“…Think of the preparations that the opponents of Islam are now making. They are not lining up the armies. They are publishing magazines and books. We also should, therefore, pick up our pen and answer their attacks with magazines and books…”
(Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed(as), Malfoozat Vol. 8, pg. 20)
According to the Constitution of Lajna Ima’illah Silsila ‘Aliya Ahmadiyya, the following are the duties of Secretary Isha’at:
- Secretary Isha’at shall be responsible for publicising the activities of Lajna Ima’illah Mulk and the outstanding activities of the Majalis.
- Secretary Isha’at shall be responsible for printing and publishing newsletters,
gazettes, periodicals and books which Lajna Ima’illah Mulk decides to publish. - Secretary Isha’at shall maintain the income and expenditure account of all
literature that was published under Lajna Ima’illah Mulk.
- To ensure Lajna produces quality publications on time, such as the monthly newsletter, children’s biannual magazine “Al–Meezan” and the annual magazinex “Ad–Duha”.
- To publicize regular and special Lajna events and activities through published announcements prior to the event and after the event through reports.
- To publish workbooks & booklets that can be used by Lajna and Nasirat.
- To assist as support group to other Lajna offices when a publication is needed for their office.
- To distribute Lajna publications to non–Jama’at institutes (universities, colleges, libraries).
- To increase readership and distribution of literature among Lajna & Nasirat membership.
- To publish new publications as needed and to publish revised books/pamphlets.
- To communicate in media the positive image of Islam, replying to objections and accusations against Islam and denouncing immoral and bad acts in name of Islam.
- To engage Lajna in writing for publications and offering interesting articles.
Ad–Duha
Ad–Duha is an annual publication for the educational and spiritual education of Lajna Imaillah Australia, which is published at the auspicious occasion of Jalsa Salana Australia each year.
All Majalis Presidents are requested to follow the instructions outlined below:
- Please ensure that your Majlis members contribute written material in form of articles for this magazine in a timely manner. The deadline for contributions for the 2023 issues will be informed later by email.
- By the grace of Allah the almighty 2022 is going to mark the centenary of the establishment of Lajna Imaillah. Under the publications department,Lajna Imaillah Australia will publish the ” Ad Duha” in the form of a “Mujalah/Special edition” as part of the blessed Lajna centenary celebrations. All majalis are requested to prepare special articles on the subjects relating to aims and objectives as well as gradual progress of Lajna Ima’illah.
- Ensure that the submissions are well–researched and nicely presented and include a bibliography (preferably). The local Isha’at Secretary should forward the article along with the author‘s name and majlis.
- Please make sure that every majlis sends at least two articles of which one is in Urdu and one is in English. The article however should be original and references should be provided where necessary.
- As far as possible, the material should be typed. If an Urdu article cannot be typed, please present it in a neat handwriting to facilitate typing. If you are interested in learning how to type in Urdu, the software can be provided. We also welcome volunteers who can contribute to our department.
- Encourage your members to support “Ad–Duha” by purchasing it.
- You can send reports or any news which you feel will be beneficial for the readers. You can also send personal stories or anecdotes in order to make your story more interesting.
Al–Meezan
Al–Meezaan is an educational and spiritual magazine for the Atfal and Nasirat, which is
published twice a year, mid–year and at the auspicious occasion of Jalsa Salana. It was
the recommendation of Khalifatul Masih V, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) that this
magazine be bilingual as well as biannual. We would like all the Majalis Presidents as
well as Nasirat secretaries to encourage children to contribute something for this
magazine.
- Although the magazines have a theme, children are encouraged to write about any topic they like. Children may not only send us articles but also stories, poems, quizzes, religious articles, jokes, riddles, puzzles, artwork/drawings, accomplishments, achievements, etc.
- Please note articles, etc. should be typed in Microsoft Word and artwork should be submitted in jpg format. Children may also submit articles, etc. in Urdu (handwritten or typed).
- If a Nasira under the age of 10, or a Tifal of any age, wish to send a photo of themselves along with their submission, they are most welcome to do so (.jpg format please).
- Al Meezaan does take submissions from children under the age of 7, and similarly, adults are invited to write for the magazine, keeping in mind that the audience of this magazine are young minds therefore the language should be appropriate. However, it is the discretion of the editorial board to include these submissions in the magazine or not.
- In addition, if a child has finished the Holy Quran, the parents may send in a picture of their child (provided the Nasira is under 10), with a few words about their child. Other outstanding spiritual and academic achievements are also encouraged to be given.
Monthly Newsletter
The Publication Team of the Lajna also publishes the newsletter. However, this cannot be sustained without the collaboration and support of the National Amila members and local majalis presidents. The objective of our Newsletter called “Lajna Newsletter” is to inform the entire Lajna membership about the activities that are taking place throughout Australia by the Lajna Ima’illah auxiliary. If this news is not available to get printed in the newsletter, then an informative newsletter cannot be published.
- We expect that National Amila members and local majalis presidents will send pertinent news.
