Most part of the world poses a challenge to the veracity, probity and candour of the scholars of Islam. They are unconvincingly falling short of their divine obligations. They have failed to pass the benefits of the universal teachings of Islam on to humanity at large.

Rather, due to their lethargy and despondency, such self-centered, self-conceited and extremely myopic self-styled leaders as Osama Bin Laden, Aiman Al-Zawahiri etc. have become the spokespersons of Islam. Islamic scholars cannot absolve themselves of their responsibility that has been laid on them by Almighty God by virtue of their knowledge and understanding of Islam.

Every generation has a responsibility towards the coming generation for its guidance, promotion and glorification. Each succeeding generation has an obligation that the guidance it has received is preserved and passed on to the next generation. It has also to make sure that the succeeding generation has also been prepared and enabled to receive the guidance and benefit from it.

This is obligatory to every Muslim, especially the scholars of Islam. “Let there arise from among you a band of people who invite to righteousness, and enjoin good and forbid evil.” (3:104). God has ordained two kinds of responsibilities that Muslims need to adhere. For the first kinds, the adherents are supposed to perform certain acts at certain times in certain way.

Although such deeds entail certain benefits to people, yet Muslims are not asked to realise those benefits while doing such acts. Such obligations are called ‘prayers.’ Muslims offer prayers, pay Zakat, perform Hajj and keep fast not for any gain or profit. For them such prayers are end in themselves. Although they do benefit from such prayers directly, however, their objective while praying is not to reap benefits from them but only to please God.  

Contrary to this, there are the other kinds of religious obligations that make the realization of their objectives more important than the ‘acts’ themselves. For such deeds, we are given a relative liberty to perform them in such a way as to achieve the best results. ‘Jehad’ and ‘Preaching’ fall into this category. In this respect, Muslims are expected to employ the newest and the best means to protect themselves and to spread the words of God.

Ways and means are tools, are temporary in nature, and change with the passage of time. They may also lose their utility with the passage of time. Means need to be employed very diligently. For example, an argument that may be effective on an illiterate person cannot be so effective on a learned man. Likewise, an illiterate person cannot understand the intellectual and philosophical arguments of a scholar.

Therefore, the scholar needs to adjust his argument and talks according to the requirement of his listener so that he can get across to him. Similarly, a book, a speech, a cassette, a video that may have been very useful in the past, may have lost its utility with the passage of time. Rather, the same thing that has been very fruitful in the past may have become equally harmful now.

The fact is that except the Holy Qur’an, the words of God, and the words of His chosen people every word and book is limited in range and utility. The Islamic scholars and preachers will have to consider this fact so that they are more effective and relevant to their time and its needs. Many scholars of Islam have felt the futility of the traditional, hackneyed, trite and insipid way of preaching and they have advised that the Islamic scholars should use modern means and methods to preach Islam.

The Holy Qur’an says. “Invite (all) to the way of the Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious for the Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His path, and who receives guidance.” (16:125). In this wonderful message the principles of religious preaching have been laid down which are good for all times. It is the responsibility of everyone to invite to the ways of God. We must do it with wisdom and discretion meeting people on their own ground and convincing 
them with illustration from their own knowledge and experience.

Our preaching must not be dogmatic, self-regarding and offensive. It should be gentle and considerate so that people should feel attracted towards it. Our manners and arguments should not be acrimonious but courteous and gracious so that one should believe that man is not dealing merely with dialectics but sincerely expounding the faith that is in him and his motive is the love of man and the love of God.

Sincerity to cause is the first prerequisite of a preacher. But only sincerity of purpose is not enough to do the job correctly. There must be something wrong with the preaching that Islam has not been spreading as rapidly as it should with all the modern means of communication at hand. It may be due to the Islamic preachers themselves who are still working on hackneyed lines and have not injected fresh thinking into their divine work.

The Islamic preaching in modern times is not only the responsibility of the men from “Madrassas,” it also is of everyone who claims to be a Muslim. The Holy Prophet’s tradition says, ‘Every one among you is the guard and protector of other.’ In this respect, there are four prerequisites for someone to be an effective preacher in service of Islam.

Firstly, he/she should have complete understanding of the Quran and Sunnah of Holy Prophet (PBUH). Secondly, he/she should be able to present his personal character as model to other. Thirdly, he/she should have comprehensive understanding of the philosophical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, national and international problems of the world and their solutions. Fourthly, he should be able to devise ways and means to preach through Social Service. Fifthly, the preacher should be able to use the native 
language of his target audience effectively.

Sixthly, the preacher should be able to relate his topic to the objective conditions of his audience respecting their cultural and ethnic sensibilities. Although all aspects of ‘preaching’ are important, yet the fourth one needs our special attention.

The Christian missionaries have been practising it for hundreds of years and are able to gain substantial success in Africa and other socially and economically subdued areas in Asia, Far East and Latin America. Presently nationally or internationally to be an effective preacher we will have to preach Islam through personal conduct and social service.

The needs and the psychology of the modern man have undergone a 
revolution and to be an effective preacher we shall have to consider every such thing. We must employ all modern and sophisticated means to preach Islam. First, however, we will have to rediscover Islam in modern perspective.