An important message that came out of the recently concluded OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) session in Dakar, Senegal, was that all efforts must be exerted on both sides of the religious divide to combat the “Clash of Ignorance”, seen as the main reason behind Islamophobia.
At Darussalam, one of the leading Riyadh-based publishers of Islamic books, the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet [pbuh]), the whole thrust of their effort is to promote greater awareness of the message of Islam as a religion of peace. It is also to promote unity among Muslims by reminding them of their great heritage that saw the spread of Islam in different parts of the world.
“We have published 33 volumes on the works of Sahih Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Nasai, Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah in English,” said Abdul Malik Mujahid, general manager of Darussalam Publishers, referring to the narrators on the sayings of the Prophet. He said they are out of a total of 38 volumes, the remaining five of which will be out in the next two months.
There are thousands of Hadiths put together by the narrators, but not all of them are authentic. “A distinctive feature of this publication,” says Abdul Malik, “is that all Hadiths have been classified, whether they are authentic or weak. More than 20 people in different countries worked on this project for five years.”
According to him, they have published some 1,000 books in 16 different languages, including English, Urdu, Arabic, French and other European as well as Asian languages. “The response is highly encouraging. However, our main market is Makkah and Madinah, where people coming for Haj and Umrah buy Islamic books, copies of the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths in different languages.”
Abdul Malik points out that the unjustified attack on Islam and the Prophet has triggered interest among non-Muslims in learning more about Islam. Darussalam has targeted this group by bringing out a set of six books in English titled, “Seeker of Truth”. Plans are afoot to release this publication in other languages as well.
One of their major publications is the “Atlas of Islamic Conquests” providing an overview of the geographical spread of Muslim rule in Asia and Europe. The 500-page atlas, consisting of 150 old and new colorful maps, besides 300 unique photographs of historical places, contains rare information found nowhere else. It traces the history of Islamic conquests from the Caliphate of the rightly guided companions of the Prophet to that of the Ottoman Empire, from the Middle East and Marrakesh in the Maghreb to Andalus and Central Europe.
For children, they have launched Baba Salam, a mini laptop program that promotes the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, supplications and other elements of Islamic knowledge. Around 30 devices are already on the market, the most popular of which are the Digital Qur’an, The Teacher, Book Reader and Qur’an Reader. “By using these devices you can read and learn Qur’an and Islamic literature very easily and without any errors,” Abdul Malik points out, adding: “We have also around 800 audio cassettes and CDs in the market-in Urdu and English languages.”
According to him, several DVDs are also in the works, with some doing brisk sales. However, the most fascinating of these products are the DVDs, “Why Should You Be a Muslim?” and “Who Was Muhammad?” Whether the readers are children or adults, these publications are intended to arm them with adequate knowledge about Islam and fortify their faith in the face of the current challenges looming from across the mass media, including the satellite channels and the Internet.
Darussalam has also set up a team of researchers and translators to dig up rare works and bring them out in different languages. This is in line with the Kingdom’s national policy to render from Arabic into other languages and vice versa distinguished works on Islam to promote a better understanding of this religion in the interest of peace and international brotherhood.
The other noteworthy aspect is that a small team of dedicated employees has brought out over 1,000 titles in different languages. Given the size of its voluminous output, this is no mean achievement. Success, it seems, spells with ‘d’ as well, where ‘d’ stands for dedication and Darussalam.