- Please ensure that any photos to be included in the news, is according to the guidelines of photo publication.
- Announcements of births, requests for prayers, marriages, accomplishments, graduations, new Bai’ats, establishment of new Majalis and other information that may benefit the general membership. For announcements, please include names and dates where necessary.
- Letters and directives from Huzoor (aba).
- If a newsletter is being published but not circulated by the local Majalis Presidents and not reaching the lajna members, the purpose and objective is not being fulfilled. Hence we need the cooperation of all majalis presidents to circulate the electronic copy to their members who have internet access, otherwise, print a copy and hand it to them, put it on the bulletin board or read it out at a halqa or majlis event so that the messages are conveyed to everyone.
Lajna Media Watch Australia is a project to monitor local and national print media to
meet two main objectives as follows:
- To remove misunderstandings & misconceptions about Islam from an Ahmadiyya point of view.
- To inform media about the mistreatment of Ahmadi Muslims around the world.
In order to meet the objectives:
- The team will be required to respond rapidly to media coverage of Islam through letters and editorials i.e. within 24 hours.
- The team will alert all members about the news item that needs to be responded to.
- The team may share her response with other team members who can provide her with some feedback to improve her piece.
- The team may also write independent articles on different aspects of Islam related to contemporary issues.
- If you are interested in becoming part of this group, please contact National Lajna Imaillah Publications Secretary.
The Publications Department is also actively involved in providing content matter for the website and social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram. It prepares reports and other items for online publication on the lajna website and social media that are submitted by various departments and different Majalis. Hence, the social media channels and blogs are also used to produce quality reading material and insights for the wider community.
Regions, with National President Lajna Ima’illah Australia’s permission, also manage their Twitter accounts.
The national Twitter and Instagram accounts are: @lajnaau and the website can be found at: www.lajna.org.au .
- Please ensure that if any photos are sent with the report or news, then, they are sent according to the set guidelines for publication.
- It will be up to the discretion of the Publications Department if they would publish the news and report. Publications Department will also modify the item when needed.
- Every month majalis can submit on any topic a verified and referenced Ayah, Hadith, quote of Hadhrat Masih Maud (AS) or quotes of Khulafa–e–Ahmadiyyat.
- Similarly, a list of topics may be given at the start of a quarter period for blog articles to be submitted by majalis. These articles, at the discretion of the Publications Department, will be published on the website.
- All of these reports and other content matter of various departments for website publication are handed over to the community’s website team for online publication.
- On various occasions, the publication department will reach members of the team for their written pieces on different topics. These topics can range from religious to social ones.
- The purpose of the blog is to exert the significance of Islam in everyday life in easy and simple manner.
- It is up to the team to decide which articles would be published.
- The length of these articles would be 800–1000 words.
- For further details please read and follow the 5th brochure of National Social Media and Media Series.
The main purpose of the “Social Media” is to introduce the women’s auxiliary in the broader community, as women of our community and their services in various capacities for the society remained generally “unseen” and “unappreciated” to the general public. It remains a mean to provide news, thoughts and beliefs of our community to the general public and lifts the misconceptions of women in Islam.
If anyone wishes to order or purchase books, CDs or DVDs, please contact National Publications Secretary for a list of items available and the prices along with an order form. Bookstalls are organized at National events, such as Jalsa Salana and National Ijtema where a large variety of items are displayed and made available for purchase
Here are some aims and objectives for the local publications secretary, including the tips for recruiting articles from members, for the magazines:
- Ask members to write for the magazines throughout the year. Do not wait for the deadline.
- Forward the award winning essay of national competitions to the relevant editor and national publications secretary, when they are awarded.
- Approach good speakers at events such as Masih–e–Maud (as) Day, Musleh Maud (rz) Day, Khilafat Day, Jalsa Seeratun Nabi (saw), Monthly meeting and Ijtema, and request them to submit their speeches for publication in Ad–Duha (Urdu and English). Similarly, ask Lajna and Nasirat/Atfal members to submit recipes, jokes, health and beauty tips, travel diaries, etc. and other matters of interest.
- Keep reminding the local Lajna who may be interested in typing for Ad–Duha and Al–Meezan, in Urdu.
- When a Lajna or Nasirat member sends a submission for publications, please review it for content, spelling and grammatical errors. Inform your Local Sadr lajna and then forward it to the National Isha’at Secretary.
- Convey to the members the number and types of formats of literature and publications available today, such as audio books and eBooks. Encourage the members to read the prescribed books and media by other department secretaries, to ensure their maximum audience is reached, by researching and communicating the formats available.
- As Lajna Imaillah tajneed has increased in all majalis including interstate majalis, the number of magazines ordered by each majlis remains either the same or grows in very small number. Please increase the numbers of orders and purchases by encouraging your lajna members and the children to buy these magazines. A lot of hard work goes into each publication, and it can only be appreciated if it reaches the maximum number of readers.
- If anyone wishes to order or purchase books, CDs or DVDs, they can contact the local publications secretary.