Communication (from Latin commūnicāre, meaning “to share”) is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or more living creatures. Communication and Islam related to each other.
A person’s fi rst responsibility is whatever he wants to communicate is absolutely based on true facts. He has never lied to anyone. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, one of the signs of a hypocrite is, whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. Allah created man with basic function to communicate. Allah says in the Qur’an, “He has taught him to talk (and understand)” (Qur’an 55:4). Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) used both written and oral communication as per the need and requirement.
He used written communication where information had to be recorded for future use and reference and used oral communication where information had to be communicated to people immediately. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has given high importance to written communication because it could be preserved and be used for future reference. Th e best example of the use of written communication is the Qur’an which was recorded and preserved as and when it was revealed. When Prophet Muhammad invited many kings to Islam; he used the medium of written communication to communicate the message to them. As he could not meet everyone in person, he used the mode of written communication and sent the letters through one of his companions. He wrote a letter to Ashamah bin Al-Abjar – then king of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), a letter to Juraij bin Matta (Muqawqis) – and then king of Egypt a letter to Chores – then emperor of Persia etc. Today, Muslims have adopted various tools to communicate the message of Islam; they use booklets, pamphlets, folders. From the Qur’an and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) we also get to learn certain dos and don’ts of communication. We learn to speak the truth, to speak good words, to greet others with peace, to thank people, to be polite, etc. We also learn not to lie, not to backbite, not to speak in a high tone with our parents and elders or anyone else, not to hurt someone’s feelings, not to abuse, not to taunt, not to call others by nick name, etc. all these dos and don’ts help a person become better in character. Th us, communication helps an individual to improve his personality and become a better human being. On one end Islam tells us to speak in a low tone with elders and parents on the other hand it guides women not to be soft in speech while talking to strangers. Nasir Ibrahim, Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano
