Read To Lead

  

Reading is a human activity that God bestowed humankind with. It's reading that makes us different from other creatures. Had not there been reading, there would have not been reason and explanation, and therefore no distinction between humans and animals.

Through reading we can convey messages, express our feelings, and impart knowledge and experience to other generations. It's reading that we were first ordained as Muslims to conduct: "Read in the name of your Lord.." 1/96. We clearly understand through this divine order how important reading is in our life as Muslims. It's a matter of everlasting learning process that never stops at any stage or for any given circumstances. It's more than a hobby because hobby is only done during leisure time, but reading is done, or say should be done, all the time.

Nevertheless, reading is a job that requires certain skills. Surprised? Yes, it's a job, in the full sense of the term. If you want to get the utmost out of any book you need to deal with reading with this mentality, otherwise the outcome of your reading would be of no weight. Adler in his book "How to read a book" talks elaborately on this point.

Since reading is an activity you may wonder: is it just that easy; e.g. you pick up a book and start reading? Well, you might have noticed in the previous paragraph that reading is a "job" that needs some skills. Thus, reading is three types: literal; reading the abstract words on the lines, inferential; reading between the lines, and evaluative; reading beyond the lines.  

The first type doesn't require that wit to be able to understand what's meant. The meaning is found directly in the text. You can put a finger on the answer as it answers questions "who?", "what?", "when?" and "where?"

The second type, as it could be inferred from its name, is more complicated. Your role here is more than just reading, rather, you interpret what is in the text. You look for what the passage represents or suggests. Therefore, the answer can not be found directly in the text. You have got to do some work between the lines.

The third type is deeper than the last two. You, as a reader, move beyond the text to connect to the universal context; either on the personal level or the global one. Through this reading you answer questions like: why does it matter to me? Does it have something to do with my family or my fellow human beings? Etc.

With that said, we need to push ourselves to read more and more, and to raise our children by this principle. Reading is the food of mind, and you wouldn’t deprive yourself and your loved ones from this food, would you?!