, “When any one of you adorns his Islam, then whatever good act he does, he is rewarded ten to seven hundred times of it, but if he does anything evil, just that much is recorded against him”.
This narration clearly says that he who beautifies his faith and Islamic belief by doing good deeds; the worth of the reward is greatly enhanced.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“The most weighty (heavy) thing that would be put in the scale of a believer on the Day of Judgement would be his good manners and Allah very much dislikes the man who used obscene language and was abusive” (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood)
Even Recommendations Count!
A person who motivates others to do good things and recommends for a good cause will have his share of reward.
مَّن يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً حَسَنَةً يَكُن لَّهُ نَصِيبٌ مِّنْهَا وَمَن يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً سَيِّئَةً يَكُن لَّهُ كِفْلٌ مِّنْهَا
“Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause, shares in its burden” (4:85)
Source: https://yassarnalquran.wordpress.com/

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