al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Allah

al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Allah (Media and Calling to God) is a scholarly treatise by Dr. Taha Abd al-Fattah Muqallid, a faculty member at the College of Da‘wah and Usul al-Din at the Islamic University of Madinah, addressing the role of mass communication—particularly radio broadcasting—in Islamic propagation (da‘wah) and ideological defense al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…+1.

Background and Context

The work was presented as a research paper under the title Risalat al-I‘lam ila Bilad al-Islam wa-Atharuha wa-‘Alaqatuha bi-al-Da‘wah al-Islamiyyah at the World Conference on Directing Da‘wah and Preparing Da‘is, held at the Islamic University of Madinah in 1397 AH (1977 CE) Ahl al-Fatra wa Man fi Hu…+1. It was also published under the title al-I‘lam wa-al-Da‘wah al-Islamiyyah in the university's journal, Majallat al-Jami‘ah al-Islamiyyah Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Core Arguments and Structure

Muqallid examines the transformative impact of twentieth-century mass communication, emphasizing how radio waves crossed geographical barriers to reach remote populations and shape individual worldviews al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…. The text is organized around several primary themes:

• The Imperative of Islamic Media: Muqallid argues that utilizing media for Islamic propagation is a fundamental communal duty, particularly in light of prolonged historical periods of intellectual decline and ignorance that blurred the clarity of Islamic values in Muslim societies al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…. He grounds this obligation in Quranic directives urging wisdom and insight in calling people to God, citing: ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ("Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best") [al-Nahl: 125] and قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي ("Say, 'This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me'") [Yusuf: 108] al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• Critique of Secularization in Media: The author criticizes the conceptual separation of religious and worldly life propagated by secular and materialist trends, which relegated religion in broadcasting to isolated segments and artificial categorizations of "religious" versus "non-religious" programming al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…. He contends that Islamic principles should permeate all programming formats, whether educational, cultural, or entertaining al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• Analysis of Foreign and Targeted Broadcasting: The treatise traces the history of targeted international broadcasting (al-idha‘at al-muwajjahah), noting its expansion under Adolf Hitler in 1933 and its subsequent adoption by Fascist Italy, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…. Muqallid argues that Western cultural crusading and Eastern communist propaganda converge in attempting to marginalize Islam from social and political life al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….

Engagement with Communication Theories

Muqallid incorporates Western sociological and communication theories to explain how mass media molds public attitudes:

• He references Paul Lazarsfeld, Wilbur Schramm, and Bernard Berelson regarding the disparity between the creators of broadcast content and passive listeners al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• He draws on Abraham Moles to highlight how reliance on uniform news agencies homogenizes public thought globally al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• He cites Joseph Klapper regarding media's latent and manifest effects, noting that broadcasting often succeeds in establishing new attitudes rather than merely shifting deeply rooted preconceptions al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• He refers to Erik Barnouw on the chain of interpersonal transmission of broadcast messages, and to Leonard Doob regarding the varying psychological responses of demographic groups to identical media programming al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…+1.

Critical Assessment and Practical Proposals

The author observes that in many Muslim countries, dedicated religious and educational broadcasting accounted for no more than 14% of broadcast time, and in some cases dropped below 10% al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al…. To rectify these shortfalls, he urges Islamic broadcasting institutions to:

• Conduct empirical field research and audience reception studies across diverse demographics to measure the real impact of broadcast content al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• Restructure program schedules to present well-grounded alternatives that counter secular misconceptions and hostile ideologies al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….
• Establish cooperative networks and exchange programming among Muslim broadcasting bodies to foster mutual unity and shared Islamic outreach al-Ilam wa al-Dawa ila Al….