Why Muslims Need to Write
And how it makes us better people
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Whenever someone at Amazon wants to propose a new service or strategy at a meeting, it must be presented in writing.
They must write a 6-page memo, front and back, detailing exactly how this idea helps the customer. The attendees at the meeting must then spend the first 20 minutes of the meeting quietly reading the 6-page memo.
Why? The thinking behind this is that if you truly have something of value to say then it should be well thought out. The readers must then take the time to properly understand you before scrutinising your ideas.
According to Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO:
“The reason writing a good six-page memo is harder than creating a 20-slide PowerPoint deck is because the narrative structure of a good memo forces better thought and better understanding of scope and what’s more important than that.”
Muslim thought as it currently stands can learn a lot from this.
The (Mis)Information Age
We now live in an age of information overload. Never before have we had access to so much so fast.
We are seeing and reading about things that are beyond our circle of influence. Moreover, there is rampant misinformation and manipulation of facts - often by design.
Our opinions are no longer our own. Instead of studying a subject properly we now consume selected snippets of information that give us unbalanced, twisted and corrupted understandings of the world around us.
The more information we have, the less informed we seem to be. The way we approach information can drastically influence our outlook on the world. Consider the following examples:
Desensitisation. We used to react to the death of a single human being with incredible seriousness; now we see images of dead Muslims on a daily basis.
Normalisation. Ideas about sexual preference that were once alien to us are now being accepted due to the sheer frequency of exposure.
Manipulation. We are quick to take sides on an issue such as an election, not realising that we are just being used for votes while Muslims are hated by both parties.
Division. Our study of the Quran is limited to how we can win debates or answer an Islamophobe's misuse of an ayah; not what Allah actually wants us to know from it.
Confirmation bias. We can now find backing for any opinion that suits us, right at our fingertips; not through actual study and evaluation of the facts.
Natural human interactions, whether emotional or intellectual -- and the practical actions that are taken as a result -- have been replaced with behaviours that are empty and damaging.
Social media has emboldened us to hide behind online personas. It has become far too easy (and common) for individuals to attack each other online. Concepts like credibility, qualifications and even due process are no longer respected.
If we saw it on social media then it must be true, right?
It used to be the case that to understand something we first took the time to study and ruminate over the facts. Take the study of Islamic sciences as an example. In the past, a person would have to travel, often great distances and with many hardships, to spend serious time with scholars to learn their Deen.
The very nature of deep study meant struggling to understand, reading and memorising volumes, making great sacrifices to access this knowledge.
For an Ummah that prides itself on our tradition of authenticating reports, we are strangely accepting of all this misinformation without verifying. Now a simple tweet is enough to embolden us to speak against a scholarly position.
Why Write?
One of the most tragic, albeit ironic, outcomes of the information age is the loss of critical thinking. We just blindly consume what is thrown at us. We do not think critically about what is happening in the world.
Muslims, in particular, should be lamenting this since critical thinking was maliciously and deliberately removed from our collective consciousness -- just look at what colonialism did, for example.
The removal of critical thinking paved the way for disunity and sectarianism. Incessant debates have taken centre stage in our institutions and our relationship with the Quran. For many, their whole Islamic identity is based on refuting others -- on who they are not rather than who they are.
We are using Amazon’s 6-pager as an example to illustrate a better alternative. A new strategy for our thinking.
The true value of this method lies in the fact that it forces otherwise busy and distracted executives to give their utmost attention and opinion to decide on something. Requiring them to sit in a room, read every page (front and back) of a six-page memo, discuss and dissect the data and the idea presented, and then make a decision to move forward is a very powerful management and decision-making methodology.
Now apply that to the average Muslim content consumer. Think about the attitudes commonly held by Muslims today, and people who rely on fast information in general to form their opinions. Would we not benefit from a similar strategy?
A New Strategy
If we took the time to fully realise our thoughts we could avoid a lot of the issues we face today. If we had the discipline to present our ideas in a more substantial, meaningful way -- rather than hide behind the convenience of social media -- we would be forced to deeply consider what we are saying in the first place.
This would filter out all the reactionary and divisive content we both consume and produce. It would rekindle critical thinking by forcing us to think deeply about the information we absorb and what we put out into the world as a result.
The writing aspect forces us to qualify our thoughts before we present them. If our ideas are worthwhile, they should be detailed and well thought out.
The reading aspect entails that we take the time to fully understand and appreciate what someone has to say. This is particularly true when we are scrutinising the work of someone more qualified than us.
We can try:
Not taking information on face value. We should look up all references and fact check what we hear. If something cannot be substantiated it we should at least reserve judgement.
Not settling on short form dissemination of information such as tweets. We must gather all reports and opinions on a subject. Always opt for reading books over reading snippets. Consider the broader scope of a topic as much as possible.
Not accepting social media as a primary source of information. This should be a no-brainer but we all know the reality is that most people settle for this. Deep reading of a subject is the only fair way to do justice to our own intellect and to each other.
Reading books on a topic before making a judgement. If we are going to have an opinion we must exhaust all the resources available to us. Do not speak on a topic if you have not put in the effort.
Work backwards from the big issues facing the Ummah. Think about the oppression, occupation of land, massive loss of life. Apologetics, debates, exposing "deviants", refutation culture, all the other things we tend to occupy ourselves with, clearly do not address these core issues.
They only give the illusion that they do.
Remember, as we go on the record, so too are our actions being recorded by watchers appointed over us, who are noble writers of our deeds (Quran 82:10-11).
The information we create and consume -- our writing and reading -- must be elevated to a level that is worthy of tackling these issues. It is with this in mind that we commence this work: Strategic Sunnah.
What will you write today?
