The Way to Address Modern Minds
Today we must present literature to address modern minds written in the scientific style. And this scientific style is the style of the Quran.
Chapter 14 of the Quran has this to say about the Prophet: “Each Messenger We have sent has spoken in the language of his people” (14:4). In this verse of the Quran, it is not just language but also the idiom denoted. For instance, the Prophet of Islam communicated his messages in Arabic, as it was the language of his people. Prophet Abraham referred to the celestial world, the earth, and the heavens (6:76-80) while addressing his people. Jesus Christ used metaphors to communicate the divine message. These are examples of the idiom, which was current at that age.
In present times, dawah work is carried out in the language of the times. The language of the times means essentially the local language of the addressees. However, the present age is one of globalisation. It is essential, therefore, for the dayees of today to be able to speak in the international language. And as we know, the international language of today is only one, and that is English.
Another important aspect of language is that it should be in the style or idiom of the contemporary addressees. The standard idiom today is scientific in nature. Therefore, the dayee must speak in scientific parlance to address the modern man.
The addressors must use the language of the times. Otherwise, they will speak, but the addressee’s mind will not be addressed.
What is the difference between the scientific idiom and the ancient traditional idiom? Poetry, literary flourishes, oratory, romantic style metaphors, hyperbole, etc., dominated the ancient traditional idiom. Those who spoke in such an emotive style were applauded by those who appreciated and found such speech very attractive. But in modern times, this kind of style has been abandoned. The standard style of modern times is scientific in essence. In other words, we can say that the scientific idiom is, in the complete sense, scholarly and rational in style. In modern times, only that literature can be called dawah literature, written in the scientific style. And this scientific style is the style of the Quran.
