Page 55 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

QUR'ANIC METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING ISLAM 53

not know them. As we saw earlier, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) of-
fered food to his guests promptly, although they were complete
strangers to him.
Surat at-Tawba: 60, "those whose hearts are to be reconciled,"
mentions that such people are among the recipients of alms.
Therefore, whatever is given to those whose hearts are to be rec-
onciled to Islam is in compliance with the Qur'an.
On the other hand, concentrating on an important subject re-
quires a great deal of energy both for the listeners and the
speaker. Harnessing one's energy to a certain topic for a pro-
longed period of time may cause physical and mental weariness.
Offering them something to eat or drink raises people's energy
levels and helps them concentrate.

Sincerity
The Qur'an provides many beneficial methods to communicate
the message. Yet, what renders all of these methods and endeav-
ors effective is sincerity. The Qur'anic understanding of sincerity
is quite different from that of the society of ignorance. Real sin-
cerity is sensed only if those who preach the word believe in what
they preach. Insincerity, revealed when a person's words do not
conform to Allah's recommendations, can be recognized easily by
how one speaks.
On the other hand, the attitude of those who truly believe in
what they preach and live by what they preach is quite different.
For instance, people who have a strong faith in the hereafter de-
scribe Hell in a naturally convincing manner. Their tone of voice,
expression, and manner of talking convey their feelings and en-
able other people to perceive Hell's certainty and dreadful nature.
The explanations of those who have not grasped its existence, on