'Inspiring; the young students to acquire Islamic knowledge and making them aware of" the responsibility of fully practicing Islam in their practical life by delivering the call of Islam to them.'

This point has three aspects:

First: Conveying the call of Islam to the young students, i.e., extensive propagation of Islam.

Second: Generating amongst the students a responsibility towards acquiring Islamic knowledge.

Third: Generating amongst the students an awareness to follow Islamic tenets and principles.

If tasks of these three aspects are done the work of the first point of the strategy can be deemed properly accomplished. This point is called 'invitation' in short. The dos in lines under this point have been enumerated below:

• Making personal contacts and establishing rapport.

• Holding general meetings on a weekly and monthly basis.

• Symposium, seminars.

• Tea sessions, picnics.

• Reception for the newcomers.

• Debating sessions, essay competition and speech competition and sessions of general knowledge.

• Postering, wall writing, distributing introductory leaflets and periodicals.

Making personal contacts and establishing rapport.

The best way of inviting others is to make personal contact. The workers should proceed with this task by picking up a few students from educational institutions, student hostels, villages or localities.. This is called 'target setting'. While choosing the students, the following points should be kept in mind:

1. Meritorious students.

2. Intelligent and industrious.

3. Possessing good character.

4. Having quality leadership.

5. influential in the society or in the educational institution.

The following methods should be followed while making personal contacts:

(A) Planning

There should be a realistic planning in order to develop the targeted students. Depending on the need that can be short or long term plan. By working in a planned way worker gets ample scope for thinking of proper ways to rectify a students idea. Instead of bringing to many students in the target group one may, according to one's oppo1tunity and ability, work with a small number of students on a regular basis patiently and sincerely.

(B) Establishing Rapport

A good rapport has to be established through personal contacts well before someone is invited. A cordial environment should be created so that the target student can repose trust in the person contacting him and consider him a well wisher.

(C) Gradual Approach

Instead of extending invitation at the very first meeting one has to accomplish the task gradually. At first the friendship should be brought to such a level that mutual reliance and trust is established. If that is possible, the parties involved will wish each other well. First, the false notions about Islam and Islamic movements have to be removed intelligently from the mind and thought of the target student

Second, the concept of akhirat i.e., the life in the hereafter must be presented in clear light to them and Islam should be portrayed as the best means to solving all problems of life. Misconceptions about Islam have to be removed and a feeling of attraction to it needs to be created. The target students should be directly or indirectly made aware of the rules (ibadat) of Islam. Third, they have to be given the realization that they feel Islamic movements and the organizational life as necessary, With the instances -of the revolutionary life of the Prophet (Sm), events of the strugglesome life of the sahaba-e kiram, the anecdotes of the great personalities contributing to the Islamic revolution through ages, the need for movement and organization has to be made clear. If this much is successful enormously, they should be directly invited to join the organization. This is the normal process of invitation work.

(D) Characteristics of the Person who would contact:

The one who would approach and invite should have some distinct characteristics. He would speak less and display utmost patience. Instead of being garrulous, he would exert influence through the sweetness of his character. He must have a correct and clear concept of Islam. If he fails to answer any question he would take time and keep his personality intact. He would not take resort to fabrication. He would take into consideration the mentality of those he is contacting. In order to cure the ailments of the students contacted, he would play the role of an expert physician. Instead of criticizing their weakness, he would help flourish their good qualities. He must be amiable in conduct. He would share their joy and sorrow. He would steer

himself clear of illogical thoughts. With a view to developing relationship, he would go on tours with them, dine with them, invite them to his own residence, meet them in their houses, give them gifts and adopt such other means.

(E) Gradually upgrading them to the rank of Workers.

It is not enough to invite a target student to ideology, movement or the organization. They have to be gradually lifted to the level of workers. In order to attain the objccti ve of our organization, we need workers as well as action. In order to make works, out of a supporter the following means need to be applied:

i. The target students have to be made interested directly or indirectly in various occasions and functions of the organization.

ii. They have to be encouraged to attend general meetings, tea sessions and picnics.

iii. The target students have to be inspired to read books in a planned way in keeping with the level of their knowledge, intelligence, sincerity, mentality and strength of faith.

iv. Their attention has to be drawn to various ibadat.

v. They may be assigned with smaller tasks at times taking their temperament into consideration.

Besides, various opportunities should be availed to invite students for discussions such as literary arrangements, debating sessions etc. held in various educational institutions canteens and mosques. The invitation, therefore, may sometimes be direct and sometimes indirect.

The Muslims are a missionary nation. Allah the Almighty has created the Muslims so that they call others towards His Chosen Path. This is the only mission in the life of a Muslim.

The Muslims ruled the globe as long as they performed this Allah ordained duty. When they turned indifferent to this mission, misfortune befell them. Therefore, we must make it a mission of our life to establish His religion in His world.

Weekly General Meeting

Of all regular tasks, general weekly meetings are very important. Apart from acquiring knowledge of Islam, gathering somewhere every week at a fixed time with a view to inviting students to Islam helps develop a sense of fraternity. The students contacted by workers need to be invited to this general meeting. In these meetings sense of organizational as well as collective life develops among the students already contacted. These meetings are, therefore, propagatory. The meetings act as forums for work of invitation (dawah). Besides, lectures and recitation with interpretation of the verses from the Quran help develop the ability of the workers. Agenda of the weekly general meetings should be:

• Reciting with interpretation from the holy Quran.

