By: Aubaid Ahmed Akhoon
In modern times there are a lot of resources available to enhance our knowledge but it would not be wrong to say that the everlasting importance and usefulness of books is permanent and increasing. Even in the age of the Internet, the trend of reading books has not abated in developed countries. Most of the houses one can see some kind of storage of books, whether it may be smaller of large.
The world belongs to those who read. Books are rightly called as the ‘world of wonders’. Every time a new book is bought and one begins to read, it simply opens more doors of imagination and adds on to the already acquired knowledge and nuanced understanding of things and facts. Those having developed the habit of reading, find books quite alluring. A voracious and ardent reader would literally prefer books over anything in the world, because for such a person nothing equals the worth of books.
It is due to reading of books that we are enriched by a sort of experiencing and experimenting newer dimensions and charm which otherwise would never normally strike our mind. It wont be wrong to say that when we are collecting books we are collecting more wisdom to be unlocked by the reading of those scripts. Each book is a magical box, on whose touch we can unlock the treasure!
Books are like candles that illuminate the human conscience- as long as a man’s heart and mind are not engaged in good and useful deeds, his inclination will be towards evil and disobedience. A person can become a true person only when he watches over his time reading books and is saved from being wasted. For book lovers, these are the best ladders of knowledge and awareness, the best companion for the long life of loneliness, the kind companion in the uneven paths of life and the healer of anxiety and restlessness.
The human mind is nurtured, encouraged to adapt to the great pattern of civilization and culture through books. The causes of the rise and fall of nations are known and by reading historical books we meet the chosen personalities of history and have the opportunity to benefit from their experiences. It is such a poignant saying that ‘a room without books is like a body without soul’.
The importance of the book can also be gauged from the fact that the Qur’an introduced itself as “Al-Kitab” from the very beginning. The first metaphor of the Quran is “Iqra” which literary means ‘read’. Along with many other wisdoms, there is this wisdom in it that in order to create a connection with the book, Allah named His Holy book Quran as “Al-Kitab” which means a sign of awareness towards knowledge.
According to research by the University Medical Center in the United States, adults who spend time in research or intellectual activities such as reading, etc., have a 32% lower rate of mental decline in old age or middle age than those who do not read books or participate lesser in such activities.
The United States, Japan, China, London, Paris, Canada, Australia, Italy and France are the top places in selling books. There are more than 28 countries in the world where books sell literary like hot cakes-even more than that. Unfortunately, there is not a single Islamic country among these countries. Distance from knowledge and literature robbed Muslims of dignity and wisdom.
How apt is it when John piper says that -books don’t change people, paragraphs do, sometimes even sentences.
The writer is working as Sr Edp Head and Counsellor at DD Target PMT and can be reached at akhoon.aubaid@gmail.com
