Da'wah

Last Updated Monday, 14 February 2011 09:03

There are many verses in the Qur?an which speaks about dawah. It is topic known by necessity
amongst Muslims.

Allah (swt) says,

ِ‫ﻕُﻝْ ﻩَـﺬِﻩِ ﺱَﺏِﻳﻞِﻱ ﺃَﺩْﻉُﻭ ﺇِﻝَﻯ اﻠﻞّﻩِ ﻉَﻝَﻯ ﺏَﺹِﻳﺮَﺓٍ ﺃَﻥَﺍْ ﻭَﻡَﻥ‬
َ‫اﺖَّﺏَﻉَﻥِﻱ ﻭَﺱُﺏْﺡَاﻦَ اﻠﻞّﻩِ ﻭَﻡَﺍ ﺃَﻥَﺍْ ﻡِﻥَ اﻞْﻡُﺵْﺭِﻙِﻳﻦ‬

Say: 'This is my way: I invite to Allah on/with clear knowledge, I and whoever follows me
(does this). Glorified is Allah, and I am not of the polytheists." [EMQ 12:108]

َ‫ﻭَﻡَﻥْ ﺃَﺡْﺱَﻥُ ﻕَﻭْﻟﺎً ﻡِّﻡَّﻥ ﺩَﻉَﺍ ﺇِﻝَﻯ اﻠﻞَّﻩِ ﻭَﻉَﻡِﻝَ ﺹَاﻞِﺣﺎً ﻭَﻕَاﻞ‬
َ‫ﺇِﻥَّﻥِﻱ ﻡِﻥَ اﻞْﻡُﺱْﻝِﻡِﻳﻦ‬

And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah and does righteous deeds, and
says: 'I am one of the Muslims. [EMQ 41:33]

ِ‫اﺪْﻉُ ﺇِﻝِﻯ ﺱَﺏِﻳﻞِ ﺭَﺏِّﻙَ ﺏِاﻞْﺡِﻙْﻡَﺓِ ﻭَاﻞْﻡَﻭْﻉِﻅَﺓِ اﻞْﺡَﺱَﻥَﺓ‬

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Da'wah
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ُ‫ﻭَﺝَاﺪِﻝْﻩُﻡ ﺏِاﻞَّﺕِﻱ ﻩِﻱَ ﺃَﺡْﺱَﻥ‬

Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur?an) and fair preaching, and argue with them
in a way that is better. [EMQ 16:125]

َ‫ﻑَاﺺْﺩَﻉْ ﺏِﻡَﺍ ﺕُﺅْﻡَﺭُ ﻭَﺃَﻉْﺭِﺽْ ﻉَﻥِ اﻞْﻡُﺵْﺭِﻙِﻳﻦ‬

Therefore proclaim openly (Allah's Message Islamic Monotheism) that which you are
commanded, and turn away from Al Mushrikoun (polytheists) [EMQ 15:94]

Also Abdullah ibn Amr (ra) narrates The Prophet (saw) said:

‫ﺑﻠﻐوﺎ ﻋﻨﻲ وﻠﻮ اﻴﺔ‬

"Convey on my behalf even if it is only one verse" [Bukhari]

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We can see from the evidences above that dawah involves inviting and conveying. When a
Muslim is giving dawah, he is inviting to Islam, which means to submit to Allah (swt). This call
to Islam is given to individuals as well as the society as a whole, and it is
obligatory the Muslims to engage in this.