• Issue-based brief discussion

• President's speech

Monthly General Meeting

Holding general meeting once a month also falls within the category of regular invitational work. Some experienced workers of the organization, former or present, would conduct discussion on a particular topic of the organization.

its agenda would be as follows:

• Reciting with explanation from the holy Quran.

• Delivering speech on a particular subject.

• Speaking about the Organization

• President's speech

• Distributing leaflets containing introduction.

It is the responsibility of every worker to bring more and new students to this meeting.

Symposium

Symposia can be held on some particular occasions with the approval of the higher authorities of the Organization. Some renowned speakers could be invited to deliver speech on an important topic in a hall or auditorium. Such a symposium must be accomplished in an eye-catching and disciplined manner. Apart from students, anybody interested, may be allowed to participate in such a symposium. Agenda of the symposium may be as follows:

• Reciting with interpretation from the holy Quran.

• Delivering speech on a particular subject.

• Answering questions

• Introducing the Organization

• President's speech

Seminar

With permission of the central organization, seminars can be arranged once or twice a year in an opportune time on educational system, revolutionary life of the Prophet(S), Islamic approach to the problems of life etc. Several speakers would speak on different aspects on a particular issue relating to these subjects. This requires thoughtful and knowledgable speakers. There may be one or more than one session in a seminar. Someone with command on Islamic knowledge should be chosen as President for such seminars. Permission from the central organization is required for the programmes of the seminar.

Tea-Session

This is an interesting programme suitable for invitational work. In the congenial environment of such a varied programme it becomes easy to convey the call of the Organization to the students. The target students are invited to this programme. Every worker has to make a contribution to the expenses of this programme. If anybody from among the invited wants to pay willingly, that may be accepted. Some quiet place should be chosen for such tea sessions. It should be kept in mind that the tea sessions are arranged only to attract the new students. Arrival of a responsible person from the higher rung of the Organization may also occasion a tea session. Leaders of other students' organizations and people of the student unions may also be invited to such sessions. Care should be taken that the environment does not grow too grim or too frivolous. The agenda of the tea sessions should be the following:

• Reciting from the holy Quran

• Self-introduction

• Recitation of poems, hamd, naat, narrating mentionable events.

• Questions and answering

• President's speech

• Refreshment

• Conclusion

Picnic

Programmes of this sort are necessary to remove monotony of the student life resulting from regorous academic preoccupation. In the picnics, both Islamic environment as well as picnic pleasure can be enjoyed.

Some sub-urban place, a scenic rural site, or a historical place may be selected as picnic spot. The date of picnic, job distribution, rate of subscription, venue and time, departure time or the journey- everything should be organized well in advance. Upon arrival at the spot, the picnickers have to be informed of the programme of the clay. The programme should include lecture competition, tugging of war on the rope, swimming, group travel, various educational quizzes and talk sittings etc. It should be remembered that success of the programme depends on the ability at the organizers to turn the picnic environment enjoyable, orderly and constructive.

Debating Sessions, Essay and Speech Competitions, General Knowledge Sessions

This kind of programmes should be undertaken to facilitate the flowering of literary and creative faculty of the students. The competition should be organised on some interesting topic. It is highly encouraging to have the arrangement of prizes for the competitions. The participants should be informed of the rules of the game beforehand.

In debating competition, personal attacks, resorting to lies, tendency to refute opponents agreements with bad logic, must be avoided. And the speakers should remain open to concede to the better arguments of the opponent.

Postering, Wall-writing, Distributing Introductory Leaflets and Periodicals

On various occasions, it becomes necessary to do postering and wall-writing highlighting Shibir's characterstics, programmes and invitations. These posters and wall-writings should be written in a beautiful and attractive manner.

Welcome letters and introductory leaflets should be distributed among prospective students during admissions and examinations. Sometimes, campaigns for distributing introductory leaflets jointly in groups can also be conducted. The introductory leaflets should also, sometimes, be distributed among the well-wishing teachers and intellectuals.

Our invitation may also be communicated through publications such as periodicals, souvenirs and magazines and then distributing them on various occasions. Howev r, permission of the central organization needs to be obtained before undertaking such publications.

Additional invitational Strategy

Group Invitation:

The group invitation could be can-ied out by the sub-branches. There should be at least one such brother in such groups who would be able to convey the message of the Organization to the people in an acceptable manner and in the light of the Quran and Hadith.

Invitation Week and Invitation Fortnight:

At some convenient times of the year, Invitation Week or Invitation Fortnight is declared from the Centre. Separate weeks or fottnights are also declared as general and school invitation weeks. All the branches would simultaneously observe this week or fortnight in a planned way. If some branch is unable to observe this week in time, it may do so at some other time with the permission of the Centre. During this invitation week, there must be a plan to invite all the students of the locality. The branches would collect all the necessary materials from the Centre relating to the week.

Working among the Women (Muharramah):

With a view to strengthening the Islamic movement, the brother workers would carry out the task of invitation among their sisters, mothers and other female relatives in a systematic way. Report of working among the women should be submitted separately.

Mosque-based Invitation:

The branches or the sub-branches would make the mosques of the their localities the base for their work. The mosque-based work may be turned fruitful by taking initiatives like setting up of libraries, reading Hadiths, observing various days etc.

Besides, the workers should, at all events, attend various educational programmes organized by the educational institutions. This would expand the influence of those workers, and the general students would grow more interested in the organization. We should keep in mind the resolve that we must excel others in knowledge and intelligence. To this end, the workers should take part in essay competitions and discussion sessions organized by various cultural institutions.