Asalam o alaykum wr wb.
Many people undermine the importance of being updated with current affairs of the country as well as the whole world. However, a good daee will always keep him/herself updated with current affairs. We also find examples from Ambiya and sahaba lives. They always kept themselves updated with whats happening around the country and in the world and this helped them in planning strategies. Also we can see Hazrat Nooh trying to persuade his nation, in surah nooh, through discussing current affairs with them and presenting to them the solution to all their current problems according to Islam. Similarly Hazrat Musa (AS) persuaded his nation by knowing their affairs and hence providing them solution through Islam.
Many religious people are afraid that if we read newspapers, we will get brainwashed and become secular/modernist. This is a wrong perception. I have been reading newspapers frequently and Alhamdulilah there is nothing so far that shook my eman. Infact i find the arguments of secularists quite funny and easy to refute. This also helps one to know about their arguments and tackle them easily.
The reason why secular/modernists are on top of world today and leave an impressive mark on people is because they give solution to every current issue according to their deen, which is secularism. You can see magazine of secularists. In these magazines they have discussed every issue, whether it be global warming, energy crisis, political instability, good governance, environmental problems, women's status, corruption, Pakistan's relations with other countries, they have provided solution to all through secularism in their writings. Unfortunately the religious people lag behind in this and dont even know whats happening around the world, so how can one expect them to provide solution to such problems? They want people to come to them and ask. However this will not happen. No one comes to listen jumma khutbas except a very few individuals, mostly old people. We need to realize this and combat secularism like they are combating Islam. Today, I dont see a single magazine of any Islamic Organization which is discussing current affairs and providing solution through Islam.
Organizations like UN, NATO, IMF etc are shaping the world today and we are lagging behind a lot. If a practicing Muslim today starts to talk about current affairs according to Islamic perspective, i bet that we will be on top of world again insha Allah. Also this will attract many people towards them. People today think of Islamists as some extreme minded freaks who know nothing about this world or its affairs and who just know about traditions like prayer, fasting, etc. May Allah Almighty help us understand this. Aameen
