A Study on the Role of the Media and its Effect on the identity of Muslims (Part 38)
Features and Principles of Media from the Quranic Perspective
The Holy Quran, as a profound divine medium, possesses many characteristics that any other medium can adopt in order to become successful and credible. Some of these characteristics were mentioned in the previous note, and this note continues with the discussion.
6. Defending Religious and National Values: Religious media serves as the best tool for the scientific and promotional defense of values. The religious-oriented commitments of media require that its defense of religion be a principled stance, fearing no one but Allah in this endeavor. This does not advocate recklessness; rather, the intent is to maintain the defensive identity of religious media under all circumstances: «الّذینَ یُبَلِّغُونَ رِسالاتِ اللّهِ وَ یَخْشَوْنَهُ وَ لا یَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلاّ اللّهَ؛ Translation: “Those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and fear none but Allah” (Al-Ahzab: 39)
The root cause of abandoning religious principles among defenders can be traced back to this “fear of other than Allah” and “of non-divine considerations,” which compel media proprietors to resort to non-divine means to avoid losing fleeting benefits or to shield themselves from perceived threats. Consequently, in response to doubts and attacks against religion, the most compassionate response they give is often “silence,” which can invoke divine wrath.
The media’s defense of religion should also lead to the exposure of corrupt methods: «وَ لِتَسْتَبینَ سَبیلُ الْمُجْرِمینَ» (الانعام: ۵۵) Meanwhile, silence and conservatism obscure pathways of error and leave society in a state of misguidance. Defending values is the core mission of the media, based on which believers encourage one another towards values and deter anti-values. Today, press and media form among the most significant tools for implementing these faith-based relationships: «وَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَ الْمُؤْمِناتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِیاءُ بَعْضٍ یَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ یَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکَر» (التوبة: ۷۱)
The false narrative propagated by anti-religious media similarly demonstrates a coordinated continuity, as they promote and peddle their falsehoods in a seamless chain of support:
«الْمُنافِقُونَ وَ الْمُنافِقاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ یَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمُنْکَرِ وَ یَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمَعْرُوفِ > (التوبة: ۶۷)> Thus, religious media must remain cognizant of being under divine scrutiny when defending values. It is essential to recognize that every right carries a corresponding duty. Additionally, the scope of values extends beyond specific acts of worship and encompasses all social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions. “Religious-oriented media” has the right to monitor and defend all these dimensions based on the universal obligation to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. Hence, even specialized media that operate in areas such as sports, economics, and politics cannot exempt themselves from this duty; they must engage with Islamic values in their respective domains rather than adopting a secular approach. Each entity in their field is charged with:
«دَعاکُمْ لِما یُحْییکُمْ» (الانفال: ۲۴) This arena should be considered the battleground of the media mujahideen: <یُجاهِدُونَ فی سَبیلِ اللّهِ وَ لا یَخافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لائِمٍ؛> They strive in the way of Allah and do not fear the blame of any blamer.” (المائدة: 54)
In defending religion, religious media should not succumb to accusations and media hysteria; rather, it should assert its will in a resilient, persistent, intelligent, and professional manner. Numerous verses from the Quran highlight that divine messenger resisted the clamor and slander of their opponents, unwaveringly continuing on the path of truth. For example, when disbelievers accused Noah (peace be upon him): «إِنّا لَنَراکَ فی ضَلالٍ مُبینٍ» (الاعراف: ۶۰)
His response was: «یا قَوْمِ لَیْسَ بی ضَلالَةٌ وَ لکِنّی رَسُولٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعالَمینَ» And similarly, when they addressed Hud (peace be upon him): <إِنّا لَنَراکَ فی سَفاهَةٍ وَ إِنّا لَنَظُنّکَ مِنَ الْکاذِبینَ» (الاعراف: ۶۶)> He responded: <یا قَوْمِ لَیْسَ بی سَفاهَةٌ وَ لکِنّی رَسُولٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعالَمینَ» (الاعراف: ۶۷)>
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was also commanded to:
«فَاصْبِرْ کَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرّسُلِ» (الأحقاف: ۳۵) و
«فَادْعُ وَ اسْتَقِمْ کَما أُمِرْتَ» (الشوری: ۱۵)
It is clear that opposition media will not remain silent in the face of threats to their interests and will strive with all their might to undermine committed media. This is why the Holy Quran frequently recounts the threats faced by divine messengers, such as:
Therefore, religious media must assert its resolve and maintain its stronghold through various means, continually reiterating its principled positions in diverse formats until they are actualized:
This illustrates one of the underlying reasons for the recurring themes in the Holy Quran; for example, neglecting Allah is mentioned under various titles nearly a hundred times in the Holy Quran.
One common tactic of opponents, which persists today, is encouraging people to boycott both the media and religious messengers:
Those who disbelieved said: “Do not listen to this Quran, and distort it with falsehood, perhaps you will prevail.” (فصلت: 26)
7. Da’wah to the religion of Allah: One of the most essential characteristics of Islamic media is calling to the truth and to Islamic monotheism, encouraging the worship of the One God (فصلت: 33).
8. Calling to Goodness and Virtue: Calling to goodness and virtue is another characteristic of Islamic media, as mentioned by God in verse 41 of Surah Al-Hajj.
9. Developing Moral Virtues: This is another critical characteristic that Islamic media should emphasize. Surah Al-Asr and many other Quranic verses highlight this matter.
10. Good Speech and Benevolence: Humans are naturally drawn to what is good. A media outlet can be considered Islamic if it embodies the characteristics of Islamic media, including pure speech. God says: “And guide them to the best of speech and guide them to the path of the Praiseworthy” (حج: 24). They have been led to that pure speech and to the praiseworthy path of God. The Quran delineates the characteristics of speech, emphasizing qualities such as honesty and truthfulness (المنافقون: 1), firm speech (النساء: 9), eloquence (النساء: 63), (البقرة: 253), (الأحزاب: 32), easy speech (الإسراء: 28), generous speech (الإسراء: 23), gentle speech (طه: 44), firm speech (المزمل: 5), and the best speech (فصلت: 33). Therefore, Islamic media must embody these characteristics.
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