Jawaad Ahmad Khan

Da’wah is marketing.

You got a product that you know is the best, and you’re trying to get it out to everybody. There may be competitors, and even enemies. However, at the end of the day, the best product gets sold.

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This past two weekends I attended the “Seerah: The Shepherd’s Path” seminar with Shaykh Abdul-Bary Yahya. I have to say, it was an amazing experience. I’d heard about Al-Maghrib courses before, but had never fully experienced a course (though I did go to two free Fridays of other seminars).

What initially inclined me to learn more about Al-Maghrib was their trailers. I love videos and graphics and all that jazz, which is what caught my eye from the very beginning. It was an Islamic organization, actually advertising Islamic classes, with the medium of video, and taking it to the max! (In Islam, we call that ihsaan).

I learned more, linked up with brother Belal Khan of Leechon Films, the mastermind behind most of the videos. Now, I’m going to explain my views on these videos, from before taking a seminar, to after.

To see some of the videos I’m talking about, search “almaghrib leechon” on youtube, or just click here.

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Before – “This video is amazing!”

Before ever actually attending a class, the Al-Maghrib videos were teasers. They’d give you a preview of this epic experience that you could go through. The purpose they were made for was fulfilled; they got people talking about Al-Maghrib Institute. My thoughts were like this: “Oh my GOD, I HAVE TO GO TO THIS!”. Then I’d quickly click to find out that Al-Maghrib wasn’t yet established in my city. Because of that, I had to wait, and wait, and wait. It kept me on the edge of my office chair, re-watching all the videos, to the point where if I’d heard about anything Al-Maghrib in my area, I’d immediately want to go. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the first seminar that came down to Florida (Love Notes, Marriage & Family Life in Islam) due to some naseeha (advice) from my parents not to (as I was 14 years old then). I accepted it, and now, I wanted to go to a seminar EVEN MORE. Until, the Seerah course was coming to Orlando (about a 3hr drive north of me), and I made my du’a and Allah sent me to go.

Here’s a specific video I’d watched before & after taking the seminar. It’s a general branding video for Al-Maghrib.

The first thing I thought (before going to a seminar) when watching this video was, “SubhanAllah, these are some amazing graphics!” At that time, I was actually in a self-study of motion graphics and the details of how one would go about creating a video just like that. I admired all the meticulous details (the plants growing out, the low, yet effective sound effects that added to the effect, and everything). Because of this, it made me have a deeper interest in the organization. That’s the purpose of the videos. The graphics appealed to me, and made me want to learn more about them. The instructors’ well-known names could’ve appealed to someone else, and make them want to learn more, or the amount of cities could’ve made another person more interested. No matter what angle or aspect piqued their interest, the purpose of the video was for them to gain an interest in the organization.

After – “That seminar was amazing!”

After looking at the video again, this time after my first seminar, the only thing I could think of  was “SubhanAllah, it’s so true!” The info presented in the video was what I began relating to. I smiled when I saw Shaykh AbdulBary Yahya’s picture. The part that said “Direct Interaction with your teachers” reminded me of the end of the class. Shaykh AbdulBary, in his last words of the class, said “and I just would like to say that I love you all for the sake of Allah”, and then we lined up and each gave him a big hug in appreciation for the knowledge he’d just presented us.

The video no longer sparked a “man, I wanna go”. Instead, it sparked a “man, I remember such-and-such”. My perspective changed, the video no longer asked me to check out a seminar and see what it’s all about, it invited me to remember my past experience with Al-Maghrib, and still made me want to go again.

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It’s like when you see a movie trailer.

I was once in the theaters, waiting for my movie to start, and a trailer comes on. It’s an old west movie. Initially, I’m not that interested. Guns, sheriffs, and things like that.

Something shows up on screen, and I suddenly pay attention, and want to see the movie.

What showed up? The name ‘Johnny Depp’. The movie was Public Enemies (which I did end up seeing half-way. I kind of fell asleep).

Though, what happened? I wanted to see a movie, just based on one actor. The reason? I’d already developed a relationship with that actor (I loved the Pirates movies).

So, now when I watch an Al-Maghrib video, I already have a relationship developed with them. I no longer think “Hmm, what’s this all about?” and base my opinion solely on the content of that one video. Now, I think, “Oh, it’s Al-Maghrib, sweet.” I don’t even need to be advertised to anymore., the only thing I have to look for is ‘what awesome new seminar is this advertising’. The brand is already built, so my interest in it becomes natural. Much like when you see a gold ‘M’ (McDonalds) or a little swoosh (Nike) or even an apple with a bite in it (Apple).

Now, the videos have taken on a whole new meaning.

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Your goal is to get trust from the person. You want them to be confident in you. Therefore, they’ll accept anything you present.

Da’wah is human relations.