Building an Islamic Web-Site, (Part I):
The Goals of this Course

One of the most amazing aspects of the Internet is that anyone who uses it can build his own web-site for free. There are hundreds of companies which offer free space for this purpose, and it is a great chance for ordinary Muslims to spread the message of Islam to all corners of the Earth. May Allah reward the thousands of Muslims who have already taken advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to share Islam with the world.

This is the first article in a series of articles that I will be publishing in order to teach Muslims how to build a web-site and publish it on the Internet so that others may benefit from it. With all the free resources out there to learn HTML and other web-site building skills, you may wonder how my course will be any different. I am not a professional web-designer nor have I had any formal training in the field, but as a free-lance writer who writes about Islam and other issues, I have seen that a good article on the Net has the power to change lives. As Muslims, we should not lose this extraordinary opportunity for dawah and we should take the time to develop the skills in order to build the sites which will convey the truth about the Islamic faith. So, to put it simply, my course in web-site building will teach you more than the technical aspects of building a site: it will also encourage you to use your talent and imagination for the sake of dawah, and one of my main goals in beginning this course is that each of my readers will build an Islamic site for the sake of Allah SWT.

This course is not just for beginners. While many of you may already be familiar with how to build a site and may not need any help with designing one of your own, I will be writing many articles which deal with the other issues involved in building an Islamic web-site such as how to write responsible articles, how to make your site more organized, how to add something new to the deluge of Islamic sites which are already out there and how to make sure that your site gets visitors.

Of course building an Islamic website is a great thing to do for the sake of Allah, and I look forward to seeing many more quality websites out there in the near future, Allah willing. But there is also a need for all kinds of websites, those which do not necessarily have to do with Islam as a main topic but which are written from an Islamic perspective. We are only limited by our imaginations in this endeavor as we consider the many fields of interest available to explore and expand upon in an ever-changing world. So let's take advantage of that and make the Internet a truly useful tool from all points of view.

There are different approaches one could use in building a website. Some sites require that the builder be familiar with HTML, a special computer language. Fortunately for computer novices, this is not a requirement everywhere. Many companies offering free web-space show you step by step how to build your site, providing you with a variety of attractively pre-designed templates, graphics and fonts. You may also upload your own pictures and graphics. Many of them allow you to choose the name of your web-site and help you to submit it to the major search engines on the web. If you're a beginner, you really cannot lose with such services and could get your site up and running within a day or two.

Another approach to building a web-site is to use a program like Front Page Express which allows you the freedom to design your site the way you like it instead of being restricted to the look of a specific template. You can work off-line and up-load your content when you are ready. This program (and others like it) do not require you to know HTML and allow you to build a site in a Windows environment similar to that found in other Microsoft programs such as Word. Like most Windows programs, Frontpage Express is very easy to use.

Finally, HTML is also very easy to learn and it is helpful to know the basics even if you use other programs to build your site because you will be able to edit some aspects of your site more easily than if you do not understand any HTML at all. But if your main goal is to get a site up and running, do not worry so much about learning HTML as it will just come naturally and gradually as you spend time building your site and not knowing it will also not prevent you from building a site.

Getting Started:

• Free Web-Hosting
  This is a collection of sites on the Net that offer free space for your web-sites. While there are hundreds from which to choose, priority is given to the sites which are geared to Muslims or have special advantages for the Muslim community. Start here to see where you might like to host your site.

• Internet Explorer
  The Front Page Express program comes free with Internet Explorer. Not sure where to find it on your system? If using Windows, simply click on the Start Menu on your taskbar, then on Programs, then on Internet Explorer, then on Front Page Express. Otherwise you may download Internet Explorer at this site if you do not already have it.

• HTML Basics
  Download this free program in order to learn the basics of HTML at your own pace in a simple, step-by-step course. Highly recommended.

• More On-Line Tutorials
  This site has a variety of on-line tutorials for different computer programs. Not all of them have to do with web-site building but the skills you learn here are important ones and they are sure to help one become more proficient in navigating the world of computer applications.

Building an Islamic Web-Site Main Page