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Read, in the name of thy Lord who created, man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most Generous, who teaches by means of the pen, teaches man what they know not, (al-'Alaq: 1-5) To read was the first command God gave to Prophet Muhammad. Just image, the first command being to read.

That makes me think that to be able to read is of ultimate significance .... to be able to read must be very, very powerful indeed.

Yet, being able to read is not that easy. As Prophet Muhammad replied on hearing the command "I cannot read" he was 33- years-old and could not read!

Yet, he was ordained to be one of the greatest prophets; men ever to be born. He was able to fulfil the mission given to him by Almighty God and he was able to learn to read. Supan'llah!

To be literate is a wonder and blessing in itself. I could not imagine my life with out the gift of reading.

I know that many of the frustrations that young people experience today is because they cannot read - they may know the bare rudiments of reading, but they are not competently or fluently able to read; what we call today, literacy.

Nowadays, reading material is in abundance, all kinds of approaches, reading collaborative, reading interventions abound and allows the attainment of literacy to be easier than ever. There is no reason for even a single person not to be able to read and to be fully literate.

Benefits of reading come like no other. Educators agree that reading to young babies every day ignites curiosity in printed material and teaches children to respect and cherish books.

Reading is also a catalyst for growth and development. Young, avid readers are more likely to grow into confident adults. I am a firm believer and can swear to the testament that family literacy is the key. "A family that reads together reads well together" is my motto.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged his followers to broaden their horizons by seeking knowledge - even to the depths of China (Bukhari). Muslims during the first years of the Islam comprised mostly of the poor and illiterate - they were mostly those who escaped undue discrimination and mal-

treatment of the wealthy. When these Muslims captured the people who had once tortured them in their homeland Makkah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) displayed no malice towards the Quraysh prisoners, even though they had treated his people unkindly. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ordered them to be treated with kindness. Some were allowed to buy their freedom through ransoms. Some were given the alternative: to teach 10 Muslims how to read and write, upon doing so, they would be free. Such is the importance Islam places on reading.

This weekend, the Bermuda Reading Association is holding its 26th Annual Reading Conference at the Fairmont Hamilton Hotel from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Theme is Servicing the Whole Child for Literacy Success. Come out Bermuda and support this effort to get our children reading and to keep on reading. Remembering that the first command was to "Read, in the name of thy Lord"! n

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