Dawah is one of the many ritual acts of Islam, which means it is only done for the sake of Allah
(swt). Any ritual act in Islam must follow a divine method and form. As the Messenger (saw)
said

‫ﺻﻠوﺎ ﻛﻤﺎ راﻴﺘﻤوﻨﻲ اﺼﻠﻲ‬

Pray in the manner that you have seen me praying

The Method of Dawah

The general method of giving dawah is taken from the following verse:

ِ‫اﺪْﻉُ ﺇِﻝِﻯ ﺱَﺏِﻳﻞِ ﺭَﺏِّﻙَ ﺏِاﻞْﺡِﻙْﻡَﺓِ ﻭَاﻞْﻡَﻭْﻉِﻅَﺓِ اﻞْﺡَﺱَﻥَﺓ‬

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ُ‫ﻭَﺝَاﺪِﻝْﻩُﻡ ﺏِاﻞَّﺕِﻱ ﻩِﻱَ ﺃَﺡْﺱَﻥ‬

Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue with them
in a way that is better. [EMQ 16:125]

The three key points to the dawah mentioned are:

Dawah bil Hikmah

Dawah bil Mawizah

Dawah bil Jadil

Bil Hikmah (with evidences)

Allah commands His Messenger Muhammad to invite the people to Allah with Hikmah.

Ibn Jarir At Tabari said: "That is what was revealed to the Prophet (saw) from the Book (ie
Qur?an) and the Sunnah (prophetic tradition).

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Ibn Abbas (RA) said Hikmah is Fiqh wal Daleel meaning the understanding of Fiqh (ruling) and
evidences from the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Ibn Kathir said Hikmah is Fiqh wal Fahem meaning the understanding of Fiqh.

Hikmah is often referred to as wisdom; this is incorrect as wisdom is the fruitful thinking of
man. Mans wisdom is not all the same and the differences amongst men can lead to anarchy,
as people will argue who is right and who is wrong. Man is also weak, limited and needy, so
can be easy influenced into making decisions which are purely based on selfish gains.

Allah (swt) says

ٍ‫ﻕُﻝْ ﻩَـﺬِﻩِ ﺱَﺏِﻳﻞِﻱ ﺃَﺩْﻉُﻭ ﺇِﻝَﻯ اﻠﻞّﻩِ ﻉَﻝَﻯ ﺏَﺹِﻳﺮَﺓ‬

Say: 'This is my way: I invite to Allah with clear knowledge [EMQ 12:108]

The call to Islam has to be based on the knowledge revealed by Allah (swt) and not anarchy or
vain desires. Islam is what was revealed to the Messenger (saw) and has reached us by
authentic transmission, whether it is the Qur'an or Sunnah. So when we call people to Islam we
do so with certain knowledge. We ensure we hold fast to the Islamic standard by referring back

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to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) and his Companions (ra) for the understanding of the
deen.

Bil Mawizah (with preaching  link to hereafter)

Ibn Kathir said the preaching here means, with exhortation and stories of the events that
happened to people that are mentioned in the Qur'an, which the Prophet (saw) is to tell them
about in order to warn them of the punishment of Allah.

The dawah has to be linked to Allah?s (swt) punishment and reward. Allah (swt) will judge all of
mankind in the hereafter. The only ones who will successful then are the believers
(Mumineen), as Allah (swt) says,

َ‫ﻕَﺩْ ﺃَﻑْﻝَﺡَ اﻞْﻡُﺅْﻡِﻥُوﻦ‬

Successful indeed are the believers [EMQ 23:1]

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ِ‫ﻭِﻡِﻥْﻩُﻡ ﻡَّﻥ ﻱَﻕُوﻞُ ﺭَﺏَّﻥَﺍ آﺖِﻥَﺍ ﻑِﻱ اﻠﺪُّﻥْﻱَﺍ ﺡَﺱَﻥَﺓً ﻭَﻑِﻱ اﻠآﺦِﺭَﺓ‬
ِ‫ﺡَﺱَﻥَﺓً ﻭَﻕِﻥَﺍ ﻉَﺫَاﺐَ اﻠﻦَّاﺮ‬

And of them there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is
good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!"
[EMQ 2:101]

‫ﻭَﻡَﻥ ﻱَﺏْﺕَﻍِ ﻍَﻱْﺭَ اﻠﺈِﺱْﻟﺎَﻡِ ﺩِﻳﻨﺎً ﻑَﻝَﻥ ﻱُﻕْﺏَﻝَ ﻡِﻥْﻩُ ﻭَﻩُﻭَ ﻑِﻱ‬
َ‫اﻠآﺦِﺭَﺓِ ﻡِﻥَ اﻞْﺥَاﺲِﺭِﻳﻦ‬

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in
the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. [EMQ 3:85]

The disbelievers do not like to be reminded of accountability or Judgement in the hereafter.

They base their life outside of such scheme, yet this will not avail them, and if they die in that
state they are assured a severe punishment indeed.

Bil Jadil (with dialogue)

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Ibn Kathir said dialogue meaning, if any of them want to debate and argue, then let that be in
the best manner, with kindness, gentleness and good speech.

َّ‫ﻭَﻟﺎَ ﺕُﺝَـﺪِﻝُوﺎْ ﺃَﻩْﻝَ اﻞْﻙِﺕَـﺐِ ﺇِﻟﺎَّ ﺏِاﻞَّﺕِﻯ ﻩِﻯَ ﺃَﺡْﺱَﻥُ ﺇِﻟﺎ‬

ْ‫اﻞَّﺫِﻳﻦَ ﻅَﻝَﻡُوﺎْ ﻡِﻥْﻩُﻡ‬

And do not argue with the People of the Book, unless it be with that which is best,
except for those who purposefully do wrong. [EMQ 29:46]

There many means by which one could start this dialogue, such as organising stalls,
conferences, demonstrations, rallies, handing out leaflets whilst speaking out, etc.

What people are called to?

The disbeliever is called to embrace Islam as a deen (way of life) or as law and order (authority
over them). The Muslim is called to abide by Islam as a deen in its totality.

The need to do dawah to society as a Jama'ah

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Allah (swt) says,

َ‫ﻭَﻝْﺕَﻙُﻥ ﻡِّﻧﻚُﻡْ ﺃُﻡَّﺓٌ ﻱَﺩْﻉُوﻦَ ﺇِﻝَﻯ اﻞْﺥَﻱْﺭِ ﻭَﻱَﺃْﻡُﺭُوﻦ‬

َ‫ﺏِاﻞْﻡَﻉْﺭُوﻒِ ﻭَﻱَﻥْﻩَﻭْﻥَ ﻉَﻥِ اﻞْﻡُﻧﻚَﺭِ ﻭَﺃُﻭْﻝَـﺊِﻙَ ﻩُﻡُ اﻞْﻡُﻑْﻝِﺡُوﻦ‬

Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining
Al Ma'ruf (all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al Munkar (that Islam has
forbidden). And it is they who are the successful [EMQ 3:104]

The above verse talks about working collectively, with distinct aims and objectives, it highlights
the fact those who engage in this duty are the successful ones. This would mean those who
dont are going to be at a loss or unsuccessful.

It should be noted that the dawah to society is an open public call, and will involve exposing the
evils in society as well as calling to the ways of Islam.  No doubt when exposing the corruption
in society many individuals as well as the authorities will take offence.

This is the struggle faced by all those who call to the truth. We need only look to the lives of the
Prophets to see the opposition they faced when they called to the way of Allah (swt); to the
point they faced animosity, persecution and even death.

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Your duty is only to call

Allah (swt) says,

ُ‫ﻑَﺇِﻥَّﻡَﺍ ﻉَﻝَﻱْﻙَ اﻞْﺏَﻟﺎَﻍُ ﻭَﻉَﻝَﻱْﻥَﺍ اﻞْﺡِﺱَاﺐ‬

Your duty is only to convey (the Message) and on Us is the reckoning. [EMQ 13:40]

The one calling to Islam (daie) should fulfill his obligation which to proclaim and invite to the
way of his lord.  The conviction or guidance is from Allah (swt), and He will call all to account. 
So one should not gauge his efforts to be proportional to results, rather he should make the
effort and leave the results in Allah?s hands.

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